2024-25 Team Developments: Trades / Free Agents / News / Rumors / Ideas

I know Knecht has everyone excited but AR has been a ridiculously good playoff performer: he was a beast against GS and the Lakers losing Game 5 really overshadowed how him and Lebron basically were really taking it to the Nuggets.

Basically if Knecht is even close to that good the Lakers will be a title contender

 

not sure about that. would be amazing if true, though. i think folks underrate just how good reaves is, tbh. he's not a star, but he's about as close as you get without being one. like, no way i trade him straight up for jerami grant.

edit: pioneer beat me to it. reaves is a 30-35 million per player that we're paying 14. just huge value.

 

He’s @showtime24 ’s favorite armchair trading piece though.

 

With the never guaranteed LUCK of decent to good health for ANY team …..

Winner Winner … Chicken Dinner! Not to mention if Koloko is healthy to play and improves on what he was doing 2 years ago in Toronto.

 

Any Laker in any right deal can go for the right player. That's just how it is w/me.

But with Reaves & other stuff, it likely would have to be for a top 12-15 player.

 

What would it take get Turner? What would you be willing to give up? Dlo, Lewis and two 1sts?

 

Not intentional. It just works out that way because he has been really the only player of value that we have on the roster besides Lebron and AD. I like him at PG though, and it looks like we need to keep our depth because the bottom 3 of the roster have been trash (JHS, Lewis Reddish). Bronny hasn't been great either but we don't expect much from him at this point.

 

Makes sense. Reddick talking about going with a 9 man rotation.

 

i don't see why indy wants to move him unless they're upgrading at his position or massively upgrading at another. we don't offer that.

luxury tax threshold is moving to 206 million next year, supposedly, so they have plenty of room to extend him and his FA status isn't an issue.

 

I don't even know who most of these new 100+ million dollar players are. That just seems really wild to me. Admittedly I only watch Laker games, and then only when they are playing half way well, but seems like I would hear more about the players that deserve 100+ mill contracts. Like they would be among the lead leaders in statistical categories or something.

 

IF Austin is our PG of the future, we better already have targeted several top notch defensive guards to pair him with.
I love Austin, but the reason as to why he and DLO don’t mesh perfectly is that neither are good defenders.
This is why I really wanted us to get Murray. He has shown in previous seasons that he can be a very good ball stopper.

 

Austin should not be the guy bringing the rock up, but he can initiate in the half court and help us mix things up. I prefer to keep him in that role vs full time PG. I don't see that as a long term fit.

 

Yeah the bringing the ball up is not that big a deal. He can easily a lot of the time but can also pass it ahead or hand off to whichever better pressure ball handler is in the game with him.

 

The Bulls and MAgic are doing it with similar players in Giddey and Suggs, respectively. And, they don't have a Lebron.

 

The way things are looking, if Knecht actually plays like he has shown, he will be our best shooting guard, Reaves will be our rotation bench player, DLO or someone else will be our point guard, while Reaves can sub for both of them, they all get pretty equal time.

 

I don't know if he is a guy that you have next to a point guard in the long term. It's not a clean fit, because his strength is playing with the ball in his hands. I do think that Austin has the work ethic and IQ to re-invent himself as an off-ball three-point shooter, though, but that is yet to be seen.

 

Yes, I agree. A 6th man role is not bad for him. I mean, he makes 13 million per year, he is not entitled to anything really. I guess that's sort of why I entertain flipping him and others for a long-term fit at point guard. We kind of deal him before his value drops, as he becomes known as a bench role player, and gets older.

 

No way is AR going to the bench again unless injured and working his way back. Book it.

 

Is there a player out there who checks these boxes:

1) Good point of attack defender
2) Good three-point shooter
3) Good ball-handler/hockey assist guy for Reaves

That is going to be hard to find in the short term, and it would cost Reaves anyway. Its hard to find the ideal point guard that would compliment Austin. Russell is almost that, but he doesn't defend, and he has his playoff reliability issues.

 

It might be impossible to get such a player, without giving up Austin himself. That was the problem with getting Murray. So, without many players out there fitting that criteria, why not go with an Austin/Max backcourt?