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

i'm still wrapping my mind around the mere suggestion. and we had houston as the 7 seed when they had two scorers that demand second defenders, hyper athletic large two-way wings, AND an undersized scoring guard who's the best kept secret in star stopping?!

 

Smaller defenders work on some wings, but yeah not Luka. Clippers tried it with Pat Bev in those playoff series and Luka annihilated him. We saw it in that game we blew out OKC, Luka was getting any shot he wanted against Wallace.

 

Yeah small defenders do work on some guys, to an extent. Kevin Durant had trouble with Tony Allen until he didn’t… and then he didn’t have trouble with anyone 1 on 1.

When you’re an all time great, you can’t be stopped individually, it’s all a team effort.

 

I think Smart close halves, or at least games. You need a POA when the other star will play more ISO.

I've been playing with rotation schemes and I also think we will get Bron/Rui at the 5 a bit. I think when this happens, it's the best time to have Vando out there too.
We certainly don't want Vando with Hayes, and we should limit it when we have Ayton.

My conclusion of that exercise is that we have a huge array of scenarios that we can use, so I think training camp and early season will shape the rotations, I don't think there's anything set in stone on JJ's mind.

But there's some principles I think:
- you want 2 of Luka/Bron/AR at most times. We may have Luka by himself for some minutes, so we get more of Bron/AR together
- you want Rui when Bron is not there, but you also want him in small ball with Bron. (gets him more scoring opportunities) Which makes it tricky if he starts
- you also want Rui when Ayton is out (same as above)
- you don't want Vando with Hayes and limited with Ayton (spacing issues)
- Hayes should only play with Luka (maximize his best quality - lob threat)
- I would limit Gabe/AR backcourt, not mandatory as they already played a thon, but I think it diminishes our physicality

Do you agree with these? Would you add anything else?

I think the main question for the rotation is what works best for Bron. Shorter (4-6min) stints or longer ones (8-12min)? I think based on that, the rest becomes easier

 

Agree with you. I wasn’t saying he was going to stop him. These guys can frustrate him.

He’s stocky and just pesky. Then you gotta guard him on the other end.

they do crafty things get under your feet. Knock you around.

this allows Thompson to float who he wants to guard between Luka and Lebron allowing Durant to float.

it completely throws their defensive rotation into a wrench.

Now Thompson must immediately be on Luka.

Lukas gonna cook Shepard.

And then Van Fleet was a guy I was concerned about on the other end. Making those big shots. The rotation to those corner and top of key threes that destroy us.

Van Fleet isn’t Brunson he’s Brunson light.

 

And glue guys win you championships. And Fred Van Fleet is one of those glue guys.

 

Doesn't playing Vando in those lineups kind of defeat the point? If the point of Bron/Rui at the 5 is to play true 5-out on offense and force the other team's rim protector off the floor, well Vando undermines that. He's a non-shooter that also isn't a roll or lob threat, so they can just park their rim protector under the basket the same as if Hayes or Ayton out there. But having Vando play with Ayton or Hayes isn't great either.

The issue with Vando is that he's such a zero on offense that he's going to drag down any lineup offensively. In the regular season teams really aren't gameplanning much night to night, so I think we just throw him out there for 15 minutes regardless of whether its Bron/Rui or Ayton/Hayes at the 5. And then in a playoff series he's just out of the rotation.

 

I take notes when I see people easily triggered

that’s the whole post

 

yeah, i think hayes/luka during chunks of the late first/early second quarter makes a lot of sense. like take luka out at 6 minutes and return him for the last two and opening four of the second with hayes running all those minutes at center (maybe gabe, laravia, and smart are out there, too?).

i think because rui is a good cutter who can score from pretty much anywhere but isn't great at getting his own quality looks, pairing him with bron a lot is actually good.

i think rui and ayton can play together, too, especially if rui's the 4 (no lebron). rui/lebron/ayton is probably the one that concerns me the most, but if we had two guards who can defend out there, it could work. i'd probably avoid those three (outside of the start, if that's how we go).

yeah, vando with ayton can work. not great, but could happen. when luka goes out in the first, vando replacing him could make sense. and i've said i'd like to see vando/luka in centerless lineups.

i think they're both quite strong for their respective positions but also both kinda slow, so yeah, it's a concern.

my assumption above was that he probably preferred longer (less up and down). it would be great if we could limit him to two 7-minute stretches in the first halves of games so that we could have some latitude in the second half.

anyway, my opinions on these things mean nothing, and i feel like the coaches always throw some curveballs early. plus, again, injuries.

