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

Well they haven't had any success of being a real contender. They are usually somewhere in the middle. I don't find that this team ran like a well oiled machine and relied on the talent they had. To much jocking and players not liking roles. Lebron, Austin, Rui, Van, Ayton to be specific. I feel they had a solid month of unrealistic basketball with Luka playing out this world.

 

(1) Make the draft day trade: Vanderbilt + Knecht + #25 + 2033 2nd for Herb Jones + Missi
(2) Bring back Lebron, Rui, Reaves, Hayes with bird-rights
(3) Bring back Kennard with non-bird-rights
(4) Bring back Smart with 9-million of the MLE
(5) Sign Richards with 6-million of the MLE

SCORING MACHINE: Luka (36) Reaves (12)
SHOOTER: Reaves (23) Rui (15) Kennard (10)
POA DEFENDER / SHOOTER: Jones (28) Smart (20)
BIG-WING / SHOOTER: Lebron (33) Rui (15)
LOB-THREAT/ RIM-PROTECTOR: Missi (18) Richards (18) Hayes (12)

That's a pretty deep squad.

• Lob-threat in there at all times
• Elite POA defender in there at all times
• Multiple shooters in there at all times
• 6MOY candidate off the bench, in Rui
• Additional shooting off the bench, in Kennard
• Extended depth from roster spots 11-14 in Thiero, Ayton, LaRavia, and Bronny

 

Are you related to @Khmrp and separated at birth? Everything is glass half empty for you because Luka and AR are supremely talented offensive players (and competitive defenders when slotted properly) but are not also 2nd team or better all defense players. Do you realize how freaking hard it will be to replace that top shelf multi-skilled offensive talent if EITHER of them you keep whining about are not here?

The bold above. You give zero credit considering how many players were injured and in and out of the lineup first third of the season with the HUGE absence of LeBron, and Luka and AR were cooking together in spite of it all plus great play from our centers and decent support from the healthy role players, and were winning at a 70% clip. And that month or more run after the break was with FINALLY all of our Big 3 available and LeBron finally back in game shape and playing down lower to make the 3 headed monster work better. It was awesome! There's not a better top 3 in the league very arguably, and when healthy no one can contain LeBron playmaking and scoring down low and rim running, when Luka and AR are cooking. Throw in the game and culture changing Caruso like effect that Smart was giving us .... and that's the team that didn't get to face OKC, yet we were still in every game while getting swept (just not deep enough), without MVP performing Luka as he was for most of the season. With 3 way less than optimal role players needed on the roster to better match their depth.