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

I don't get this fixation on offense and guys like Klay and Thomas, especially Cam.

We got Luka, AR, Bron, Rui, Ayton and Kennard. 6 of our 8 best players are better on offense than defense
Without confirming, I'd bet Luka, AR and Bron are the 3 players of the same team with more points combined.

You definitely go to the buyout with the idea to bring additional depth and mitigate team's deficiencies. Defense, size, athleticism, shooting and rebounding.

Some of our best runs have been when we put Smart and Vando together, or we go with Ayton or Hayes, Rui or Timme, Bron, LaRavia. Defense or size oriented.
On the other end, Luka, AR, Bron, Rui and Ayton hasn't worked out. We don't need more lineups offense-heavy. It's when we are able to add defense, size or athleticism to the lineups that we start playing better

 

or djj in dallas. and i do think adding defensive players can change your defense. so, i disagree with astros and svtzr, and further--nobody wins in the playoffs by trying to simply outscore the opponent, dantoni style.

 

Lebron is perfect for a guy like Cam Thomas. Like when LeBron had J.R.Smith. You always need these microwave guys. Jordan Clarkson

Jamal Crawford. That’s Cam Thomas just come in and shoot the s*** out of the ball.

put it like this OKC bench brings Cason Wallace AJ Mitchell Jaylin Williams. They have a legit NBA starting 5 on their bench.

Minnesota got Deyomoso Naz Reid Conley guys that can score it off the bench.

Denver Watson Hardaway

We gotta have that punch. Especially to sustain leads and try to get back in games.

The Brooklyn waive is a gift. Trust me on this. You’ll have guys playing like s*** balling selfish on bad teams and they come to the Lakers and do their jobs.

Shannon Brown Dion Waters.
Even J.R. Smith in the bubble kept his s*** together and won a championship.

LeBron will have guys locked in.

I like having Luka and Cam Thomas run sometimes together. We need to get a little younger and athletic.

Kennard is nice. But Thomas can go off. We got the non offensive guys Vanderbilt Hayes Thiero we know what that is.

But get me a guy who can get 25 off the bench.

 

New Laker system is simple.

The Dodgers have Andrew Friedman president of Baseball operations. They have a general Manager Brandin Gomes. They have Farhan Zaidi.

Now that mark has the Lakers. Farhan Zaidi is working on the basketball side. He’s a money guy. He’s gonna watch all the money. The cap 2nd apron how can we work around all that. Let Rob be the deal maker. But for example. Gianiss what are the benefits of signing him. How can we do the best deal? Can we defer money??? Nope not like baseball. How can we maximize this???


What’s the best contract for Austin Reaves? What’s best for us? Can he walk away as a free agent?? Nope. We have to keep him. Is he a full max guy like a Tatum?? That’s all the stuff Rob will be telling Farhan. Because at the end of the day Mark signs the checks.


Mark bought in Andrew Friedman to help him on the basketball side. Money what do you think?

Mark has two guys he trusts Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi. These are money guys.

So I’m pretty sure the Lakers will be run like the Los Angeles Dodgers. One President of Basketball operations Rob Pelinka


And a General Manager a Vice President of Basketball operations a Scout. A head of Cap

Kind of like the Warriors ran it. I can see the Lakers hiring the best. The best scouts. They have the most money. For example. I’ll give you a scenario. Where Steve Kerr stops coaching and comes back to L.A. back to the front office just to work with Rob. You can have a situation like assistant coaches the best of the best.


Rob Pelinka Steve Kerr Masai ujuri Farhan Zaidi and some other scouts. Calvin Booth. just a bunch of guys working together.

and wait for it You heard it here first Nico Harrison. Wait too soon???? I even think a guy like Mike Malone can work in the front office.

maybe a Bryan Collangello Landry Fields. They’re going to hire the best of the best.

 

I was with you up to Mike Malone…. That guy rocketed up the Enemies List.

 

KCP and Kyle Anderson have to be seeking buyouts.The oldest player on Memphis besides them is 25

 

KCP is cooked. Kyle Anderson I would consider

 

The case against Cam Thomas:

1) Nets, a team who needs to cobble together all the young talent they can and who needs offense dumped him.
2) NO ONE offered them even a 2nd rounder as a rental for him at the deadline. 29 teams said no thanks.

This is not an Ellis situation of a bad team being dumb and misusing their player. Players who do the little stuff and defend aren't needed on a tanker. Empty buckets are.

Diving into some numbers here:
Lakers attempts, ceiling is sub-90 as constructed
This year: 84 FGAs
24-25: 86 FGAs
23-24: 88 FGAs
22-23: 89 FGAs

Cam is useless unless he's getting up 10+ shots a game.

