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

it's a safe space. i said i'd trade him for evan mobley. those of us that love reaves aren't irrational, imo. it just would take a helluva lot for me to feel good about it. hell, if we moved him the luka trade (and i would have!), i'd have been sad just because he's our guy.

anyway, the jjj conversation is fully moot to me, as a) they won't sell him off for spare parts and b) they won't send him to us under any circumstances. if he goes for a low price, it will be east. we're the last place that anyone is going to send any all star caliber player for a while.

 

We've done it several times now....lol

 

It's a Lakers forums. Most of these guys don't watch other games, keep up on teams, etc. Can't blame them. I do less and less each year and life gets busy. But they probably look at game logs look at FG percentage, some stats, and think they know everything about a player with no eye test.

Then when it comes to their players - they're top 15 and the greatest thing ever. Just fans being fans. Some of my favorite guys who post analysis on X overrate Reaves, IMO. The same fanbase would criticize the hell out of AD (some of it being fair) & Luka. Hell, I even heard Austin should be the number 1 option earlier this year. IDK, man. Just keep it moving.

 

The good fortune of Jerry Buss.

 

i mean, the most egregious claim lately is that we need JJJ for rebounding purposes. if that's not the most damning evidence against the eye test, i'm not sure what is.

 

Lately, yes. However, Austin being mentioned as a number 1 option on X and forums when you have Luka is crazy work. There was a few of those; they probably post here, too.

JJJ doesn't move the needle for me. Never did unless it's for the right price as others have mentioned;

 

Just saw that - I'd take a gamble here if the price was right.

 

GS reportedly had interest in Michael Porter Jr.

Rui + Dalton + draft compensation.

IDK. Wouldn't mind it. His defensive metrics haven't been great either and his 3 point shot is streaky (I'm being nice.). He'd probably be our best athlete outside of Theiro and LBJ (that's sad), but yeah, why not? Luka and LBJ are floor raisers and could unlock him. That' would be the hope.

 

Kuminga can join Ayton and Rui among the Lakers row of talented headcases. The spaced out crew - basketball is like a box of chocolates never know what you're going to get game to game. "The Laker Gumps"

 

if it's for expirings and a second or whatever? totally in. he's got a lot of talent, and our system on offense really doesn't require the same level of thinking and skill from secondary players that gs's does.

i just don't see why gs goes to all that trouble to end up with second rounders. they could have just let him walk this summer and might have had a bit more cash to bolster the roster, right?

kuminga's got a team option on next year, right? can't imagine there is absolutely zero market for that.

edit: drama

 

Yeah. While I don't object to taking a couple of expiring contracts to see if he can fit with us, I have grown weary of the guys who lack mental toughness. I don't see the fit with LeBron at all if I'm being honest but maybe next year in the post LeBron era.

I feel like he needs to get to a truly bad team where he can just put up numbers.

 

Honestly I just haven't seen enough of him. Steph is not a selfish player but the Warriors system is unique. Kerr is a good coach as well.He does look talented when he's engaged played D, hustled but that's the problem feels a lot like Ayton and Rui - the space cadet crew. The Warriors fans dont' seem enamored with him at all

 

conversely, gabe has all the battle-tested mental toughness in the world, and he doesn't help us win games.

i don't think we're actually in the race for kuminga, though--my guess his agent is dropping our name to help their cause, and we're ok with it because we would take him for gabe/kleber.

kuminga looked pretty solid last year, imo. this year you can't really make a judgment due to things being a mess over there with his contract situation. i don't know that he's earned the title of space cadet or even problem child. you have to do it in more than one place for me to buy it. once that happens, then sure. but some people are bad fits with some organizations. we're very different than gs, as are many other places. undertalented system fits do great there (and flop elsewhere). same with miami. but sometimes guys who can play but can't do what they want can look worse.

i mentioned elsewhere that the players that fit with luka are very different than the players that fit with curry.

fwiw, kuminga's physical and statistical profile from last year are similar to pj washington's last year in charlotte. different players (washington a better defender and ballhandler, kuminga a better shooter and finisher), but both kind of athletic 3/4s.

 

lol: I'm an Ayton guy and still am - it's a question of how many games will this dude show up. For all the flack Ayton gets he has had legit runs where he looks like an All star center, even this year! Rui we know will hit open 3's. Kuminga who the f*** knows - honest question has he every had a run say a month where he lived up to his potential? As noted I haven't followed him or been interested in him to really get a feel for him

Anyways i would take a flyer on him but I'd rather still get KCP. I know everyone frustrated with this team and rightfully so but it's struggled with injuries as much or more then any team in the league and has specific weaknesses which if addressed can make them a very tough out IMO (in other words the team has a lot of positives along with negatives)

 

i've slowly sold myself on gabe/kleber for kcp as a DFS-level pickup. i wouldn't complain at all if that's what we did. i'd hope for more, but i understand the realities of the market.