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

We won 50 games in the West, so we have talent. I really wanted to see Austin and Luka, in the playoffs this season at full strength. I still have some questions about winning in the playoffs.

 

I find myself thinking, at some point, someone is going to beat his a** badly for all the flopping he gets away with.

 

Left field moves are Pelinka's specialty, so I'm expecting the unexpected.

 

i don't know why people would think a lot of this conversation didn't maybe already happen, like last summer before the hissy fit from rich paul and lebron (also not sure how rob gets the child label after that nonsense).

his job is definitely in the balance, which is also why i'm certain we're not going to let lebron's contract desires impact our offseason plans too much--because that's how you'd lose your job. i'm also pretty sure, again, that he's not a total idiot and isn't going to like, show up to rich paul's house and slap him in the face with the fact that lebron will take even bigger paycuts if he wishes to spite us.

as you said, lebron's well aware of how the cap works. he knows what we all know. if he wants to win, he's going to make less than john collins next year. if he wants to make more than john collins next year, he's going to lose more than he has been the past couple of years.

yes, i would like this very thing to happen, though i share others' pessimism that smart opts in and that hart is available for picks and a contract we wish to unload (i understand the idea, i'm just dubious--i think that's going to be a player of lesser value than hart). this also has lebron at 5m less than people say is already an insult to him. this would also fit exactly with my general sentiment that lebron should just take what's left after the FA moves. in this case, it's 20 million. if smart were to get his appropriate raise, it would knock lebron down to 15.

anyway, i've suggested almost exactly this plan with different names for hart in there. but again, it would all rest on lebron being flexible. if he's not, we can't wait around.

 

It would be ideal to get a useful player for our trash and picks, but we can't count on that.

Ironically, Myles Turner could be a candidate for that, although he might be an awkward fit. He's not the typical Luka lob-threat big, but he does provide rim-protction and 3-pt shooting. It's not like he's just a big burly rebounder who clogs the lanr and can't get off the floor, like Poertl. Again not ideal, but could be a decent way to liquidate our trash. Claxton would be much better though. But I would definitely look at teams who might want draft picks, like Milwaukee, New York, New Orleans, etc.

Another example:

Sounds like Giannis is a strong candidate for Miami. Bucks might not want Wiggins. Miami could send them Herro, Ware, and three 1st round picks. But instead of Wiggins, Milwaukee might prefer picks and salary ballast. So in exchange for Wiggins, we send them Vando + Knecht + 26 1st + 31 1st. That's about 20 million in 2026 salary. We only use 13 million of our cap room for Wiggins. In a vacuum, Wiggins is not worth two 1sts, buy we dump two unwanted players, one of whom is under contract for next year, too. And we, are able to keep a lot of our cap room. It would be around 38 million in cap room left after that trade.

So with the model of Smart getting 12, and Kennard getting the room exception, it leaves 26 million for Lebron, and possibly somebody else. Not gong to count on it but, Lebron could go all in and except 6 million dollars and we still have 20 million left to use on a Keon Ellis.

That's one option. Or we could go the Watson route. Trade the picked #24 player for Watson in a sign and trade. Year one for Watson is 32 million. We have 19 million left. Smart gets 12. Lebron pre-agrees to 7. Kennard gets the room exception.

Another option might be simply swapping Vando + #24 + 2031 1st for Herb Jones. Lakers basically keep all of their cap room with this swap. You could still turn around and trade Knecht + future 1st's for Watson @ 32m, sign Smart @12m, and sign Lebron for about 8-million, and Kennard with the Room-Exception.

 

You must really hate LeBron because this is a bit too much

 

i think it's just reality? two things can be true at once: lebron is worth more than 15m per next year AND we can't really afford to be the team paying him what he's worth.

it will be up to him to decide what's most important.

 

Fix the bench then it’s not that big of a problem on one year deals.I wouldn’t give him 30 mil but 20 I would.

 

I really feel like to fit Watson, Smart, and Kennard, Lebron would ultimately be willing to take around tax-payer MLE level money (around 6-8 million). But again, I wouldn't count on it.

 

I actually do expect Thiero to take a big leap. He will very likely be in the rotation. But we still do need to adress our depth though.

 

What If this team as currently constructed, wins this Rockets series, without Luka or Austin?

I want to see how this campaign finishes myself. It's a bummer that Austin and Luka, most likely won't be right, in the next series either.

However if this " supporting cast ", is able to win a playoff series, that has to force a reassessment, of just how " devoid of talent " we actually are IMO.

If Lebron James, is able to lead these guys out of the 1st rd? I mean damn...he might not be a 50M dollar player anymore, but 15-20M is utterly ridiculous. Rui makes 18M right now.

 

as currently constructed Lakers can only offer LeBron 9 millions without any significant trades.
That's why a lot of rumors about GSW or Knicks

 

We can shuffle some salary around, and still add another good player. We can operate as a 2nd apron team with the right mix. Money isn't a problem with Mark Walter...at least that's what he said when he bought the team. Somebody might get traded, Somebody might simply be allowed to walk, we have options.

I was told that if Lebron was your best player, with Kennard as your 2nd, that was a 15 win lottery team. I'm not sure that's accurate at all.

 

i mean, this is pure nonsense. we CAN offer him 50 million! we can operate over the cap and re-sign basically the entire team to at least modest raises! we won't, but we can. and we can construct a good roster with lebron making 15-20 per, imo. just not any higher. and it would be best if he got closer to 10.

it's other teams that can't offer him much more than tpmle. to even get mle from cleveland or gs, they'll have to make cuts to their already-not-good-enough squads.

 

Meh..You haven't really presented any evidence, as to why James should take 15M or less, besides your usual, Lebron is about to fall off the cliff any day now take. You've been saying that for the last three seasons professor. It might happen one day, but I'm not sure it's as imminent as you keep pushing it to be. At some point, it has to be acknowledged, that this dude just isn't normal. He's a one off.

 

Kris Dunn is on an expiring 5.6M contract next season. I wouldn't mind trying to acquire him if possible. Dalton and a 2nd rd pick? We could absorb that extra salary with cap space.