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

I think it really boils down to whether we want to trade expirings with assets to add potentially imperfect fits to a team with LeBron still on it, or wait until the summer and have more flexibility in the players we pursue but with the knowledge that we're probably adding them to a team without LeBron. Because I'm really starting to think that he's going to go do the farewell tour in Cleveland next year unless we vault ourselves into true contender status.

If we just let the expirings expire and use cap space in the summer, we probably have a better chance of bringing in one or two solid role players on Luka and Austin's timeline. But if that means LeBron walks, is that team better than if we added say Ellis and KCP before the deadline this season? The summer cap space team is probably in a better position long term, but might actually be a worse team than the in-season trade team.

I really don't know what I think about it. Part of me wants to go all in on this team, part of me understands the summer cap space route. Part of me wants to trade Austin for Giannis because OKC (and the Spurs, to a lesser extent) are so good already while also being younger than us that I think we need another big swing. It's a tough path to navigate.

 

Austin for Giannis this season includes gutting the roster and our pick(s) just to match salaries, as we’re not going to get the “Nico” friendly deal twice plus Austin probably doesn’t want to play in frigid winter no golf Wisconsin on a rebuilding team and of course is a free agent. Next to no chance he re-ups there.

#StuffItHorry

 

First of all, it's not going to happen. But that said, I don't think a Giannis trade "guts the roster". It would probably be Austin/Rui/Gabe/Kleber for Giannis. I think most of us here agree that Gabe and Kleber have been pretty useless and other guys should be playing ahead of them? So it's really just Austin/Rui for Giannis, two legit rotation players for one. It's not like when the Knicks traded Gallo, Felton, Chandler and Mozgov, who all actually played for them, for Melo.

I also think Austin, if he wasn't here, would re-sign anywhere that offered him the most money. He's 27, hasn't made a ton of money in his career as a former UDFA, and has had exactly one season that would warrant him getting a $40+ million contract. I don't think he can afford to be as picky as you suggest.

But it's all a moot point because it's not going to happen.

 

yeah, adding lebron to cleveland on a vet min makes some sense, though tbh, he'd probably have a better chance at a ring if he vet min'd here in addition to us using our space, right?

with ellis being my big summer target, i'd take getting him in-season over waiting. the FA pool doesn't look super deep this year, so if we can get someone at ellis-level, we should probably just trade for them now.

i suppose i'm ignoring the salary absorption possibilities, though--like if a team is trying to get under an apron in order to use the mle or under the cap to sign a FA we're not chasing, we might be able to nab a role player plus some draft capital.

i think i'm pretty firmly out on the giannis stuff. i get the interest, but i feel like we should play the long game. okc and SA both rely heavily on big guys who get hurt a lot. i'd prioritize bites at the apple a la denver. they got their two stars in jokic/murray and then just built the right team around them and have tweaked and tweaked. we can do that with luka/reaves and get similar results, imo.

 

I agree with this. But, I do feel like he is going to be more expensive to trade for than people think. Its a supply and demand issue with the 3 and D players. That's why I don't have a problem with including our over rated by a some Lakers fans 2031 1st for Ellis. Even then, Sacramento might not go for it. I'm thinking the deal could be something like Rui + Knecht + 2031 1st + 2032 swap for Monk + Ellis. If we end up getting Ellis for much less, then great.

 

i think we have to really be careful about taking monk AND giving up the picks. it would be either/or for me, as i'm perfectly willing to wait the whole thing out.

i actually think it would be great for us to get thiero and nick smith some reps this season in real action to see what we have before we have to start making big decisions about the roster.

 

It would be great to see Thiero and Smith get reps. Smith does seem to have a knack for getting steals and deflections, although he is not generally regarded as a good defender. I think he has defensive upside (unlike Monk). But it depends on where the Lakers sit in regards to their desire to win now. If they want a plan that improves their ability to win now, while also obtaining players that are in Luka/Ausitn/DA's timeline, the the Sacramento trade might be the trade.

 

yeah, i just remember we went over that one a while back and it seemed to create a crowd and a roster imbalance.

ellis (28)/gabe(12)/smart?(4)
reaves(34)/monk(14)
luka(34)/smart?(14)
lebron(32)/laravia(16)
ayton(30)/hayes(18)

you're either playing smart or gabe at sf. you can play smart there defensively, but then you're committing to heavy gabe minutes, right? i suppose you could also get away with getting monk minutes at pg, but that works against getting defenders out there.

it's not the worst, but it's not ideal. it would help clarify the summer plan, though (away from trying to use space, which is tricky).

