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

I’m not worried about Denver.


Michael Porter Jr. gone.

you guys forget seem to forget how he torched us in the playoffs what he did for that offense.

one bad postseason erases what he did for them.

he was hurt.

Aaron Gordon is old hurt

Jamal Murray is on the other side and since he got paid is a different player.

Jokic hasn’t committed to a contract.

the so called prized pickup Bruce Brown looks washed. Yeah I’ll say the quiet part out loud.

Jokic and the guys.

have you watched Valenchuniz on the kings?? He hasn’t been relevant since the Pelicans.

I know they got Jokic but we boat raced these guys when we got Luka.

I know Houston is better okay.

Golden state can be an issue with Curry and Butler.


My only real concern is OKC. Us getting Ayton really solved a lot. Put all our guys in proper places and now we have a Center who can be what formidable on defense and get rebounds. I like our squad. And I don’t see all the fuss with some of these teams.

 

I really like Rui, but he is probably best suited as a 6th man. He can shoot, play PF and small ball C. It’s a shame he isn’t a great rebounder because he does a lot else well. But to be elite defensively I don’t believe we can have all 3 of Reaves, Luka and Rui starting. We’d literally need a 1-4 elite defender and a center that can switch and protect the rim. Something like Camara and Bam Adebayo.

I also think Bronny could develop into a good 1-2 defender. It wouldn’t shock me if he becomes a rotation player. Same with Adou, I think he could become a pretty good 3-4 defender.

 

Yeah I'm warming up for that.
Do you think a core of Luka, AR, Ayton, Rui and a couple defensive stoppers (Herb, Dort, Thybulle types and similar level) is enough? I'm still not sure but there's a path it can work. Ayton really opens up things if he's a double-double machine that gets 20ish long term contract

 

To be fair, you aren’t worried about anyone though.

 

I’d say we have an excellent chance to contend this year. Lebron is still a handful on both sides of the ball when he is healthy. Smart is a considerable addition that helps losing Max Christie. Ayton is a huge improvement on Hayes and is definitely a lob threat - if he buys in and protects the rim, we’ll be a hard team to beat in a best of 7.

If we could jsut turn Gabe, Vando, Kleber and Knecht into a 1-3 POA defender, I think we’d be in the top tier of contenders.

 

Yeah, I agree with you about Bronny. He gets criticism for his height, buy I think he looks shorter than he really is due to his bulk. He also has a long 6-7.25 wingspan and is very athletic, so he definitely is bigger then his 6-1 height suggests. Bronny at Thierro filling in the other two spots would add string defense and athleticism.

 

Bronny could be am Eric Bledsoe type

 

yeah, the only notable loss is DFS, who really did help turn the season around with his grit and energy. not sure we have that replaced fully, though smart, in theory also does that.

i'm hopeful an athletic perimeter defender shakes loose sometime during the season. if not, my guess is it will be priority #1 next offseason.

i really think djj was an underrated addition to that mavs team, and he was unremarkable in other stops before that (remarkable as an athlete, but nobody saw him as a useful rotation piece until luka). we need to be looking for the next djj. there's some athletic wing out there whose shot isn't reliable or can't handle but can defend 1-3, finish in the paint, and knock down a shot if given all day. just need to find them.

 

Thiero much?

 

If Smart is fully healthy and rejuvenated (still only 31, not ancient yet), and if Ayton improves and focuses on defense, we are "almost close" to this. Still not close close, but since you're talking about the future, we would hope that at least 1 of them improves, and that we can upgrade the other defensively.

We still might not be "elite" defensively, but we could be very good, combined with being elite offensively. A top 3 offense plus top 5-10 defense would still be a strong contender.

Abeer/Carlisle's "play hard" point applies too. At one point last season, the Lakers had a top 3 defense even without AD.

Totally agree. Wet dreams about unrealistically trading for Thybulle and RW3.

 

This kid really does look the part. Just needs to improve his three-ball. But compared to a Vanderbilt, Thierro is much more advanced on offense. He averaged 21.5 ppg per 40 minutes last season, and 15 ppg. He has a knack for scoring in traffic, and he doesn't have bad hands like Vando. Also, his shot is not broken. It's not perfect, but it doesn't have a crazy hitch to it. I think he could improve it. He has shown flashes. He's shot 71% from the FT line in his three-year college career which indicates he is not a terrible shooter. It was on solid volume too. I think this was a good bet by the Lakers front office. The kid could jump out of the gym, and he is a dog on defense. He might be in the dunk contest. He might develop a lot faster than expected.

