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

same to you, brother. i get that you're a lebron-first guy.

 

Time to let Lebron walk, trade Luka and Reaves and build around Kleber, Luke and Smart. Imagine how many role players we can get.

 

He can handle the bright lights of LA and its a joy to watch.

 

He definitely has kicked into another gear.

 

I won't try to quote all the comments, but absent an injury during the playoffs, we would definitely bring LeBron back for 20 mil. I get the concerns but it seems like he (and Rich Paul) are embracing the reality of being an aging player. If he's going to buy in like this, there's just no way you can get a guy who can produce like this for that amount of money.

We will see what happens. No one is going to sign LeBron to a max or anything near what he's getting now. But definitely teams would be willing to sign him in that 20 to 25 million range.

 

the argument was never that he wasn't worth more. it was about how to improve the team while paying him his value. like us, every team would pay him 25 per...if they could. but when cleveland starts having to part with one of its top 4 to do it, or gs has to attach assets to get off butler to do it...it's not going to happen.

 

Yes

How many players melt under the bright lights when they get here?

 

I honestly think he's the first guy to get here and not forget how to shoot.

 

Cleveland would trade Jarrett Allen for him, no doubt in my mind. The Warriors would trade anyone not named Steph.

Anywho, the trick for me is how do we get a FA piece, trade for another piece, retain LeBron and bring back our core.

 

Yeah. I agree. I'm honesty not sure how we will play this. The chances of him coming back are way higher at this point than I originally thought though.

 

3 straight seasons of 40%+ from 3. It did take him half a season to adjust after he first got traded though, if that's what you meant.

 

well, but he sort of learned how to shoot here. we've had that (formerly bad shooters who hit more here), too, i feel like.

the weird trend is all the marksmen who suddenly can't hit higher quality shots here.

 

Sure seems like it

Hard to remember any others

 

Not to quibble, but his first 3 years in Washington, he went 28.7% from 3, then 32.8%, then 44.7%. Had a down year when he got traded, then has been 41%+ for 3 years here.

 

i forgot about the one good year. i thought of him as a 30% shooter when we acquired him.

 

First time I saw Rui play..he dropped 30pts in a playoff game with the Wizards. Might have been his 2nd year in the league. He's brushed up his midrange game here, I just wish he boarded a bit harder.

 

If Lebron agrees to a large pay-cut, then operating under the cap might be the way to go. We could end up bringing back Lebron, Smart, Kennard, and Hayes. Then we could potentially have money left over to go after players like Watson, Dort, or Ellis. Rui is a good fallback option. I think that extra gritty defensive player (who could shoot) is the extra piece, because Smart misses games, and his minutes are going to start to decrease over time.

 

Over the cap you mean? I'd pay Luke over chasing Keon Ellis. I'd also pursue a mini deal for Kris Dunn (5.6M)..and reup Smart...Our guard situation would be set.

Thinking outside the box here...Maybe Brooklyn would go for a sign and trade, with Rui and Hayes, plus a pick for Claxton (23M)?

 

I could live with bringing back the core, adding Claxton and Dunn and a pick in this upcoming draft. That's an improved team IMO. The hard work is figuring out the contract numbers, but it should be doable.