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

Call me odd because I like most of the super bold court treatments. Love color.

 

I do too. No one is paying to watch me play but I still enjoy winning the men's league mid season Christmas tourneys just to laugh at the young guys. I want us to win every championship possible.

 

What position do you play?

 

Where’s our NBA cup championship banner?

 

Is it no longer up there?

 

These days I have what should be LeBron's role of coming off the bench...lol

 

I don’t see it. Do you think they just put it in a trophy room where they put the summer league trophy and stuff?

 

it's on top of the dryer.

 

It’s folded up in the Practice Facility’s janitor closet under a bunch of supply boxes.

 

Cups never mean anything at the beginning as they don’t have any history or prestige. But after a certain amount of time, they will. Someone will rattle off an NBA Cup and a Championship and the talking heads will use that as a holy grail for full season dominance. Then you’ll have someone hit the cup and championship double.

And before you know it, the young generation that grew up with it enters the NBA and they care about it the same way European football teams care about domestic cups. And eventually the NBA will add their own champions league with NBA Europe too.

 

It’s in Jay Mohrs Study.

 

I agree If it becomes like soccer cups - you could see some teams really promote it. Some sad sack franchise like the Kings it would be great for them for example.
On the more historic side, it could become a differentiator for the truly great teams to be compared against similar how Europen teams it's important to finish in first place, win the cup, and also the CL.

In other words when comparing the 96 Bulls, 17 Warriors, 85 C Bags, etc it could become something fans and pundits hold their hats on

 

Miami traded forward Haywood Highsmith to the Brooklyn Nets on Friday, a move that gets the Heat under the tax line for this coming season and creates roster flexibility.

The Heat are also sending a second-round pick in 2032 to Brooklyn, which is sending a conditional second-round pick in next year's draft to Miami.

With Highsmith being moved, Miami now has two open roster spots.
Is Wiggins next ?

 

What is their cap situation for next season? Could be worth it for them to trade Wiggins for exprings + Knecht or something like that. This would be a Lebron and to and Luka to an extent favored deal. Luke does want to win now, and Wiggins is the better player at this juncture (maybe only a 1-2 year window that he will remain better than Rui thiugh. BTW, I might be way off, i dont know him personally. But Rui strikes me as a good dude, and potentially loyal, and also happy in Los Angeles. We might actually be able to sign him to a deal not grossly over his market value. For example, some team like Utah might offer him like 4 year deal, averaging 22 million or so, thinking he is the next Karl Malone, but maybe he will take a 4 year deal averaging 18 million (his current salary) to stay a Laker. bAlso, is he extension eligible? If so, maybe we just lock him into a below market value deal.

 

18 million sounds like an overpay as a 6th man (possible role this season), but as a starting power forward, averaging 36 minutes or so, and producing, 18 million is a bargain.

 

He will get paid as a starter because once LeBron retires he’s the starter. If I’m his agent I’m discussing his point total doubling going up when LeBron retires.

this is clearly a 22 point a game scorer. And we’re pitching him as a two way player.

 

He is a 17 and 6 guy per 36 minutes for his career, and he has been fairly consistent with that. But only 13 FG attempts per 36 for his career. So, yeah I could see him getting up to 22ppg, if his FGA and 3PFGA go up.

 

still not sure i'd move rui for wiggins, much less while adding a bunch of other stuff. hard pass.

 

Study? Ha! What kind of books does he have in his “library?”
“Choose Your own Adventure?”
“Ralph S. Mouse?”
“Dr. Seuss”

 

Due to the salary cap increasing 10% this year and 7% in 2026-27 and a projected lower number of veteran extensions this year (43% of the players eligible to sign extensions reside on teams with room), cap space is, once again, a resource teams will have available.

Starting next offseason, ESPN is projecting at least 10 teams -- Brooklyn, Charlotte, Chicago, Detroit, LA Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Portland, Utah and Washington -- to have significant cap space.