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

I hope Bron asks out. That would be cool.

But also hard thinking we’d get a return we want or find satisfactory while not adding long term money. His contract is now an albatross unless he changes his role.

 

Lol...Lebron aint the problem man.

 

PF means Giannis, KD, the Heyena, Sengun, Jabari Smith, AD, Flagg, Williams, Randle, Gordan, Markkanen, etc..NO..I don't think Luka or Austin can handle any one of those dudes...No sir. There are some killers in this league, that play that position, either full time or during parts of games.

Even at 40..Lebron is a better look than those two, or Rui. We have to get a good player with size to replace Lebron IMO. That needs to take precedence over a POA defender IMO. If we get some quality length and athleticism on the wings, I'm really not worried about guys getting by Luka or Austin ,on the perimeter. A shot blocking stretch 5 would be nice too.

 

https://x.com/WITNESSKJ/status/2005461649462067609?s=20

 

Lol..well 23min isn't exactly a large sample size.

 

Ellis is vastly overrated around here.

 

LOL … you know what “they” say

 

Sure didn’t impress tonight. Hits a screen and it’s like a fly on a windshield. Can the (Dodgers’ farm system development) translate here and turn Nick the quick Jr into a lite version of Ellis, with micro-wave offense instead, for one tenth of the cost and allocate those dollars and the urgency as Slick suggests into a much bigger player? For when LeBron is gone? Has to be an athletic young 2-way player as big or bigger than Rui and Jake but higher ceiling potential than either? And keep Jake over Rui.

Nick’s 2” shorter but 10lbs heavier, and has 6’8” wingspan just 1” shorter, and is as quick or quicker PLUS the scoring.

 

….. ^^^ and for the height and strength needed for that POA D for the bigger PGs with also great quickness, for the same one tenth of Keon’s expected salary next year … put that same development effort and minutes into Manon. He impresses me athletically on D every time he gets in the game.

 

I'd still take a flyer on this kid LT...but at the right price. Dalton and a 2nd. However this stuff about a top 4 protected 1st, or signing him for 20-25M over the summer...absolutely not.

The other thing is, will JJ even play him? He's not fond of young guys IMO. The talent development questions, about our current coaching staff, is going to come up more when Lebron leaves.

Idk...I'd sign Nick to a regular deal, buy low on Ellis and save the assets we have, for a bigger more athletic wing player myself.

 

Here are some random team stats so far this season. Mixed bag for our Lakers so far.

The Lakers are the 2nd best shooting team in the NBA!

https://www.teamrankings.com/nba/stat/shooting-pct

Our 3pt % sucks though.

https://www.teamrankings.com/nba/stat/three-point-pct

Jacking up a bunch of 3's isn't a great idea either

https://www.teamrankings.com/nba/stat/three-pointers-attempted-per-game


More offensive stats

https://www.foxsports.com/articles/...ng-team-offense-rankings-and-efficiency-stats

Our rebounding is meh...but some other good teams are just as mediocre

https://www.teamrankings.com/nba/stat/total-rebounds-per-game

Our rebounding percentage is actually good.

https://www.teamrankings.com/nba/stat/total-rebounding-percentage

Team Defense..yuk..but Denver is yucky too.

https://www.teamrankings.com/nba/stat/defensive-efficiency

More Defensive stats..ouch..ouch

https://www.foxsports.com/articles/...ng-team-defense-rankings-and-efficiency-stats

 

I meant if we trade Reaves for Giannis. Lebron, Giannis and Luka are all probably best defending slow forwards.

 

Lebron will be here. He’s just gotta play the contract out. No trade no. Nothing.

you won’t find that on the market. You wanna trade him to Cleveland for Deandre Hunter and Carlis Lavert?

you gotta keep him play him.

and just accept the fact that he’s gonna be the focal point of the offense when it comes to LeBron. When it comes to volume.

Luka will get touches and all the shots. But LeBron will have offense run through him when he’s on the court. Now when LeBron retires it’s all Luka’s offense.

just gotta ride it out and see how they play.

Only difference maker trades are Jarren Jackson jr. And Gianiss.

 

our defensive issues are about speed and containing penetration. our own coach said so to the press just recently. it's readily apparent in all games. teams get into the paint and get great shots because of it. it's why our team defensive numbers are in the toilet. swapping giannis for any of our top three doesn't fix that. adding guys like derozan or vucevic makes it even worse. we need two guys starting who can't just get dusted in isolation off the dribble by average nba guards. we currently start zero. we currently employ zero (even smart can't keep speedy guards in front of him at this point, gabe certainly can't). vando's the closest thing, and he's basically kwame brown minus the post game on offense.

 

So a trade I made that works within the salary cap that the Lakers need to make is this. Rob’s got it under his sleeves. And it’s a mark walter trade.

f*** this you already have Theiro your 3-D under your sleeves.

this is about Luka and LeBron. You have to make Luka happy and get him help.

you gotta give something to get something.

Sacramento wants to get off of Zach Lavine.

he’s a walking 25 points a game scorer player in the league. He had 42 points this season. Sacramento sucks and it’s a terrible situation. You can start him or bring him off your bench.

Zach Lavine would flourish under Luka. You need catch and shoot shooters off the ball shooters who can score like Lavine off the ball with Luka like Kyrie. Even more than Reaves. Give me Lavine. You can add him to Luka and Reaves you have him under team control. You add him to Lebron. An all star level player. He can step in and give you LeBron scoring when Lebron retires. And there aren’t any big free agents in this free agent class. He comes off your books when there are big free agents. Or is an expiring contract you can trade.

so give me Zach Lavine to the Lakers
Keon Ellis to the Lakers for getting Sacramento off of his contract. I helped Sacramento get off of Zach Lavines contract so they have to help us and give us our P.O.A. That we covet Keon Ellis.

Lavine here with Reddick in this culture with vets that want to win will thrive. Doug Christie can’t coach and can’t run a real offense. Lavines 30 he can still grow with Luka Reaves and Ayton.

to the Sacramento Kings

we gotta make the salary work.

Gabe Vincent not used here.

Rui Hachimura not working here. In a different environment with more scoring opportunity in Sacramento can thrive. Nice contract. Maybe they want to extend him.

Jarred Vanderbilt nice defensive presence young player under contract.

and we can throw in the 2032 1st round pick unprotected to make it work or Dalton Knect depending on what Sacramento wants.

that’s how NBA trades work boom.

now I have

Luka
Lavine
Lebron
Thiero
Ayton

when Reaves comes back I got
Luka
Reaves
Thiero
Lebron
Ayton

and off my bench or starting I got Keon Ellis as my P.O.A. Specialist. I bring us more defense in Ellis. And more needed scoring in Lavine. Go try to make it work in the playoffs.

 

Not sure what you're saying here. When Luka is out there he is the focal point when it comes to volume running the offense and to shooting. There will be times in the flow of good offense, like against the sorry Kings where the ball is also moving around a lot better than it has been it will come to LeBron and he can make a play to score or pass to someone open (rather than the appearance of just trading PnR off way out past the key between AR and LeBron too in addition to Luka) (which looks awful) as they had been doing.

 

I do wonder about JJ playing him (or any other young guy). We will see.

 

Would be real helpful if they can see if Thiero can be a legit defender. Would help this season and help develop your priorities for the future as well

I get it he is a rookie but no one else like him on the roster. Like DeRozan was going off I kepn thinking to put Theiro on him.