2024-25 Team Developments: Trades / Free Agents / News / Rumors / Ideas

I’m very impatient. Most of the big moves go down in the first 24 hours and we’re already seeing a lot of the big names getting traded or singing contracts, and apparently the Mavs are in pole position for Klay (not even sure I want him but I’d like SOMEONE). Call me pessimistic but it already looks like another big whiff of an off seasons. If LeBron ends up signing for the max because we couldn’t make one splashy move or lure one splashy FA, then Rob keeping his job is indefensible (already is IMO) and so is Jeanie keeping the team. I am so sick this embarrassment of a FO.

 

I disagree. I think he should keep his job EXACTLY for not giving 2 picks for Grant. Grant has a career of no success. There's a reason.
I think most people are not aware of the Stepien rule. Each pick you give, it takes 2 years to have another to trade. With that trade we are doing all-in in the Bron window with him, AD and Grant.
We are absolutely without assets after that. And in 2027 we have to rebuild with Bron gone, AD with an expiring at 34 years old and Grant with an expiring with 33 and ONE SINGLE PICK to trade. Also, we don't have our 2027 pick (and lost 2029 and 2031 to get Grant). Is that really worth it?

A GM has to manage the roster and assets for 10 years. That's a good GM. Not one that uses every single asset available any time you get it. I don't want to sell the house for a minor shot with an aging LeBron. I want to compete, but not at the point of sucking for the 5/7 years after Bron.
A golden rule for me is that you trade picks of a year where either the player you're getting or your stars are playing in such year. Like, I trade the 2029 pick for Dejounte because he will be in his prime in that year and I'm getting him. I don't trade 2031 for Grant when he'll be 37, AD is 38 and Bron is a grandpa.

I'm not sure I get this. We have been making good and unexpected deals every single offseason since the title.


On Klay, yeah 4/70 is insane. Hope we dodge that bullet. It's really crazy if Bron is pushing for that, makes no sense, he's not even in the top3 role need of the roster, just a good money for value at the MLE. If he pushes for it, I'm really starting considering a REALLY BAD GM and if he gets a team (where he'll for sure be involved in trades and signings), that team will suck

 

Hear me out……

what if we signed Bronny Jr to get get Lebron to opt out? And what if we wanted him to? And that we have no intention of actually signing him now unless it’s a sign and trade.

we keep a James on the roster, and fill out the roster with a couple of players with the sign and trade.

what if the Lakers recruited JJ last year to hatch this podcast/coaching sideshow to manipulate Lebron into doing what they wanted?

meh, overactive imagination. going back to sleep. He’ll be occupying 1/3 of our payroll for the next three years and likely be injured for two of it.

 

Yeah. The crown is heavy. No one in the front office is above criticism.

I’ll say again, there’s no one currently in the front office that I would be sad to see go. None of them are irreplaceable.

 

That said, I think we’re working on a few things and expect moves to be made as our current roster has clear needs. I think multiple teams are sellers right now so there are deals to be made. Just gotta find the right one.

The front office has tools to get things done though and should.

Feel like the league really did crack down on a lot of the tampering and that’s why it’s taking longer for things to get done.

We will know more soon enough.

 

Rob is a deal maker. With a new coach and approach, and some new pieces, I’m sure we’ll be back to being a play in contender.

 

I’m with pika. The deal that stings is still Murray. But grant is not worth what people seem to think, imo. And Klay above the mle means a trade, which is also not great at all. I’m glad lebron offered to take less, but the best move could still end up being just paying him this year.

that said, I’m sure we do something trade-wise. Just might not blow people away.

 

I'm a bit disappointed with Spurs. Wemby is clearly ahead of the curve. He's not your regular rookie and I think this year he should be competing for the play-in and have tougher games.
Any rookie they get, will peak 2/3 years later than Wemby, so to build a team through the draft doesn't seem to be the way, imo.

Maybe they are playing the long game and are waiting for the right superstar to pair with him and will only focus on hoarding assets until that moment comes.
But I think that hinders Wemby's development


Regarding Klay slander, especially by ZenMaster, stating that Knecht will give the same contribution. Reaves, who we all love and value, averaged 2 less ppg than Klay (in his worst season).
I agree Klay isn't a pressing need. And that he shouldn't get a 4y contract. But on the floor, if he's an addition to what we have, he makes us a better team

 

Speaking of SA, they might be in play for Markkanen

 

Called it

 

Surprised it took until today to hear about us being interested in Derozan. Thought he was an obvious choice for Lebron’s paycut target.

 

btw, like that we're talking to portland and brooklyn. we also need to be talking to detroit (stewart) and utah (sexton, markannen), imo.

i'm ok trading for grant if it only costs rui/gabe and a top-10 protected 2029 first. i suppose rui/dlo saves us cash but kills the possibility to move dlo elsewhere. i agree with rob and company that two firsts for grant is too steep. murray went for two firsts and a middling prospect.

i'm still down moving rui for stewart. we've heard nothing about this, though, so this is just in my mind.

brooklyn deals not involving cam johnson probably aren't that interesting to me. DFS isn't what he once was.

i rui/gabe for DFS/schroder is a lateral move that is i guess ok, but why bother?

so with brooklyn for me, it's rui or dlo plus a couple minimums, a protected 1st and maybe a protected swap.

with utah, i'd throw the house at the for markkanen (unprotected picks), but i think they'd be smarter to just lock him up, tbh. i'm pretty sure they can use their space to sign him to a max even though the regular extension rules wouldn't allow it? anyway, worth testing them on that.

for sexton, they get dlo and a lotto-protected 2029 1st that turns into two seconds. that's it.

my current favorite moves:

dlo/reddish/hayes/1st for cam johnson

rui for isaiah stewart

those deals are basically cap neutral, keeping us right near the second apron.

vet min to dinwiddie, take vet min flyer on dennis smith jr.

AD/stewart
lebron/vando/wood
cam johnson/knecht/lewis
reaves/christie/bronny
dinwiddie/gabe/dsj

i could honestly make an argument for doing none of that and preserving our picks and flexibility for the deadline (and pissing off the entire forum), though.

 

i'm out. and i'm starting to get very nervous about lebron taking pay cuts for klay or derozan. derozan is definitely a westbrook type situation waiting to happen, imo. he's a bad fit. at least klay can shoot from distance.

if we end up with just derozan on the mle, i'm very worried about the season. if lebron takes a paycut there, and it doesn't work out, and we're in 12th place in january (totally plausible), he's going to be stomping and screaming to move all the picks for some other westbrook/derozan situation.

and now if we don't spend the mle on derozan, he's going to whine about that when we're in 12th place in january.