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

If Reaves decides to leave, we get an additional 20.9 million to work with. Could be an interesting turn of events. Could use around 35 million or so the offer Watson a poison pill contract, or acquire him in a sign and trade for some draft capital. If the Lakers really like Watson, they could go this route. Watson actually has the ability to be that secondary ball handler. Might not be ready to do so yet, but Lebron could help get him there. Worse scenario, you could get a Quentin Grimes. I know he isn't as good as Austin, but he is a better defender, and a better off-ball shooter, athlete, and can operate as an additional ball handler. That slot could also be used to absorb players(s) like a Suggs, or maybe even a Jarrett Allen. Either Rui or Smart might end up willing to take the room exception if push comes to shove.

 

or...we could get shut out of an already weak FA market and be out a top-35 nba player for our troubles.

 

Yeah but the "upside" of that also is Alex Caruso Blunder Part Deux blows the doors off at the box office in Laker Nation. With his willingness also to take less than max available at his years.

 

Honesty think this series is pretty even if Luka happened to paly. That moves AR down one step in terms of OKC's focus and eliminates a lot of trash minutes from Kennard, Jake, Vando.

Lakers have found something with Smart, Ayton, Hayes, and Rui - add in Luka, AR, Lebron. That is very good 7 man but then the drop off this the Lakers hard.

OKC lose Jay Williams and they frankly look better? They can get minutes to guys like mccain or whoever seems to have it going while you lose Luka you go to players where it feels like it's a miracle if they do anything.

I would make a hard push ofr an OKC player archetype like Cason Wallace - Ayo seems like a great fit. I'm not enamored with Ellis as his ability to play switch defense I really question
Its a big step but you need to move on from the Jake and Vando types to a Wiggins or Ayo like player and this roster makes a whole more sense. Kennard becomes your 9th man

I don't know if it's possible because Ayton clearly has played himself into a contract that is worth an average starting center contract, and you have to bring back Lebron and Smart for this to work. And it's going to be hard to replace what Rui brings. So that leaves you with the ideal off-season is getting a peyton ellis or ayo to take over the Smart/Vando role without losing much of anything else - tough waters to navigate.

 

You gotta bring Rui back. As I stated he performs in the postseason. What we got him for nothing? A steal. You gotta make sure you’re getting that 18 point to 20 point a game production. With defense. He stays.

Lebron you bring him back. It will be his choice more than the Lakers and it looks like he’s coming back. You don’t just find that production when you let that walk out the building.

try to get Peyton Watson.

and bring Austin Reaves back at a reasonable price.

No nobody is trading Austin Reaves for Jalen Suggs. That would be dumb. Jalen Suggs is a cool name. But I need a guy to get me buckets. I’ll figure out Marcus smart and Keon Ellis for that role.

and then the others just try to bring them back.

Ayton looks like he’s going to opt in.

trade for Nic Claxton.

if Luka played this would be a different series.

Reddick really f***ed up towards the end of the season when he let Luka and Reaves play like that. So much usage.

Honestly that game we played against OKC on April 2nd. The starting lineup should’ve been

Bronny James Luke Kennard Jared Vanderbilt Dalton Knect and Jaxson Hayes.

it should’ve been a maintenance game. No need to play them. No need to show them anything against a potential playoff opponent.

but Reddick learns and I’m sure he’ll learn from that. Too much production.

well hope to see Luka back soon.

as for moves just acquire players who help us winning and in our window.

 

I like Jarret Allen. He’s a very active player.

 

Go over the apron; all the way to the 2nd if needed.

 

interestingly, i'm not sure if there's a good way to go over the first apron this summer?

it would probably require smart and ayton both opting in, then using bird rights to keep everyone else, perhaps even s&ting for expensive players.

like, not going to happen, but like dual S&Ting rui and reaves for giannis+ is maybe a way to do that.

but there are a lot of mechanisms to try and prevent that. now, assuming we sign some longer term deals this summer, there will be ways to expand the payroll a bit after that.

 

You guys are better at this cap stuff than me..but I think SVTR threw out an idea on one of these threads.

 

It’s actually hard to get as high as we would like with the new rules, they kind of discourage things with the trade options you have. You most likely would have to max the cap space and then resign your guys with bird rights to the second apron. Most teams achieve it by having multiple rookies go to maxes.

One thing we could do from my previous option is try to bring back Smart on a 120% raise and use the MLE on a player. So like this:

Luka: 49.5
Reaves: 35
Lebron: 24
Rui: 16 (4 year deal with 4th year team option)
Player X: 15.1 (3 year MLE)
Vando: 12.4
Kennard: 10 (non bird resign)
Ayton: 9.7 (120% non bird raise)
Smart: 6.5 (120% non bird raise)
Hayes: 6.5 (2 year deal)
Jake: 6
Knecht: 4.2
Kleber: 2.5
Bronny: 2.3
Adou: 2.1

If you can get Ayo Dosunmu for the MLE and a Josh Hart in a trade as an example, you’ve done pretty good.

Luka / Kennard / Bronny
Reaves / Smart
Dosunmu / Hart / Adou
Lebron / Rui / Jake
Ayton / Hayes / Kleber

Not sure how likely that is, but you add one by trade and one by the MLE while retaining everyone else.

 

no way dosunmu goes for mle, but you can use mle to absorb salaries in trade now, so if we find someone making less than that...

but mle use hardcaps at the first apron, of course, which is part of why slick's second apron dreams are unlikely this year.

 

Smart's not going to take 6.5

Ayton probably also opts out and takes more, he has been solid in the playoffs and the market for Centers is very thin.