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

yeah, i haven't watched him much this year, but his defensive metrics are way down recently, which is concerning. would be really hard to say no to all that talent if it was a trae young type trade, though.

plus zion's contract structure makes him a pretty limited risk, imo. like, if he keeps getting hurt, his deal is fully non-guaranteed. for example, if we traded for him and next year he was hurt all year, he could be all the way off the books for what would have been the last year of his deal.

 

Seems like if Giannis has the stomach for it, he can kind of force the Bucks to take this GS offer. If I were him, I would be threatening to go nuclear and really put my thumb on the scale over the summer if the Bucks don't accept something before Thursday. Either take one of the packages available now (GS or Miami), or I'm shortening my list in the summer and forcing my way to one specific spot. I would not be interested in sitting out another playoff run during my later prime.

 

We've got a Gabe. Just saying.

Maybe they consider optionality an upgrade.

 

The one I've seen discussed for them is DiVincenzo for Coby White. I'd love to jump in and offer Gabe or Kleber's expiring and our pick to Chicago to re-route DiVincenzo here. But Chicago is weird, they probably think they DiVincenzo so they can secure homecourt in the 9/10 play-in game.

 

could probably use us as the leverage, ironically.

yeah, i'd do this and agree that chicago is so wild that they'd say no.

 

i don't see why they'd do it this season when they don't own their FRP

 

btw, per our discussion last night:

this is totally reasonable. we wanted something extra if we were going to make a hunter deal.

 

Miami package for Giannis that's being reported today is Herro/Rozier/Ware/Jacquez/the 2 FRPs they can trade for Giannis/Thanasis. If the Heat pull that off, they'd be:

Mitchell / Jakucionis
Powell / Larsson
Wiggins / Fontecchio
Giannis / Jovic
Bam

Bench looks really shaky and don't love the ballhandling, but that starting lineup could be pretty damn good defensively. Wouldn't be shocked to see that team in the ECF this year. They could compete this year and next year, then in the summer of 2027 they have no one on the books except Giannis and Bam. Maybe Mitchell finally makes his way to Miami then.

 

I refuse to believe that our grand plan, was simply either Ellis or Hunter.

 

I think Rob always has grander plans. But as he says "you can't buy a house that's not for sale" (even though you really can, just depends on how comfortable you are with spending).



Irwin said on last night's pod there's some murmurs of us upgrading on the Gabe front. That could mean anything. There's addition by subtraction there.

 

i wonder if chicago would be involved here. teams are after white, though i'm not convinced minny would offer ddv for white (it's robbing peter to pay paul for them, imo). gabe expires like white. who says no to gabe/knecht/2nd for white/dalen terry/phillips (last one added so bulls don't have to waive anyone)?

gabe/knecht/1st for dosunmu/terry also works.

 

Now Colby White...I can get with that idea. I like that kid, he can get buckets. Now Dosunmu he's not a bad look either. I've started watching Bulls games last season thinking of White and Vucevic. This idea is better than Ellis to me.

 

I want more than a marginal upgrade over Gabe.

 

Please make sure the Lakers are the front runners if Thybulle is bought out, pretty please with a cherry on top.

Real disappointing not being able to turn maxi/gabe into some assets - I get it you don't want to get stuck with salary to an extent but you're not going to be able to use all thiis cap space most likely

 

White and Ayo can play, but Ellis is LakersBall's flavor of the season. It changes often. I do like Ellis, too. Would be a good fit, and he could do well in the right situation; however are "other players" that are mentioned that we could'/should target.

Rob really needs another GM. I'm willing to give him until next summer, though. That would give him this transaction window, the summer, and the trade deadline by next year.

 

Wolves have entered the chat

 

the only way to turn them into assets would be take on bad salary, right? either you get picks for eating bad salary, or you get a player that another team has deemed unworthy of their salary (i.e., they prefer financial flexibility over that player on their roster).

the only way to get a really good player for expirings is if you add the sweeteners. our only current sweeteners are a single first, some swaps, and a second.

again, i'm begging people to wait and see who moves for what before freaking out.

 

I've spent a lot of time exploring scenarios on Spotrac and the problem I run into is that I can't find many of those guys with salaries beyond this year that I'd want AND are available to us. It just looks like slim pickins' right now.

 

i think connelly's a pretty good gm (though that dillingham trade is not looking very smart right about now for at least two big reasons). they'll be creative.

i do wonder how the players on these teams are going to perform. yes, yes, i know, it's a business, blah blah blah. all these guys take this stuff very personally.

like, rui already knows we discussed him in a deal that wasn't even for an upgrade. super great. now everyone on gs and minny knows their teams are breaking their backs to get them out of there. somebody is going to have a roster full of guys who know they're expendable in a very real sense.