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

Yeah, both of these guys conveniently have team options. So, Lakers could trade for them now, pick up their options and trade them later. I really don't like the fit with these guys though. People "talk themselves into" these type of players, like wit Westbrook.

 

I just don’t know. Hunter has been pretty bad this year and it very much decreases what you can do this upcoming offseason. Feels like one of those trades where two teams are both just swapping their problems.

 

Im all for it. Stay east u d******...

 

Only if the Lakers could help facilitate a deal for Gianiss. Like Kaminga ending up on the Lakers in a 3 team deal.

something like that.

but Minnesota makes no sense.

Milwaukee is going to do the best deal for Milwaukee.

 

If you’re weary of Gianiss next 4yr. 276 million dollar contract then you shouldn’t be in it.

that’s why I only see us as the real alternative.

Miamis gonna get a little shook.

I know San Antonio don’t want that smoke. They gotta pay the kids. They already paying Fox.

I know for a fact. Arod and Lorre don’t want that smoke. Cause they was already talking about the luxury tax. And they got Ant man. He gonna want some more money.

Dolan knicks. I don’t know if they have enough. But he wouldn’t give a f***.

I know Clay Bennett ain’t f***ing with that.

it leaves us Golden State and New York.

this would be mark Walter’s first big trade. It’s a gugenheim trade. He doesn’t care about a luxury tax. That satisfys Luka’s timeline. Rob Pelinkas white whale. As he’s playing coy with the media. Don’t rule out the Lakers don’t ever rule out the Lakers.

Golden State has legs. Joe Lacob doesn’t give a f***. He has deep pockets. They gotta do it for Steph. They have the young players. Everybody talks s***. But if your Milwaukee do you value Reaves or Kaminga???

New York is great for Gianiss but is that great for Milwaukee??? Towns dog s***. Mikal Bridges and OG nice compliment players. But not for Gianiss. Makes no sense. Austin Reaves is the superstar having his own team putting up his own numbers. You get picks.

Knicks they don’t have their picks they gave those up for Mikal.

Im just giving you the money side.

 

i actually don't think the money matters to anyone, tbh--except maybe SA, though even in their case, wemby missing so many games is going to luckily drop him down a salary tier in his first big contract (like SGA, who's about to get a huge salary jump despite just staying at his max).

anyway, every team trading for him will be matching salary and thus staying exactly where they are.

the issue is timelines, imo. i'm not as sure as you that luka and giannis are on the same timeline. i actually think giannis and curry are close, though (giannis has longer, but his game isn't going to age well). giannis and brunson are probably on about the same timeline, too. miami it doesn't matter because they don't have really have anyone, but bam is also basically right on giannis's timeline.

we're seeing up close how difficult the two timeline thing is. gs kinda burned themselves on it already, so much so that if they miss the giannis swing, they closed both windows when they didn't move those picks a few years ago.

so i still come down to gs and miami making the most sense. ny makes some sense, but only if they can spin off anunoby and bridges for prospects and picks milwaukee likes (i'm actually not sure they can).

i don't think us or minny is a great match for several reasons.

 

From a Cavs beat writer



Don't like that packaging for Hunter.

 

I think the calculus is that he wouldn’t be all that hard to get off of in the summer because he is an expiring. Say right now the plan is to have like $50 million in cap space in the summer. Sign Ellis to like $10 million and Watson to an offer sheet of like $35 million. Now instead of $50 million space you have Hunter and $25 million in space. Still enough to sign Ellis. If you sign Watson to an offer sheet, and it turns out the Nuggets aren’t going to match, you trade Hunter to open the space back up. The other teams with cap space aren’t very attractive free agent destinations, so maybe they just absorb Hunter’s expiring at the cost of a protected pick or something. Would it be better to just have the space and not need to spend an asset to dump Hunter? Yeah, of course. But this way if you strike out with Watson you at least have a backup plan in Hunter that can basically give you what you’ve been getting in Rui and he’s an expiring you can flip before next deadline.

I don’t think I like this btw, just trying to figure out the thought process behind it.

 

we add salary and maybe get worse. yipes.

 

the backup plan to striking out in FA is to...absorb hunter and a pick.

 

This would be horrible if true. Rui’s strength is three point shooting, Hunter is a three point misser, we have plenty of those

 

rui to hunter is a marginal upgrade at absolute best (some would call it a downgrade) AND we lose a fair amount of flexibility.

i see what cleveland would like it, but that's a hell no from me.

maybe jj sees hunter as a younger DFS, but the DFS everyone pined for was substantially better than hunter:

 

i like this way more than a rui/hunter deal. we lose flexibility, but less of it, and we get to pre-agency ellis.

and i'm not even nuts about this one, but the other...nope.

 

If it's Hunter for Rui and DK, we better be getting a pick back (and David GD Putney) for getting them out of the 2nd apron next year

Maybe that's the appeal and it gets us up to 4 picks we can move on draft night.

 

The Hunter rumor also mentioned the Nets being involved as a 3rd team. If it's not Hunter for Rui/Dalton but really Hunter/Sharpe/Highsmith for Rui/Dalton, that's a lot different. But I'm struggling to get the money to work in a 3-team trade that doesn't violate the aggregation thing because Cleveland is over the second apron.

 

I absolute hate this move - just tell Lebron to retire and have Luka take this year and next year off if they make this move
Cleveland better giving the Lakers a first to get off Hunter's deal and they get the better player in Rui

Hunter has been absolutely atrocious - he's been worse than even the guys with no knees