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

IF it were even possible to just trade reaves and picks for giannis, you've got 110 million in luka/giannis. then you have vando at 12.5, jake at 6, knecht at 4, bronny and thiero at 5 total. let's say ayton opts in at 8 (not sure if he would, and he'd have leverage now, but i'll grant it). you're at about 145 then (no cap room--as it makes more sense to hang onto smart and hayes's rights). and you've had to renounce kennard and lebron's rights. since we had to use room to bring in giannis, we have the room exception to offer to one of those two guys, guessing lebron.

ayton/hayes
giannis/vando/thiero
lebron/laravia
luka/knecht
smart/bronny

rest of the roster has to be vet mins, and yes, you might get a couple good ones. but look how poorly-fitting that starting group is.

anyway, i take back my financial feasibility complaint. we maybe could field a team that is under the luxury tax next year and able to add a full mle the following year.

i'm still against it because i'm one who believes that you need fitting pieces (i still don't see how you find the center that complements both giannis and luka or how this team prevents rampant dribble penetration from even bad teams, nor how luka has space to operate optimally).

but yeah, unless i'm missing something here, i was wrong in my assumption that we would have financial issues. we'd just have some serious back end talent issues.

 

For simplicity purposes, if we traded Reaves straight up for Giannis, we would be left with about 10 million in cap-room. This is with Ayton opting in and Smart opting out. 10 million is a good start, but other salaries would have to go out to get other players. If you add Vando and Knecht, you could get in the range for Ellis or Dort. But I think a Giannis trade almost automatically requires you also taking back Turner. This is for offensive purposes (Giannis needs a stretch 5), and defensive purposes (We would need better rim-protection, since we would be leaving Luka and Lebron on islands). Moreover, the inclusion of Turner benefits both teams involved, since the Bucks essentially wouldn't need him anymore. So, to get to Turner, we need to send out 16.2 million in additional salaries. Opening up even more salary to open up cap-room for Ellis or Dort makes it even more complicated, and not very realistic imo.

Example somewhat realistic trade: Reaves + Ayton (8.1 million expiring fodder) + LaRavia (6.0 million expiring fodder) + 24th pick (3.3 million) + 2031 1st + 2033 1st + 2032 swap for Giannis + Turner. Then sign Smart for the room-exception. Lebron hopefully pre-agreed to a minimum (probably not likely). Realistically, you would have to create more room to sign Lebron to a respectable deal. So many variables just to make this deal possible, and eve then the results are questionable. It's just not very realistic, bottom line. It's fun to think wishfully like that, butit's not really productive to be so rigid and put a line in the sand and say is the route we go end of the story.

PG: Luka / Smith / Bronny
SG: Smart / Knecht / Vet min
SF: James / Vet min / Vet min
PF: Giannis / Thiero / Vet min
C: Turner / Hayes / Vet min

 

OK..now this is back to my post, about bringing in Turner, which would appeal to the Bucks IMO, by getting out of his contract. I think it's underestimated, that decent players would sign for a 3M vet minimum, in order to play with Giannis and Luka...I don't believe LeBron would turn down that opportunity.

 

Yea, but that's just a lot of assumptions that things break our way. I mean, in terms of us as fans, from a speculation standpoint. Optimism is a beautiful thing, but it's horrible for stuff like, planning. But who knows what's going on behind the scenes, we are just fans and could just speculate at the end of the day.

 

That's not a bad team Professor. It's deeper than Showtime24's idea, with Turner TBH.

We talk about Defense issues but not the offensive advantage. Which teams are built to stop Luka/Giannis? How? Are you going to sag back into the paint, in order to contain Giannis? While playing Luka and Lebron straight up? Play Giannis straight up and try to blitz Luka? They've faced this individually and still thrived.. that's why they are top 5.

These guys don't need other players, to help set up their offensive game, thier dominance allow other players to eat, imagine the amount of good looks players will get off of those two.

