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

great point. And that’s the facts they let Rui walk with no clear replacement. So at this point it has to be Kaminga.

 

I've never liked how we go into seasons banking on making a move later on to shore up a clear hole in the roster. Just puts that much more pressure on the team early and even if we are able to pull off a move, the team has to try to gel in a few weeks and we end up losing the guy for nothing as soon as free agency hits in the summer.

There are players available that solve issues for us particularly on the defensive end. Stopping here makes little sense. We've already emptied the cupboard. The front office needs to finish the job and put together a completed roster before we start training camp.

 

I’m just disappointed we aren’t more creative.

OKC is over the second apron and drafted a young center to go with Chet, Hartenstein and Williams. You could have probably got Sorber from them instead of signing Looney.

Spencer Jones is available and Denver won’t resign him due to cap space issues. That’s an elite defender for peanuts that hits 3’s at 40%.

PJ Washington is available for a first or probably 3 seconds.

Our team would look so much better if we just emptied the clip, don’t wait to see what the team looks like and the trade deadline:

Luka / Sexton / Manon
Reaves / Carr / Hardy
Grimes / Jones / Adou
PJ / Jake / Kaluma
Kessler / Mamu / Sorber

We’d have a top 5 guy in Luka, a top 30 in Reaves, a DPOY center in Kessler, 2x two way starters in Grimes and PJ, a wing defender in Jake and a POA guy in Jones off the bench, Sexton, Haddy and Mamu for bench scoring - as well as 5 interesting prospects to develop in Manon, Carr, Adou, Kaluma and Sorber.

 

You people couldn’t even give me 24 hours lol

 

Passing on guys like Jones and/or Zaire is particularly egregious to me because it does feel like they can be had for cheap.

Same with being unwilling to take on PJ's contract.

 

Good job.

 

As soon as we knew we didn't like Kuminga's price, other moves should have been lined up IMO.

Really hoping this is a negotiating ploy to try and get the price tag lowered on someone out there. But yes, the fact that we've gone into the season with clear issues multiple times does cause a lot of concern.

 

There goes that superior front office again.

 

Yes, but we got our rocket scientist from there, lmao.

I think this was always going to be a two-transaction cycle, especially when we traded and got 2 additional second-round picks from Washington.

The perplexing thing to me is Vando and Knecht are definitely out of the rotation, IMO. Bronny might be as well if there's no notable improvement. Grimes is too small to play the 3 if you're starting him; LaRavia fits in a little cleaner, but he isn't ideal. On a team that is already going to start at a deficit defensively almost every game, it really does have me wondering; as I've said, the offense will be fine, but will that be enough to carry us while we wait on another move? Guess we'll see...

 

You haven't noticed that Luka guards the 3's, while Smart guarded the quick 1's? They didn't have Luka chasing around the 1's. Grimes is taller than Smart, so I don't see what the problem is. People assume that since Luka is slotted as a 1 on offense that he automatically has to guard the opposing ones lol.

 

Yeah they basically traded Ayton for nothing and traded him not knowing they could swing for this.

We still have Ayton we could be playing him at Power forward. In some lineups next to Kessler or backing up Kessler.

really was a reckless trade. Better make sure they sign Kaminga and do what the plan is supposed to be.

 

Grimes isn't guarding the bigger 3's on the wing successfully. Matter of fact, I was just listening to Pete last week on this who watched film on Grimes; competes hard but when it's time to size up, the bigger wings are just shooting over him.

Luka should be tasked/assigned with defending the weakest offensive player.

 

Luka is a point forward. He guards forwards. It's a non-issue

 

Don’t think Ayton can play the 4, but not getting a wing like Cam Whitmore or Champagnie back in return was just egregious. Washington has a team full of wings. You never trade quality big for a small like Hardy unless the small is exceptionally good.

 

LOL. Yeah, we know the position Luka guards. Geez.

Theoretically, he'd be on the weakest offensive player from the other team or the best matchup for him.

If you're starting Reaves, Grimes, Luka, & Mamu, that's likely a problem you can't hide.

 

Agree with @abeer3 @ElginTheGreat @svtzr

We lost most of our draft capital with the Kessler trade, but why stop there? We might as well empty the clip and go all-in. Get PJ or Kuminga (or both) with our three 2nds, two swaps, Vando, Knecht, Laravia, and Hardy.

 

Yeah. The front office likes in season moves but I'm not sure how realistic that option is this go around with what we have to offer.

Defense will be tough as we are completely depending on Kessler right now. We can outscore some teams but that's going to be an ongoing issue as the roster is currently constructed.

 

Yeah. I don't get it. A guy like Washington pretty clearly helps us on defense, is about the same age as most of our guys, and his actual salary isn't that bad based on his stats.

 

Actually, I think that can work during the regular season. There's been a bunch of good offensive teams with average defenses/gimmick that get by; however, they get dusted in the PO's. LOL.

 

I wish they found a player locked into a contract, youngish, and has positional versatility at the end of a roster somewhere?

I'm not that sold on Kuminga honestly.