2026-27 Team Developments: Trades / Free Agents / News / Rumors / Ideas

yeah, i think that sounds fair. san antonio traded a lotto pick (#8 overall) for two future minny picks, banking on minny's edwards era petering out before then. if you're like, apparently everyone, and think luka's window may have already closed, that 2031 pick is a nice return for a pick you don't have a roster spot for.

word is they're trying to move up, though, as you mentioned. i don't know if i'd move out of the top 8 or 9 for 12 and 17 this year, though...you'd have to really trust all your scouting and intel on where other teams are looking.

 

Lakers have ranked low in defensive rating when compared to other teams, it's well documented lakers have struggled with sustained energy. So again every nba player plays defense to a certain degree. However these players gets graded with their peers. No one is scared of taking on Luka. No one in fact he is hunted. As for Bronson Brunson has carved out as being one of the most clutch performers in the league.

 

yeah, the lakers employ bad defenders all over the roster. the untouchable rui and kennard rank near the very bottom of the league.

clutch dog brunson is protected by three of the league's very best perimeter defenders.

no one is scared of taking on brunson. in fact, he is hunted.



brunson, unlike luka, consistently ranks near the very bottom of the league defensively. luka has carved out a rep as being one of the most clutch performers in the league.

 

We need to stop handing out players fake titles. Next thing they will be like tmac arguing his Kobe comparisons with 0 rings.

 

W.e you say buddy. Keep thinking you're all-righteous and know it all. Top poster of the month =/= most kwowledgeable.

Didn't read the rest of your gibberish. You wouldn't know me enough to judge me based on the comments I've made. You've made a ton of comments and it's all pretty self-evident what we're dealing with here.

Assail the argument? You're the one who has gotten PERSONAL many times, including with others. Check the mirror. Or did it crack?

Keep thinking players like Clowney are worth three first rounders! I'm sure you don't make many of those same garbage assessments throughout your 30k posts on here!

 

Who is the one getting paid max dollars versus who is the one who took significantly less?

Don't worry, it'll become obvious to you one day.

 

what's a fake title?

 

what will? that you're kind of an a** and wrong?

you come here to argue brunson > luka?

 

Big difference, my guy.

Those other teams hand out max contracts because they HAVE to. They have no one else willing to go to their team and they have to secure those players.

This is the Lakers. They should be smarter with how they run their team and who they give a max because there is an expectation to compete every year. A bad signing might sit well with other franchises because they're used to losing and another bad season is well, another bad season.

For the Lakers, another bad season is not as easily digestible. The margin-of-error is much more significant. You sign a player like Reaves to the max and he can't perform, other teams will want to commit highway robbery to get him out of the Lakers for ya.

You used Booker as the extreme example because obviously, it fits your narrative significantly more when you combine his annual increase + supermax. All while ignoring that guys like ANT, Maxey, Haliburton, Cunningham etc., are making around $45 million. So why use Booker as the benchmark?

Who is advocating to trade for Booker? No one. So I don't see how he comes into play here. I'm saying Reaves is not on the level of some of the younger stars in that $ bracket and if the time ever had to come where you had to trade Reaves, his value isn't going to be that attractive as a max player versus him being below max, it's far more enticing if packaged with picks.

 

Harden was vied as the mvp scoring champ while another played great allowing others to help. Yes I get it Luka is the better individual player of the two. However Bronson has been more successful overall. And not as a role player but the star player ones that controls the game and make timely clutch plays. This is with teams focusing on you. Look these same arguments would be made of Westbrook in his prime and how it frustrated KD.

 

But like........NOBODY has signed ANYTHING yet. All it is, is rumors and hearsay.

Did you guys see that Instagram is claiming that LeBron is leaving? Do we just BELIEVE that ish because it's there? Like, the world may end tomorrow. We have NO idea what is going to happen. So why are we already arguing if something is smart or not when nothing WILL happen for a few more weeks? Nobody is going to show their cards till the Giannis trade is official. I don't think even OKC will trade up, like they want, till after that point...so most likely draft night.

I am not saying don't complain or express yourself, but like......we don't know is coming or not coming. Also, in case we all forget......WE ARE THE LAKERS...........

AIN'T NOBODY IN THE NBA HELPING US OUT. We have to do everything we want, by ourselves. So, Utah isn't gonna cheaply hand over Kessler, NOT ALL FAs are coming to us for dimes. Nothing that is reported right now, is likely to happen 100% as reported. So we can all chill and be patient. Then when things look solid, we can debate if our offense is good or not and our defense is good or not.

 

It's what happens here like clockwork from some, always, before knowing jack about what is actually going to happen. All the podcasts know jack as well. So getting worked up about it is like taking as gospel or getting pissed about an AI answer when garbage is fed in.

 

Well one thing is for certain Bronson lead a team to a title. We can hardly get out of the first round despite playing alongside two other stars. It makes it kind of hard to justify anything over 35mil and that's a stretch.

 

This is the Lakers, meaning they don't pay market rate? The Booker example fits the narrative because the narrative is based on facts.

I'm glad you brought up some of those guys. Cade's contract is excalating up to $61M. He's also under 25 and will be 27 when he's up for his new contract that should exceed $75-80M. Ant will be making $55M at 27 when he's due for pay raise. Jamal Murray makes $50M and peaks at $57 in a couple of years. That's about 40% more than Reaves will likely make.

AR in the low $40s for 4-5 years in what will likely be his only big pay day is a good basketball and business move. You're comparing to guys that could very well get paid double what AR makes in 2-3 years.

 

Better value? Yes. Better player, no.

More healthy, better AST-TO ratio, also an elite scorer, elite playoffs performer, and on a significantly better contract while not complaining about every call.

I mean, since 2021-2022 and being on the Knicks, Brunson has played 61 playoffs games averaging 30/4/7.

Luka in that timespan has played only 27 averaging 29/9/8 on similar shooting efficiency.

Why are we supposed to pretend that Luka is some generational-type player before he actually proves it?

Look, Luka's a fantastic player. Top five. But he hasn't earned anything in the league yet.

 

I mean, it wasn't like I, myself, wasn't this person back in the CL Days. I remember that time.

It was fun to assume EVERY bit of information was right, like Jason Kidd going to leave New Jersey to join the Lakers and what not....only for NOTHING to happen......but yeah, after so many off-seasons....you get used to the noise and go "I'll wait till LITERALLY Week 1 of Signing Season, THEN I will pass judgement."

 

I think at this rate though, everyone is getting that awe and shock factor. Like what has Flagg done to be so valid? What has AJ done, pre-draft to be crowned the next best thing?

I agree with what you are saying wording wise, but it's just people who LOVE THE GAME, being impressed with the NEW and different. So, we get hyped on someone and go "They are amazing, I really want them to be the next champion on my team." Which, we all are decently in agreement SHOULD happen at this rate, given that Luka went to the Finals once, but still..........

Everyone is Utah thought Stockton and Malone was enough..........sometimes things don't go like you want.

 

Can anyone think of a comparison for this guy?

• 6-11 226
• 42 inch vertical
• 9-1 standing reach
• 7-4 wingspan
• 14.9 pts, 8.4 rbs, 1.8 ast, 1.8 blk, 1.7 stl per 36
• 1.4 / 4.2 three-pointers per 36 on 34%
• Can defend on the perimeter

 

lol...noah clowney?

only half kidding. brazile's a little bigger, maybe not quite as skilled offensively (though neither is going to impress too much there).