 

He’s 6’1.5” in socks so 6’3” can we stop talking like he’s a midget (not you specifically). Lots of guys have been and are now effective in the league around that height. Oh lookie here we have another one on our team just 1/2” taller who’s done “semi OK” in his career and undoubtedly will be mentoring Bronny.

“NBA player Marcus Smart's height with shoes on is officially listed as 6 feet 3.25 inches
. His height without shoes is 6 feet 2 inches.
This information is based on official scouting reports and is slightly more precise than the more commonly listed height of 6 feet 3 inches.”

#TellEmAI

 

i see thiero as more of a 3/4. again, i just keep seeing anunoby there as the extreme upside, poor man's anunoby as the likely outcome. but he's more power than speed/agility. looking for more of a mikal bridges body type/athleticism than anunoby.

aj lawson--a guy who's been bouncing around the bottom of rosters--is the type i'm thinking of. not him, specifically, as i think he's had a few shots in good situations without quite getting there (including with luka). but guys with sg/sf length but pg/sg quickness and speed. generally, these will be guys who don't pop offensively, because if they do, they're stars (e.g., SGA).

jordan miller?

maybe that fudge guy we keep around in southbay? he's actually one who reminds me a bit of younger djj--people thought he was an undersized 4 because of the offense, but djj was able to defend smaller guys in space, and it changed his role. can fudge do that?

 

Agree, I'm high on Thiero and optimistically see him becoming a better Vando and sure, maybe even close to Anunoby someday. Mainly as a 3/4 but can guard some 2's. Probably not main POA though. And I think that's 3+ years down the road. Getting 5-10 regular rotation minutes (barring injuries to the rest of the team) would be the goal this season and might not even happen until next season.

Question. If you'll indulge me. You agree that Thybulle fits this bill, right? Now imagine that Portland got a new GM who was not eager to, but was willing to trade with the Lakers. What do you think would be the realistic price to get Thybulle? (Whether the Lakers or you were willing to pay it or not.) And the price to get Thybulle + RW3?

 

in theory, i think thiero might be able to play by 2026-27. physically, he's already got nba strength, so it's just about learning the speed of the game and skill development. i hope he can get at least some reps this year for the first part, g-league for the second part.

absolutely. i've been on the trade-for-thybulle/williams train since last summer, lol.

to me, a lotto-protected pick swap should be enough in addition to an expiring contract. i'd sub knecht for the swap if portland gave me a second back.

guys like thybulle have gone for seconds the past few years. we traded three for DFS, and he was worth more on the open market than thybulle, imo (remember bkn supposedly turned down at least two firsts for him the year prior). i think knecht's current value is 2 2nds.

 

Sounds fair, and I would personally pay much more.

Blazers team is up for sale, announced a few months ago. (Legally obligated to sell, according to Paul Allen's will.) Hoping for new ownership and perhaps GM that will make this trade during this upcoming season!

 

like what? surely not the only first rounder we have to offer?

 

I agree. Just saying he probably looks shorter then he really is, due to his frame. Much like Eric Bledsoe did. Also, I think a lot of times people have the perception that he is short, because they are comparing him in relation to his dad. Which, is not fair. They do the same in terms of his game. I think we need to start separating him from his dad (figuratively speaking), if that makes sense. He actually has great potential, and I really do hope we keep him, even if his dad leaves the team.

 

For Thybulle+RW3, I would go up to Knecht, Vincent, Kleber, a 2nd, AND a swap. I could even be convinced to go up to 2 swaps, very lightly protected if they're in the near future.

(I don't think the swaps are likely to amount to anything. For example, there's no way that we're worse than Portland this year, other than massive injuries. Probably not in the next several years either, unless we really mess up post-LeBron. And I think we can buy 2nds and end up with high 2nds in the future. Like buying the 60th pick, then paying to move up repeatedly like we did this year.)

I understand if you think this is too much. It would be a Lakers tax. But sometimes it's worth it to pay the Lakers tax. I would put this resulting team right up there with OKC, Denver, Houston, so I would do it. Maybe even above them, if I put my Lakers goggles on. Elsewhere, we're talking about elite defenders around Luka and Austin, well, you roll out Smart, Thybulle, and RW3 next to combos of Luka, Austin, and LeBron, and there you go. Along with Ayton and Rui, yeah, that's a championship winner.

It's a good middle ground to me, between the "keep assets & flexibility at all costs" side and the "go all in while you have Luka + LeBron + Reaves" side. We don't trade the 2031 FRP like LeBron wants, but to give a swap or 2 to have a true legit shot at contending? While preserving financial flexibility since it's expirings for expirings? Do it imo.

 

Slater just tore his ACL I’m bummed.