 

Yeah he's been great for them

Had that same feeling when he sent the ball to the last row yesterday on a huge block
In any case, he and Clingan got played off the court in clutch time as it often happens in the playoffs.

This is why I'm not so sure we are going to spend big in that position

 

I'm still bummed about the canceled trade

Just think if it went through

Things could be on a different level

 

Right it's all speculation..this is what fans do. I'm just pointing out that this isn't mission impossible at all.

 

yeah, just...so many vet mins...having flashbacks to the westbrook squad.

yeah, i'm still holding firm to not spending big on a center unless this is an allstar-level guy. we'll see how williams's contract negotiations go, and then if he holds up. but he was better than ayton this year, and we could have really used him in the playoffs last year.

 

It's all fun but I really do like that lineup Professor..Svtr threw in taking Portis instead of Turner, and keeping Ayton. Pika's version wasn't bad either. It will interesting to see what happens this summer...we have options.

My man LT would probably say...bring everyone back on a discount, and we still have 3 FRP and the MLE to work with!

 

there are many routes to an improved team this summer, which is not something i've believed the past couple years. i have no idea what it will end up looking like, but if it's not better, i think everyone's least favorite guy will be out on his a** immediately.

 

there are many routes to an improved team this summer, which is not something i've believed the past couple years. i have no idea what it will end up looking like, but if it's not better, i think everyone's least favorite guy will be out on his a** immediately.

 

Absolutely. There's no more excuses. Rob has to deliver this summer. There's no more "2027 plan" or "let's look at the deadline".

By end of July we need to have the skeleton of a championship contender team. That's the bar and the standard Rob needs to meet.
We don't have to be better than OKC or SA straight away. That takes time. But we need to be much closer. We can't lose by 40 regardless of any absences

I've been an advocate for many of Rob decisions, but this summer is do or die. I trust he will deliver, it's going to be a fun summer

 

I think any trade for Giannis has to have some salary dumping from our end and a big coming back from there’s. They won’t have much use for one of Turner / Portis moving forward. If we assume Ayton opts in:

Trade 1: Turner (26.6m) for Vando, Ayton & Knecht (combined: 24.7m)

Trade 2: Giannis (58.4m) for Reaves S&T (42m) + 3 firsts + 2 swaps + 2 seconds

This is effectively one trade just executed across two for sign and trade reasons.

After the trade:

Luka (46m) / x / Bronny (2.3m)
x / x / x
x / Jake (6m)
Giannis (58.4m) / x / Adou (2.1m)
Turner (26.6m) / Hayes (4.4m) / x

That’s 145.8m. We have 19.2m in cap space.

That team would need to bring back Smart, Kennard and Lebron for that cap space and the 9m room exception. In an ideal world, Smart opts in for a bigger payday next year, Kennard gets the room, LeBron takes a minimum and we have 14m to offer Ellis. But that’s unlikely.

In a more conservative option; we split the cap space between Lebron and Smart and sign Kennard to the room? Resign Hayes with bird rights. Bring back Kleber for the vet minimum. Sign another guard and a wing to the vet min.

Luka (46m) / Vet Min (3.6m) / Bronny (2.3m)
Smart (9.2m) / Kennard (9.1m) / NSJ (2.5m)
Lebron (10m) / Jake (6m) / Thanasi (3m)
Giannis (58.4m) / Vet Min (3.6m) / Adou (2.1m)
Turner (26.6m) / Hayes (10m) / Kleber (3.6m)

Thats 196m in salary. Below the first apron by 13m. We could target some of these vet minimums:

- Gary Trent Jr
- Taurean Prince
- Melton
- Thybulle
- Timelord
- Xavier Tillman
- Goodwin
- Exum
- Okogie

etc

 

Like I said...we got options!

 

Close enough, but Jaxon's cap-hold is 6.5 million, and I think maybe your not including minimum roster charges for for spots 8-11 after the trade.