Luka, Bron, Austin, Rui and Ayton put you at 72 FGAs. You do not want to eat into your best players touches at the expense of a JR Smith/Waiters. You do not want to eat into the volume for Rui or Ayton because their touches impact their defensive engagement. We just traded for a shooter who JJ wants to take more attempts, so his 5 attempts a game, JJ probably wants that in the Rui range of 9-10 shots.

Volume scorers need touches. Where's the role/minutes?

In the past 3 seasons, Cam has only played under 20 MPG on 8 occasions.
His +/- in those 8:
4
-20
-21
-1
27
-1
-10
-5

Don't let that +27 anomaly fool you. In the past 3 seasons (115 games played) his +/- has been a 0 or lower in 74 games, that's 64% of games played.

Let's look at touches next.
Games he's taken 10 or less shots: 17 of 115 games (67 games wth 17+ FGAs)
+/- in those 17:
-1
-10
-35
-5
-1
-5
9
4
-20
-14
-11
-1
-18
-19
-19
0
-4

In those 17 games, his shooting percentage drops to an average of 29.7% (his season average over the past 3 years is 42.6%)

PASS

I would rather bring in a guy who can defend a little and one who does some of the dirty work things, who's older and more mature than a 24 year old searching for the bag. I have a strong feeling Cam is worried about #1 and getting stats to get him his next deal vs. buying in. I've never seen a chucker who's not a me first player. The former also isn't nearly as concerned with touches, minutes or role and are more versatile into lineups you can plug them into.

Maybe you want to make a Monk comp for us, but that had the support of an ELITE defensive big man in AD and a 37 year old Bron.

Hustle, extra effort and defense is more contagious for a team who can get stuck going through the motions.

I'm also much less worried about bench scoring after we've adjusted Rui's role and he's bought in. You bring in someone who takes that from him, you also lose a buy-in that took years for Rui to accept and Rui is more significant and better for this team than any version of Cammy.

No one who's currently on the buy in market will be a game changer this season so that's a silly argument (Timelord is probably the only potential buyout player who could do that...IF HEALTHY). But someone can help support the team structure and concept to give JJ the best lineup optionality.

 

well that's a bad look

 

Please be dumb enough to leave a paper trail.

I'd love for the league to find out Kostas and Thanasis made bets on his behalf. Suspend the entire f***ing family.

 

Pretty sure he’s going to the Lakers. Walter was sure when he got Ohtani. And I’m pretty sure he knows he’s getting Gianiss.


I’ll see what happens when we get him. But I guess that’s who we’re planning on getting.

 

GS working on building the all-injured team

 

https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/tra...&SeasonType=Regular Season&dir=A&sort=PTS

Worst team in the league in bench scoring.

There's no moves the Lakers can make where one guy can change the defense - especially in a buyout market.

Why not at least try to improve the bench scoring?

 

Mike was a suggestion but not saying he’s going to come. But they want a more collaborative front office. Looks like they are cleaning house. I can see them wanting to have 3 of the best. I see them hiring guys you don’t even know their names.

Rob Pelinka. But looking at this. This is going to be a guy Gianiss is comfortable with. So theyll hire the best scouts from OKC the best scouts from Portland. The best scouts from Boston the best scouts from Golden State.

They’ll hire Masai so he can have a role. They’re gonna want to get grinders and workers.

That’s my thinking.

 

because bench scoring is a fake thing that doesn't matter? i posted about this a while ago, but it has no connection to winning or losing.

jsm's post also points out the issues with just "adding scoring", too.

it doesn't matter, as the buyout market is unlikely to impact our fortunes either way. i just think a player like terry has more of a chance to develop into part of a winning rotation than does cam thomas.

it would be different if we couldn't score at all or something, but that's just not at all true.

 

Yeah your trying to find another Goodwin

Not another Lonnie Walker.

 

Highsmith is my preference but I'd welcome Klay or Thomas as well. On the buyout market, if there's not a great fit available I'm fine just bringing in the best talent possible. None of these guys are changing our destiny this season. But there is a chance they could help down the road too. Like say we did bring in Klay and he enjoys playing here the rest of the year. In the offseason we basically swap LeBron and Rui out for some more defensive minded guys. Now maybe all of a sudden there is a use for him on a team that's gotten more athletic but needs some shooting. Worst case it doesn't work it at all this year and the guy moves on in the summer.

 

If I wasn’t clear before, Highsmith is from the Miami Heat

 

Come on Kareem...remember Nunn got us Rui!