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

really feels like a breadth of talent problem rather than top end - SGA in particular is a good #1 but come on this guy in the post-season even with the refs buying all his crap is just not at the level of a prime Lebron or Curry as an offensive engine. They lose J Williams and seem fine because they had Mitchell and Morey's gift basket in teh wings. They lose both J Will and Mitchell and even OKC looks like they have a body problem again.

Full disclosure: I probably over-value Smart. Despite Smart's 3 point jumper being VERY streaky, watching him the dude is a difference maker who has shown he can actually win you a playoff game with all the stuff hedoes.

The lakers issues is the cliff like fall in 2 ways players: you got the stars (luka, lebron, ar), you got the good playoff caliber roleplayers who I define as guys who will get minutes in most playoff games (Smart, Rui, and I think it's pretty fair to include ayton, hayes in here). but then a complete drop off.

A more cynical take would be that Lakers don't have anyone a coach can trust past the big 3 and Smart. An really cynical take is the Lakers are blowing smoke up everyone's a**** and good coaching and smart players couldn't cover up AR's defensive shortcomings when the chips were down (cough James Harden in the CLE/Knicks series cough)

I think the first take is fair - this team did win a lot of games despite a lot of injuries, never had their best 4 available really at all, at good health, and I watched all the OKC games this team was in it. you compare it to the CLE/NY series where the CLE looked like a deer in the highllights outside of one game the Lakers just ran out of bodies IMO.

Because of this rationale I would be wary of going with giannis move unless you know for sure you're getting some Smart like steals to fill out the roster around that kind of blockbuster move. And why it feels like a no brainer to move picks and trash for guys like murphy and jones. The roster then becomes where you can mix match size and skills to exploit other teams rather then always trying to figure out a way to survive minutes (i.e. the vando, jakes minutes)

 

good
we are much closer to 1999 finals repeat

 

i don't see williams at 6.5, but i don't see hayes signing at minimum, either. so what if you just re-sign hayes at the williams number? if you're spending big on turner at starting center, i'm not sure you need both williams and hayes, and i actually like hayes as a backup center quite a bit. third center can be a rookie or development project, imo.

how is rui signed here? if ayton opts in and smart opts out, what's the cap number? you need 62 to sign those guys at the figures you mention, and i'm not sure we can get there.

i do like the idea of using like, knecht/jake in S&T for thybulle or ellis (i think both guys will make more than 6.5, tbh).

i also think turner is a solid buy-low (ish) candidate, though i wonder about his fit with luka as a pick and pop/spacer more than a lob guy.

so, i think you could realistically get to:

luka/smart/bronny
reaves/ellis or thybulle/nsj
watson/adou
lebron
turner/hayes

it's got a rui-sized hole--if he and lebron could be convince to take a bit less with player options on year 2 that could exploit bird rights, you can maybe get there?

 

It works like this:

Luka (49.5) / x / Bronny (2.3)
Reaves (20.9) x / Knecht (4.2)
Watson (28) / Jake (6) / Adou (2.1)
Lebron (19) / Rui (13) / Vando (12.4)
Ayton (8.1) / x / x

Then you add the minimums, do the trades and resign Smart and Reaves.

But I was trying to just remake the Knicks, that’s why I tried to include Timelord to resemble Robinson.