 

Gabe is already out of the rotation in this scenario, and that's okay. He's expiring anyway. I'm not concerned with getting Gabe minutes. Thiero would be a huge part of this equation imo, he would fill that wing defender role, but with better offense than Vando. Monk basically replaces Rui's minutes as a non-defensive shooter/scorer (but only at a different position, good with coming off of the bench, and less expectation for big minutes). And, Malik is smaller than Rui, but it's not like Rui really uses his size anyway. Redick is not deploying him as a center either. Further, Monk's 2-year deal after this season (2 yrs/40 mil or so) is less than what Rui's hypothetical new deal would be (3 yrs / 60 mil or so) imo. So it coudl even be viewed a bit as a wash, or slightly in our favor- even a 1 for 1 swap of Rui for Monk.

Ellis (Top notch 3 and D role player for 28 minutes) > Rui (Arguably an elite 3-point shooter and 3-level scorer, but no defense)

Monk (Microwave scorer and bench initiator in 20 minutes) > Gabe + Knecht (No need to explain here)

PG: Ellis (28) Monk (20)
SG: Reaves (34) Smart (14)
SF: Luka (34) Thiero (14)
PF: James (32) LeRavia (16)
C: Ayton (30) Hayes (18)

 

We need more size and length, not more guards. I'm still skeptical of this idea, that we should be gifting Ellis a starting job, what has he actually done? He can't get off the bench on a bad team now. Yeah I know it's Sacramento and all that, but projecting guys into heavy minutes as a starter, based off of a small sample size, of some advanced analytics, that isn't a great idea either IMO.

I think another 5 like Vucevic, provides more impact than an Ellis. He's on a cheap contract though, and if we snagged him for Dalton or something, that would be great. The top teams in the League this season though, have size, length and some athleticism, that's what we need IMO.

Look at OKC, yes they have some good perimeter defenders, Dort, Caruso, Wallace, and SGA is considered to be one of the top two way guards in the league. Yet the Pacers were still smoking their a** on the perimeter, and probably win that series if Haliburton doesn't get hurt. It's not some magic pill IMO. Hartenstein and Holmgren, somehow keep getting overlooked, as key factors on that team.

 

Are STEALS and DEFLECTIONS considered advanced analytics? Ellis is pretty damn good in both categories. This season he is averaging 1.2 steals in only 17 minutes per game, which would tie him for third on the team. 2.6 steals per 36 minutes. 5.8 deflections per 36 minutes. Last season, Ellis was 11th in the NBA with 1.5 steals per game in only 24.4 minutes per game and 9th in the league with 3.6 deflections per game. Those are not some complicated "hidden" stats. They are loud and tangible. The guy can defend. Again, we are not giving up the Statue of Liberty for the guy, the 2031 1st is over rated.

 

The guy doesn't actually play much period man. I don't care what his advanced analytics say, you really think the Kings aren't aware of these stats? I'm damn sure not gambling a 1st rd pick, hoping his numbers translate with more PT. I really don't believe that this, is our biggest area of need anyway

 

Respectfully, what do you mean? You don't think we could use somebody who is 11th I'm the NBA in steals per game and 9th I'm deflections per game? Again, those are not some obscure analytic. STEALS and DEFLECTIONS are defensive plays, plain and simple. What's with the obsession with big players? I get the league is leaning that way lol, but we clearly need help on the perimeter. Ayton looks like he's gonna be a fixture at the 5, and Hayes too. They are not elite at protecting the rim so we need to work on stopping opponents from getting there in the first place, and cresting more havoc on the defensive end so we could run more.

 

Well..I'm obsessed with bigs and size, because the other elite teams, have more than we do. No what we need is another SF, with length and athleticism, over a potential POA defender. That's my position, I don't have a problem with Ellis at the right price. However I don't believe, that he would be as impactful on this team, this season as the aforementioned SF though. I'd prefer to add a stretch 5 too. Someone that can open up the floor and hit the boards. For instance Vucevic and Herb Jones, or Wiggins makes us a legit, Championship caliber team right now.

 

Okay, I get what you are saying. And I feel that we do need both. There are just not that many out there right now. You almost have to develop said player yourself, since they are so valuable, either poa or wing defender. Lakers have actually done a good job building a pipeline of athletic perimeter defenders. They have a budding wing defender who could also play ppa for his size I believe in Thiero. They have an elite POA defender in Manon. Both of these guys have suspect shots at this juncture though, and are rookies. So regarding the defensive wing you speak of, Thiero is more ready than Manon and he could fill that wing defender spot. BTW, Ellis is also an elite 3 pt shooter. Smooth simple stroke. Consistent. Ellis doesn't have the size of Herb, who would be just perfect but he would be good enough and that's okay. Of there is an opportunity Lakers will jump on it. Ellis is also athletic and speedy btw.

 

I’ll help yall out. You guys gotta think about ownership. It’s all ownership. Mark Walter took over the Dodgers.

first big trade he made he took on a lot of salary. Adrian Gonzalez Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett. These were big trades. And big salary.

