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

We should always get other teams best players for our trash, we're the Lakers ffs. Pau for Kwame set a standard

 

Yea, and the most extreme example is GSW, who have 12-13 guys' names on the stat sheet by halftime.

Not DEN. They're basically 6, maybe 7 guys. Call it 6.5. Which is why Joker is gassed and his FG% is way down. Even his FT% is down. When he goes out, they are a bad team. When he's in and Daigneault plays Chet and Hartenstein, they borderline mug Jokic in the paint. Wouldn't you?

The DEN player off the bench getting significant minutes contributed mightily to their loss at home today, evening-up the series at 2-2. His name sounds something like "Bustle Testprick". He was 2 for 12 and 6/3/1 in 27 mins, and beefed a couple of wide open corner 3s they desperately needed in the 4th. One of those was an airball. If I'm (whoever the DEN coach is now) I play Watson and Strawther before I play Brick.

I watched CLE@IND and expected a good game. I did not get what I expected. 80-39 IND at halftime. My gawd...I saw the footage of Mitchell's injury, and either he's faking it or it's the freakiest ankle injury in the history of the game: he comes out for shoot-around to start the 2nd half and barely does anything, grabs his ankle, MRI tomorrow. WTF? Did you guys see that? Are you buying it? I think Spiderman just wanted to rest up for Game 5, 'cuz clearly, his guys didn't show up for Game 4.

The drag of it is: I don't see IND knocking off Bags. On the eve of the playoff season, I had CLE kicking C-Bag azz. Basically nothing has gone the way I predicted, which is, for me, par for the course.

 

hmmm...i'm not seeing jokic being mugged, tbh. i'm seeing him get away with a lot on both ends, per usual, but most of his missed shots and turnovers are unforced in this series, much less the result of uncalled fouls. both he and SGA have been largely underwhelming, imo. murray and gordon have played very well for denver, and okc has basically underachieved to a man on offense (their team defense has been VERY good).

the cleveland/indy series has been really depressing for me, as it's clear boston will cakewalk to the finals again.

 

i mean, duh. one year without lillard and then another year with him being 35 and coming off an achilles tear?

just going to be difficult to find the right trade match with milwaukee owning none of its picks.

 

Fox, Wemby and Giannis, nice

 

Yeah, it's going to be tricky to appease him and the team's needs. If NO is involved (and gives them their pick(s) back) , it'd almost have to be as a 3rd team because a Pelicans team with him is still a team going nowhere.

I don't think the Rockets fit is very good. KD or Trae are better fits there.

Maybe SA, that length would be insane.

Heat? Eh.

 

The Spurs are the one I'm worried about. They could package Castle/Sochan/whatever matching salary/a lot of picks and beat most other teams' offers without including Wemby, Fox or Vassell. If they manage to keep those three and add Giannis...that would be bad news for the rest of the conference.

 

the spurs pick stash actually isn't that great. they have atlanta's (swap next year, outright the year after, i think) and sacramento's 2031.

they have dallas or minny's in 2030. boston's in 2028.

and all of their own (about to be worthless), plus a boatload of 2nds (who cares).

if i'm milwaukee, i ask for all of the non-SA 1sts and some swap rights in addition to castle and sochan.

still doesn't feel like enough. i might actually demand vassell, tbh. might give back a few picks to make it happen.

 

Giannis isn't going to a young team which isn't ready to win now like SAS ( I'm assuming Bucks will trade him where he wants to)

 

If they have Giannis, Wemby and Fox, they're ready to win now. That's two Top 10 players in the league and another Top 30 (off the top of my head) guy. I don't know if Mitch Johnson is any good as the coach though.

 

yeah, and they'd probably be able to keep some depth in the deal in part bc wemby's on the rookie contract for another year, maybe two. they don't need to fully match giannis's contract.

