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

maybe if we threw in a top-5 protected swap on top of two lotto-protected 1sts, the optics would look ok (they traded two firsts and daniels and got three firsts back)?

not sure if they care, but helping us play better this year would also keep the hawks from getting a lotto pick from us as part of their murray deal, lol. more optics. though tbh, "screw the lakers" seems to be the primary optic desideratum in the market.

 

I've edited my post. I think at least one of the 1st should be unprotected, can't see NOLA doing it without it.
Murray fits a lot of teams and he's a win-now player who is still behind his prime. I can see the likes of Miami, Orlando, Memphis or Minny going after him. Milwaukee and Denver need more talent, although he's an odd fit for both, but they are both desperate.

Memphis are likely looking for consolidation trades, they have like 13 or 14 rotation players

 

We gonna get f*** all and yall know it.

 

...ever the optimist

 

it's funny, but also can't blame any fan for not feeling all that hopeful given our recent history.

 

recent history of winning a ring 4 years ago and making the conference finals two years ago?

i think some perspective is in order. even according to lofty laker fan standards, the most recent period beats the hell out of the period that preceded it.

if you're referencing our lack of trade activity, i'm pretty glad, as most trades that seemed possible for us since the second russ trade looked like potential russ trades. if that's what plays out this year again, i won't be mad. but i'm not of the mind that we're just averse to making any deals at all.

 

But what have you done for me lately?

 

So none of insiders know what Pelinka is doing lol.
Lakers prefer the depth of the roster than third star acquisition. At least one deal is expected from the club (Jake Fisher)
Lakers are going to strengthen their roster during the season.
According to insider at least one deal is expected from the club before the deadline . Duh

 

And a lot of haters who's team never played in Conference finals in the history don't consider WCF as successful because Denver swept us

 

i'll be very surprised if both hayes and wood are still on the roster in march. one will almost certainly be gone.

i feel the same about gabe and dlo--i just don't see us keeping both of those guys.

i used to feel the same about rui/max, but recent comments from jj make me feel like they'd only go in an obvious upgrade.

my sleeper that nobody likes is that if we DO try to make a big swing, knecht isn't untouchable.

 

oh, ok. so happy for those folks. i'd much rather never see my team win a round in the playoffs than see them win two and be swept by the eventual champion in a series of tightly contested games.

 

So Flagg tanking is officially off.
I don’t think he is the generations talent said one manager

He is often compared with Franz Wagner and Aaron Gordon.

At this stage, it looks below Vembanyama and even Zion ,next to Cade Cunningham, higher than Anthony Edwards, Zachari Riesache and other guys from the draft, when we were not exactly sure about the 1st pick– said the manager from the West.

«I like the analogy with Grant Hill. I like this comparison.

Cooper a little more. Grant, perhaps a little better athletically , – said one manager.

Two years ago, his ability to block made me think about Andree Kirilenko. Now that I have looked at it closer, I don’t think so

 

Said one manager?

 

No Different ones.
It's on ESPN insider I don't have an account
https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/st...strengths-weaknesses-comps-ceiling-2025-draft

 

lol... these fools know nothing.

Grant Hill would be amazing. Kirilenko would be a superstar these days.

Franz Wagner and Aaron Gordon? Da hell?

 

i need to watch more flagg footage to render a full opinion, but i definitely saw gordon/kirilenko comps but he's further along offensively than either was at the same stage, imo. he's maybe not quite as tall (ak) or strong (ag).

weird that franz wagner--who was playing at an all-nba level prior to his injury--was considered some sort of dig. much less grant freaking hill.

wonder if this is some gm trying to play the press in trade negotiations (ainge) by insisting that they don't need to move down in the odds and thus don't need to shed talent.

how about this? if flagg isn't that great, but he's the clear #1 overall pick, what does that say about what's going to happen if you end up with the 8th pick instead of the 2nd because you held onto john collins or something? or is the argument that the 8th guy in the draft will be comparable to flagg? i've seen nobody credible suggest anything of the sort.

 

I would love to finally get the Murray deal done, but is NOLA really interested in trading us another high level player?
I would be shocked if they decided to lose in another trade with us.

 

guessing that answer is no; i just know that

a) we've been interested
b) we hold torches for players
c) he wasn't listed as untouchable
d) he's probably within our trade budget, in theory

but yeah, any deal with them is complicated due to the AD past. i'd have some interest in zion and even mccollum (for basically 2nds and they eat someone we don't want), too, tbh--also guys not named as protected.

sucks that they're one of the firesale teams this year.

 

the trade(s) they make will be completely out of left field which has seemed to become the norm under pelinka

 

https://hoopshype.com/2024/12/15/kevin-huerter-trey-lyles-available-for-trade/