2025-26 Team Developments: Trades / Free Agents / News / Rumors / Ideas

I don't think Thiero is a rotation player next year. JJ doesn't seem to be the type of guy to make that happen. Maybe in 2 years

Portis can hold his ground on the perimeter. I think JJ is the type of coach that loves a stretch 5, I imagine we will search for that this summer. Portis would fit well I think. And bring the bench scoring we lose with Rui.
Adding Watson helps a lot on the stretch 5 thing too, because you get a wing that blocks a lot and can protect the rim

 

Your image is spot on, but it doesn’t include Reaves’ 20.9m cap hold or the update on Luka’s wage next year being 49.5m (due to a lower cap next year). Also, I’m not counting the first round pick as that’s a potential trade asset, so that means we have 90m of salary with Ayton and Smart opted in (minus the .3m for Luka and the wage of the first round pick).

If Smart opts out - minus 5.4m - and you add Reaves’ caphold of 20.9m, our salary is at 105.5m and the cap is set at 165m. So we have 60m-ish like in my example.

Maybe we can’t get hart or be part of a trade for Giannis. That’s fine, but I listed 20 odd options that could be had a few pages back. I’m pretty sure with 2 first round picks, someone will jump at something. At 3 first round picks someone definitely would, I don’t suggest that, but we have the capabilities to field Luka, LeBron, Reaves, Smart, FA piece, trade piece, Kennard, Ayton, Hayes, Jake and Adou and have access to a MLE and BAE the following year.

There should be no reason why we can’t compete next year, and I wouldn’t accept less from our front office.

 

Yeah yeah it does, it's just not in the image. It's from here:

https://lakersnation.com/how-much-cap-space-will-lakers-have-in-summer-of-2026/

I get your view, I have a different one but we certainly converge on the need to maximize our salary slots

 

LoL
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/72...ource=athletic_targeted_email&userId=14254432

 

I respect different opinions. Ultimately we all want the team to improve and we’re pretty close now - we came off a season of bad health where we were winning at a 58-60 win pace when we had our guys healthy. If you add two pieces to that I feel like we’re right there.

The FO will play things out the way they want too. This is jsut a nice way for me to break my concentration from work stresses and day dream about team building haha

 

Yeah I like it too. In the NBA, my dream job would be GM.
And I would know the cap unlike Rob hehehe (joking)

 

Yeah, that's true about JJ. But, at some point soon, this kid is going to enter the rotation, and never leave. He's awesome. Jumps out of the gym. Super-high motor. Already and excellent defender. Good scorer too, and is working on his 3-pt shot. Form looks like hes going to be a good enough shooter, and he's not afraid to shoot. Excellent size too.

 

Hahaha, I love that rumour that Rob is just kind of last minute winging it, studying the night before the test kind of thing.

The more I think about the offseason, the more pumped I am. I think Rob took a shot on Vando developing a shot and Rui developing defensively, if they had, we’re probably a considerably better team. Most likely we have to let them go and bring in a player like Watson and hope Adou develops.

But to me the idea is can we get two wings to compliment Luka and Reaves? And just kind of do the center by platoon thing.

 

I think Steve Kerr looks at the Lakers and Spurs.

He’s a spur. And Mitch Johnson has to win. Maybe he’s another Joe Muzzala but if they don’t win with Wemby Kerr will be coaching that team.

Wemby is the most intriguing player that any coach in the league would want to coach.

if it goes south with Adleman Denver. I can’t really see Kerr going to Minnesota.

 

The Lakers have all the money to pay Kerr anything he wants.