 

How about this trade: ???
Los Angeles Lakers Receive
Daniel Gafford
Haywood Highsmith

Dallas Mavericks Receive
Gabe Vincent
2031 1st round pick (via LAL)
2026 1st round pick swap

Brooklyn Nets Receive
Dalton Knecht
Jaxson Hayes
2030 2nd round pick (via DAL)

Lakeshowlife - trade

It is probably total BS but who wouldn't do this on our side?
It seems to solve some problems for Dallas, gives them a replacement for Kyrie and a first round pick while ridding a logjam problem.
Not sure about the Nets, don't know much about the impact Haywood had on their team, but they get a couple of projects and a pick.

I think this would be great for the Lakers.

 

Without AD no

 

???? What???

You wouldn't take Gafford and Highsmith for Knecht, Hayes, Gabe and draft picks?
None of those guys will be main players for the Lakers, Gafford would be. He would also make our center position DEEP.

 

I don't think it's a no-brainer. I would give it serious consideration though. I agree with your take about making the center position deep. That's 48 minutes per game of elite lob threats. That would be pretty awesome, I'm not going to lie. Just some considerations: Highsmith is decent but I don't think he is the clear-cut 3 and D solution at POA that we need. Also, Gafford would take up 24 minutes, leaving only 24 for Ayton. Ayton hasn't played less than 30 minutes per game in his career, so idk if there could be an issue there. I'm not sure if this is the best return we could ger for trading that pick.

 

My pause on this is that we'd be really thin at guard (Austin and Smart are really our only legitimate guards, Luka isn't a guard). Gabe is kind of important to the team right now, we need him or someone else that can fill his defensive role. I don't know that Highsmith (a good defensive player) is that guy. I do like the Ayton/Gafford combo.

 

I don't think Dallas is going to trade with the Lakers until Nico is gone lol

 

yeah, not even in a three-team trade, imo.

also, i'm just not sure gafford is a big enough upgrade on hayes to warrant knecht and a 1st.

maybe before we got ayton, i'd have considered it. but as others have said, ayton should be a high mpg center, and i expect we'll play some center-less minutes. and again as others said, gabe isn't easily jettisoned without getting a guard back. i suppose if we saved some money in a deal and opened a roster spot we might could find a FA guard to replace gabe, but it's kind of late for that market.

anyway, my main desire is an athletic perimeter defender who can knock down enough open threes to keep defenses honest. i'd save gabe/knecht/1st for that guy.

 

Anybody you have in mind? I think this player also needs to be relatively young, in Luka's timeline. I think we are in a spot where the top tier of such a player is going to cost more than Knecht + 1st. It gets tricky.

Tier 1: All of this tier would likely cost Austin Reaves at a minimum. Question here, is would you give up Austin + the pick for any of these guys?

(1) Dort: His contract is coming up, but If I'm OKC I'm holding on to that guy. They rather go for another chip with the window, and address the contract later.
(2) Wallace: Another key peace for OKC's defensive identity. They probably are for sure going to want to keep this guy. Cost controlled too.
(3) Max Christie: They are probably done dealing with us though.
(4) Herb Jones
(5) Daniels
(6) Anunoby
(7) Bridges
(8) Suggs

Tier 2: You might be able to justify trading a protected 1st for one of these guys. At this range, you might also try to include an upgrade at backuo center coming back, or another significant upgrade, weather in a one team, or multi-team trade. I have Ayo and Ochai on this list, because they are proven defenders at the NBA-level, and are only around 26 years old. Althiugh thier shooting has been relatively unproven/inconsistent. A lot of the tier 1 players also have a shaky three ball. Carter is younger, but unproven, so Lakers would really have to do their research on this guy. It still seems really tough to be giving up a pick for one of these guys. Another team could also include multiple 2nds to balance a trade. I still don't think any of these guys are worth an unrptected 1st though.

(1) Thybulle: injury history is a major concern. Shot does how soem promise, thogh volume is not great.
(2) Dosunmu: Might be just an okay add, but he has shown he could shoot at decent volume, and is good at point of attack. Has shown some soemwhat conistant (besides 3-ball) offensive assertiveness in CHI, averaging 12 ppg the past two seasons.
(3) Agbaji: Coming off a solid 3-pt shooting season, after a coupke bad ones. So, don't now if his shot is real.
(4) Carter: Unproven. Hard to see the Lakers trade for him and say "hey we want you to be our defensive stopper".

Tier 3: Projects/reclamation projects that obviously shouldn't cost a 1st.

(1) Dalen Terry
(2) Josh Green: Some people say he is good at poa, but ive heard other say he is not that good, so idk. Anybody have some metrics? He might be alright. Do I have this guy too low on here?

 

It seems, there is no one really available for Knecht + 1st that meets that criteria, that is obviously worth a 1st.

Vincent + Kleber + Knecht + 2032 2nd + 2028 swap + 2030 swap for Thybulle + Williams is a good swing we could take, and would not cost that 1st.

 

My favorite move is Knect/Gabe/Maxi for Timelord and Thybulle.
That basically fills the two bigs needs of POA defender and backup center who is both a rim protector and lob threat