 

NBC backing up the Brinks truck



I'm certainly intrigued. We haven't had a mic in front of a non-owner version of MJ in over 2 decades. He hasn't really chimed in on players or the game today with any regularity. I want to see how he sees it and if he's as jaded and out of touch as some of his contemporaries. Judging by the product I think Amazon and NBC are both going for, I don't think it'll be anything like the TNT POV... but still, I'll be intrigued to see it with some regularity. His takes will definitely be better than Magic's. Mr. Twitter AI version 1.0

The roster

 

I’m seeing a video about a Laker deal for Demar Derozan.

can’t find any confirmation, but the video is saying Knecht is going out


Probably AI generated crap for views

 

NO they are not. They are both good, but not that good.

 

The lack of mentions of his clutch FT's shooting woes is umm interesting. He's cost his team a shot in at least two games by bricking ft's in the final minutes and crickets. Lebron did that we wouldn't hear the end of it

 

Giannis trade tiers: What every NBA team can -- and can't -- offer the Bucks

Los Angeles Lakers

For a second straight offseason, LeBron James' potential free agency plays a role in what the Lakers can add to their roster. James has a $52.6 million player option for next season. If he opts-in or signs a new contract with a comparable starting salary, the Lakers will be $1.3 million over the luxury tax. Because the Lakers are well below the second apron, they have flexibility to aggregate contracts in a trade. L.A. has more than $60 million in expiring contracts.

As far as draft assets, the trade to acquire Luka Doncic left the Lakers with only their 2031 or 2032 first-round pick available to trade. The Lakers are allowed to swap firsts in 2026, 2028, 2030, 2031 and 2032 and have two second-rounders available.

Free agents: LeBron James (Player), Dorian Finney-Smith (Player), Jordan Goodwin (Team), Jaxson Hayes, Markieff Morris, Alex Len

Off the board: James (no trade clause)

Rookie scale contracts: Dalton Knecht ($4 million, RFA 2028)

Sizable contracts: Luka Doncic ($46 million, Player 2026), Rui Hachimura ($18.3 million, UFA 2026), Finney-Smith ($15.4 million, Player 2025), Austin Reaves ($13.9 million, Player 2026), Gabe Vincent ($11.5 million, UFA 2026), Maxi Kleber ($11 million, UFA 2026) and Jarred Vanderbilt (411.6 million, UFA 2028)

Other contracts: Shake Milton ($3 million, UFA 2027), Jordan Goodwin ($2.3 million, Team 2025), Bronny James ($1.9 million, Team 2027). Note: Goodwin cannot be traded unless the team option is exercised, while Milton's contract is non-guaranteed.

https://www.espn.com/nba/team/_/name/lal/los-angeles-lakers

 

I said athletically… you don’t agree?

 

If AR is traded, it would be interesting to see what we could get for him. If this is Lebron's last season, our big two would be Luka and AR. I always thought that this is when AR would be his best. He is obviously no Lebron, but he is similar in some ways, such as getting to the paint and scoring and kicking it out to shooters. But, if the Lakers feel AR is not a true #2, I wonder if they would try to get an upgrade now? I know this type of thinking kind of takes away from focusing on upgrading the 5 and 3 and D wing. Any ideas for such a player (other than Giannis or Embiid)? Booker? Edwards? Zion? Maxey? Bam? JJJ? Cam Johnson? Jalen Green? Banchero? Move up for a lottery pick? Other ?

 

I'm looking at that list to see if any of them happen to be a lob threat big or 3 and D wing or guard. Edwards would be best choice, but not realistic.

• Giannis and Bam are lob threat bigs
• Bam is more obtainable than Giannis, and is three years younger. Bam also seems to have developed a perimeter shot. But Giannis is the better option in terms of being a #2, due to his scoring. Though not 3 and D, both of these guys are able to defend on the perimeter! Although Bam's scoring is not ideal for a #2 option, he is a defensive stud, who is a 3rd option scorer, still with potential to increase scoring with his developing shooting.
• So, I think the most likely option will be Bam.
• What would it take to get him?
• Send Austin to a 3rd team probably, because they have Herro already. But we would probably send out Austin, Rui, Shake, 2031 1st, and swaps. So, Bam would essentially be the consolation prize for Giannis. We end up keeping DK because we need shooting.