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

Maybe Zion eats his way out of New Orleans on purpose? I hear they have a weight clause, that allows them to not guarantee the rest of his contract, or something like that.

https://sports.yahoo.com/zion-willi...s-him-to-stay-below-295-pounds-215538783.html

That would be one of the craziest things in the history of the League.

 

rui was out of left field, but with a team that we'd worked with before.

bevs for bamba was also a weird one. THT for bev was a bit odd.

feel like the framework of the second russ trade had been discussed a bit prior to its happening.

so i think it's a mixed bag in terms of surprise factor. there seem to be some teams that we don't work with and some we do, though. this is why valanciunas has seemed predestined.

 

This

 

I don't recall anyone predicting the Russ for Tinkerbell/Vando/Beasley trade either. Or the Russ trade for that matter. Rob Todd plays it close to the vest. Makes me a little more skeptical about Valanciunas being his true target.

 

d-lo trade came out of nowhere

 

Dejounte hasn't had a good start to the year. If there is a path to get him without giving up a lot of pieces, I'd explore that to the fullest. But being NO, they're probably going to ask for Knecht, and a bunch of picks.

so the tough question you gotta ask is do you trade Knecht and first rounders for a win now guy that's not even a star, considering that most probably we'll be entering a rebuild within less than 18 months?

 

..... do you feel lucky?

 

i'm fairly certain i myself might have suggested that trade prior to it happening. i know many had done the version with conley in it instead of dlo. it was pretty clear which teams and players might be involved, imo. another was rozier. anyway, i wasn't blindsided at all.

my thought is that when we were after murray before we would have given up the pick that became knecht with no second thoughts. if knecht knocks the future draft capital way down, i bite the bullet and do it. knecht is good (i was his first fan on this forum, i think, pre-draft time), but his peak probably doesn't exceed murray's present, and i consider deals this way when you're trying to win now.

problem is NO would want reaves, not knecht. and i'm still where i was a few months ago--the point is to have reaves AND murray.

 

He broke his hand in the 1st game of the season and is now slowly picking it up. He's a walking triple double. He's not a perennial superstar but I put him in that 2nd bracket. Him and AD with a good supporting cast (that we don't have currently) is highly competitive imo, and a contender if the coaching is good.

I would try to keep Knecht and Reaves for sure. If we are giving Knecht, I'm keeping 1 FRP. If it's Reaves, I'm not attaching picks. Don't think it makes much sense for them to get Reaves now anyways, if they're going to rebuild.
On Reaves for Dejounte, it's a tough call with our current scenario. I think that trade makes us instantly better in the short term. Dejounte's ceiling is higher too, so it's better long term. But building post-Bron with that trade looks like a lateral move. Ideal is to have both together. I'm pretty convinced that Murray is the best fit with Reaves in the whole league. With Caruso and Suggs close.
On the other hand, if we do that trade we are unleashing Knecht as our SG starter. He hasn't convinced me this year that he can take that step now. But in the future, for sure

Agree the optics of them trading with us again don't play in our favor. But it's a business and hopefully that plays a bigger part.
I saw Bron talking with him postgame. Hopefully he likes him and he pushes for this to happen.

I would like to see JJ coaching a team that he chooses. With the players he believes best fit his ideology.

 

I'm him. I'm back.

LOL. You're kind of slow to pickup on it. I mentioned it like 5 times.

Mr. "I want to keep all the youth..." I thought I taught you better.

Slick PM'ed you about me? LOL. I guess I should be so flattered. I like Slick. He's just a little out of his element a lot of the times, but that's okay. As for you? You ready for the tank? It's coming.

 

Has there been any link between us and Ingram? I had heard something on Mason and Ireland, but they didn't mention the source?

 

TRADE PROPOSAL
Lakers Receive: Brandon Ingram

Pelicans Receive: Rui Hachimura, D’Angelo Russell, 2026 First-round pick (LAL, top 10 protected)

Ingram out of New Orleans

Being the only healthy piece for the Pelicans, Ingram is putting up a great statline: 23.6 PPG, 6 REB, and 5.4 AST. Ingram is playing at the top of his game right now, meaning his trade value is at its highest. Ingram’s name has been in the news a lot since the beginning of the season, as Ingram is set to be a free agent next season, so a contender should try and pick him up and make a push for the Larry O’Brien trophy. That team will be the Los Angeles Lakers, the team that traded him away to acquire Anthony Davis.

But how legit they are I have no idea
https://twsn.net/

 

So, you're the source? ROFL.

We might trade for a player that we don't suspect?

 

I just posted source
And they have another rumor
https://twsn.net/2024/12/the-memphis-grizzlies-will-trade-marcus-smart-to-the-los-angeles-lakers

 

Janis Timma committed suicide in a business hotel in the center of Moscow.
He was 60 pick in same draft year as Giannis.Hr played some ball in G league and maybe Summer League
But never made to NBA.

 

No

 

Damn …. @KuzmoBall17 doin’ rumor work

 

Some of the latest Irwin pod stuff:

JV - Lakers currently only want to give up one second and Wiz currently want at least two, that's where negotiations are. Noted that Rob is closer to their FO than most other front offices, so fully expects talks to continue.
Zo - Lakers have injury concerns that makes that unlikely
Brogdon - injury concerns there too and why he doubts the potential inclusion of him in a JV trade unless he's a DLO replacement but that's a downgrade (unless it's a 3rd team involved)
Cam Johnson - price through the roof, they want 2 good firsts at least
DFS - current price is a protected 1st, best case
Kessler - off the table
Grant - no one league wide wants to trade multiple 1sts for him
Vuc - some in the Lakers FO like him, some not so much

 

My thoughts on NO blowing it up...

I think any deal with them will be tough given our history and they're not going to be wanting to lose another trade to us. If they were still boasting and impressive haul from AD, it'd be one thing...

That said, I'd love another shot at getting Murray. Great pairing with AR. They like long skinny wings. Maybe they really believe in Max Lewis...



I also read Bobby Mark apparently said he thinks Zion can be had for a future first and expirings. I don't see it. If so, I think such a deal would be announced today. If I'm NO, I'd be more interested in forcing someone to take on CJ's deal with Zion and get several smaller 1-2 year deals in return.

If that was all they were looking for, there is a path to get involved but going after him addresses none of our needs. Just to see if it was doable, I threw this in the machine (not saying I like it, but curious to find a path):
DLO, Wood, Hayes, THJ to NO
Gabe and JHS to DET
Zion to LA

Det is essential as they're tanking and have cap space. They're going to play a role facilitating deals for someone between now and Feb if you give them some second round picks to compensate them.



Another player in the rumor mill who hasn't been talked about at all in here is Jimmy Buckets. He's not an option for us due to $$$.Thoughts on that circus? Aldridge had a really good piece with the Athletic and day or two ago that laid out a really bleak market for him. I don't understand the Suns rumor. Cap wise it has to be Beal. Beal has a NTC, he already picked Phoenix over Miami. If that's a no, that's a non starter.

 

Still think Lavine is most likely: likely available as a salary dump so Jeannie can keep the picks but also a legit upgrade on talent
So it will probably JV and Lavine based on salaries

If I had to guess lottery protected 1st, max, rui, and Dlo for JV
Gabe and a couple of second rounders for JV