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

I pray to God Giannis doesn't go to OKC.

OKC has the players and picks to make it happen.

Hartenstein, Joe, and Lu Dortz with 4 first rounders would be too good for Bucks not to take.

Then you basically have Shai, Giannis, Caruso, Jaylen Williams, and Chet.

That's just unbeatable at that point.

 

yeah, i don't think that would get it done, either. if i'm sac i want a young prospect at the 4/5 spot. svtzr's idea that had us taking monk from them and getting ellis could work in theory; i just think sac would take a similar package from another team first.

i'm not entirely sure it's that much of an upgrade on their current team, tbh. i know it sounds crazy, but they have good-fitting parts. shifting chet down to center and losing your most physical perimeter defender isn't nothing. and taking the ball out of SGA's hands doesn't make a ton of sense to me. giannis has said he doesn't like setting screens, right? i mean, yes, obviously having two mvp-level guys is tough to contend with, but i don't think it's as scary as, say, the kd warriors were.

 

They have Sabonis at one of the 4/5, so the other one needs to be able to protect the rim, and maybe shoot a little bit. Taking Monk for Rui would be fine too, but might make payroll tight for 26-27, when Ellis likely gets a new deal starting at around 25 million. But even then, I don't think that's enough for SAC to trade Ellis to us. We could do a three team trade that has Kessler involved, with us getting a 3 and D player. Example:

LAL: Ellis and Monk

SAC: Kessler and Hachimura

UTA: Knecht, 2031 Lakers 1st (unprotected), 2031 lowest of MIN, SAC, or SAS 1st, 2032 Lakers 2nd, 2028 Lakers swap, 2030 Lakers swap, 2027 Lakers 1st (1-4)

SAC might go for that. Their team looks pretty solid after that:

PG: Shroeder
SG: LaVine
SF: DeRozen
PF: Hachimura
C: Kessler
SF/PF: Murrey
PG: Carter
SG: Clifford
C: Eubanks
C: Renauyd
F: McDermott
PF/C: Saric
G: Dennis
G: Davis
PF: Jones

 

Side note, I feel like this idea - pairing a non-rim protecting 5 with a rim-protecting 4 that can shoot - is the conventional wisdom, but I'm not sure it's ever actually born out well. It's part of why I never wanted Vucevic. If you have someone like Vucevic or Sabonis at the 5, even with a rim-protecting 4 the opponent is still going to bring Vucevic/Sabonis into a P&R. If you bring Vucevic/Sabonis up to the level of the ball, it's a pretty easy swing to the release valve and your rim-protecting 4 is now caught between closing out to a corner shooter and defending the rim. If you go with a deep drop and Vucevic/Sabonis just waits at the rim (to defend it poorly), well you still need to bring rim-protecting 4 over to help and he's probably helping off of a shooter in the opposite side corner. The Magic tried this with Ibaka and Vucevic in 2017 and were still a bad defense. I think the way to try and cover up a poor defensive 5 is to surround them with perimeter defenders, like the Rockets are doing with Sengun and the Nuggets are kind of doing with Jokic. I can't think of a good example where a rim-protecting 4 has successfully helped cover for a poor defensive 5.

 

Kessler is the 5 and Sabonis is the 4 in this scenario.

 

i think they're saying it doesn't matter, as the opposing team will just use the slower guy's defender as the screener. denver just builds an entire defense around jokic never having to really leave the paint. and i suppose gordon is something of a shotblocking 4, but they still use jokic as the anchor because he's great at positioning and they don't want him running sideline to rim and back on possessions, etc.

neither kessler nor sabonis is really equipped for the defensive role.

now, i think houston's team last year was a bit of an exception to sk's rule in that jabari smith is kind of a shotblocking 4 that they used to cover for a slow-footed ground-bound 5 in sengun. but again, that's like denver's scheme, which sabonis/kessler can't do.

i'm curious to see what dallas does. both lively and AD are quite mobile for bigs, but will they contest all the way out? i guess cleveland's the model there.

 

I hear you. In any case, what do you think of looping I'm Utah to a multi team deal where the third team gets Kessler? It seems like Indiana would be a good spot for Kessler. I would like to get Nesmith from them, but we probably don't have enough assets to get him. The SAC deal seems more workable because we absorb a long term salary from them. What do you think?

 

I'm starting to feel like we might as well do the Miami trade for Wiggins. If they want Rui + Knecht + 2031 unprotected first, have them ad two 2nd round picks coming our way, and call it a day. Wiggins does fill up 30-34 minutes, so that is 30-34 minutes of 3 and D. Also, I think we need to start looking more at the 2024 Mavs model that was around Luke..

 

Our biggest weakness, with this particular roster on D, IMO.. is the 3/4 defender, not POA. It's not ideal for LeBron, to be the best defender at that slot, especially in the playoffs. It's going to take away from his offense, in the 2nd halves of games. Stamina is the biggest issue with LeBron at 41. Rui just isn't cut out for that role, and I thought that Finney-Smith, was too small, for that role against Minnesota.

That's not an easy job to fill, in this Conference. You want a guy with some length, lateral quickness, and a little heft, or legit springs to him. Tougher to find than a POA guy IMO.

 

I got to thinking the other day that long-term, Spurs are our rivals for the type of guys we'll be after, athletic wings.

They have a generational talent like us (Wemby), have a few young/star guards on Fox, Castle and Harper and just need 2 athletic wings to have their championship contention core.

Ellis, Camara, Herb, Murphy III, Dort etc are all guys that fit perfectly with both teams. They'll always have a better trade package than us, so hopefully we are the team that gets the best next guy.

We have 3 FRPs in draft night. But we won't have tradable salaries as most of the team is FA, so actually we won't be able to use the 26' pick unless we attach it to a Knecht/Vando deal on draft night, which shouldn't get us much

While writing this, I think I'm coming to the conclusion that the best option might actually be to get the best guy we can until the deadline with the 31' FRP.
I would prioritize a guy who fits more the post-Lebron era rather than an all-in for this year

 

We have a good back fill of players for this imo. LaRavia and Thierro. PJ Washington was good in this role for Dallas in 23-24, when they went to the finals. This is part of why I feel Rui must go. As far as POA, I don think we necessarily need a defensive savant. That's why I mentioned players such as Grimes and Wiggins. They are good enough on D, and switchy. While able to shoot really well.

 

The Rookie has the body type and athleticism, I want, but I doubt he's ready for prime time, this season though. I hope Jake is better at this than Rui, but we shall see. We actually have more playoffs proven POA defenders, in Gabe,Smart and Vando, than at this spot. Wiggins is close, but he's expensive.

 

I'm looking at it from the standpoint that we have two PF defenders in the starting lineup already, that are not good defenders, and Reaves, who is too slow to defend a lot of PGs. So that leaves Ayton and somebody who could defend PGs. That's why we keep landing on POA defender. And since this guy needs to be able to m defend the opposing teams best perimeter player, it would also help if he had some size. So it makes it so we have to get a very specific player. Reaves/Luka/Lebron are not going to be out there navigating screens. And yes, we do have players in reserve at POA too, but hopefully Vandos shot is real, Smart is healthy, and Gabe has really showed up for his contract year. A Wiggins or a Grimes would kind of close the gap between there on defense, and they are switchable and there are no questions about their shooting.