Mark isn’t scared to take on a big salary. Just depends on who the player is. He took on the bad contract of David Price to get Mookie Betts. People talk Mookie. But a big part of the Mookie Betts trade was to get off of David Prices big contract.

So batter the f*** up!!!!!!!! Who are those teams that have guys who are stars but teams might want to get off. Don’t get hot. just analyze.

1. Utah Lauri Markanahan
2. Dallas Anthony Davis
3. Sacramento Zach Lavine
4. Clippers James Harden
5. New York Knicks OG Anouby
6.New York Knicks Miles Bridges
7.Miami Heat Tyler Hero
8.Brooklyn Nets Michael Porter Jr.
9. Cleveland Cavilers Donaven Mitchell
10.Philadelphia Sixers Joel Embiid
11.Philadelphia Sixers Paul George
12.Memphis Grizzlies Jaren Jackson
13.Memphis Grizzlies Ja Morant*likely to be traded.
14.New Orleans Pelicans Zion Williamson*likely to be traded.
15.New Orleans pelicans Jordan Poole
16.New Orleans pelicans Dejontre Murray
17.Chicago Bulls Colby White
18.Charlotte Hornets Miles Bridges
19.Atlanta Hawkes Trey Young
20.Cleveland Cavilers Deandre Hunter.

Now acquiring Trey Young would give us a similar team to Luka Kyrie


With Luka Trey young we’d be spacing the court giving Luka another playmaker and three point shooter. Moving Austin to the 3 and Lebron to 4 Ayton to 5

This would be if Atlanta just wanted to get off of Trey Young so Vincent 2032 first round draft pick unprotected cash Hachimura Vanderbilt and Knect. Just a lot of garbage going out.

So these are just examples of good players that will be available for the Lakers they are just contracts that teams don’t want to pay. These are contracts that teams want to get off of. So I would compare that to what the Dodgers had coming in. So just an example.

or we can go the smaller route. Every team is available of the possible Lakers cap space. So the phone will be ringing of trades teams want to make. Teams know Rob is aggressive.

 

Example New Orleans knows they are helping us out giving us Jones.

do they say okay can you help us getting off this salary Dejonte Murray and give them back 2031 1st round draft pick unprotected Gabe Vincent who they’ll buy out. Dalton Knect Rui Hachimura Vanderbilt.

We would be taking us out of the cap flexibility to go all in. That’s an example.

Are yall prepared to do that?? It’s fine if you wanna go for the championship. Or if you just want to keep the kids keep the cap space. Keep the pick and just roll the dice on Luka getting hot and Shai and OKC getting cold? We’ve seen that happen before in the playoffs against Luka. It can happen again. Almost happened against Indiana.

one thing the in season tournament showed us is that OKC can be beat in a playoff game playoff setting.

sometimes guys play different in playoffs then regular season. Those regular season guys getting 18 points come down to 12. I saw it with the Portland trailblazers in 2000. Guys get a little tight.

 

I agree we need to stay bigger not smaller, we should get rid of Gabe the shrimp for a 6'8 forward

 

it's not size. it's speed. vucevic is an insane proposition, as he would be a third string center and eat either our two dead weight expirings in trade or rui. yuck yuck yuck. solves zero problems. we're not getting outsized in losses, we're getting outrun. time and again. this isn't five years ago when our problem was that any team with an iso sf beat us. that's the least of our problems right now.

we have ayton, hayes, lebron, and rui right now. that's plenty of size. we rank low in team rebounding stats, but with the exception of houston, the top rebounding teams in the league are a list of the worst teams in the league, lol. sorry, pat riley.

our problem is that teams can just mismatch hunt on the perimeter until someone can get beat without a screen, get in the paint, and cause havoc. and also just plain getting beat down the floor.

the mavs (pre luka trade) and nuggets rosters are the ones we need to look at. both teams with 2 great shot makers and creators who aren't strong individual defenders. built around them with speed and shooting/finishing.

also, it's weird invoking okc as a reason NOT to get perimeter speed and POA defenders. they have the best defense in nba history on the strength of having three of the nba's best POA guys on the same roster. the only team playing two true bigs at the same time with any success is houston. holmgren plays like a shotblocking sf, as does wemby. btw, if we could land someone like that, i'd be all in. evan mobley's not for sale, though. nor is even noah clowney.

i'd take herb jones, but ellis has been better for two years now and is more gettable now or in the summer.

 

I think the two bigs, are more valuable to that team, than Dort and Caruso. I don't think any team is going to the Finals without at least two quality bigs either. We shall see on that point, but No..I don't consider Lebron and Rui to be "quality bigs" either. Vucevic has about the same level of lateral quickness as Rui on D. Robinson turned that game last night for the Knicks too. Bigmen are still undervalued by a lot of folks. Another 3/4 and a 5, puts us over the top IMO.