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

Jokic ain't leaving bro. He constantly says he won't play for any other team in the NBA. The guy has won and he has been the best player in the NBA for 5 years.

This is what he said after being eliminated by OKC: https://www.instagram.com/reels/DXyJwLbugNQ/

This is what he said on a Serbian podcast:

I don't know how much more certain we can be. If our front office is planning for Jokic - they should be fired.

 

I will say it’s okay because the Lakers will sign one or both of Mitchell Robinson and Robert Williams.

 

There aren't that many Player Options this year, where we could convince someone to opt out for a longer deal.

CLE: James Harden - probably opting out in Cleveland for a longer deal
GSW: Green, Horford & Melton - maybe Melton if you want to pay him more? Horford and Green are unlikely
HOU: FVV - why would we?
LAC: Beal - same as above
LAL: Smart & Ayton
MEM: KCP - why?
MIL: Kevin Porter Jr, Gart Trent Jr, Taurean Prince, Gary Harris & Jericho Sims - I could see Gary Trent Jr, Taurean Prince & Gary Harris opting out to go to a contender as vet mins. KPJ probably sticks around to get usage on a tanking team to get a bigger contract
NYK: Alvarado - can't see it
SAC: Lavine - he'll use his option for 49m and then try to resign somewhere the year after for a longer deal
TOR: Mamu - he probably opts out and looks for a contract around the MLE
WAS: Trae Young, DLO - Trae probably plays this season in Washington auditioning for another big deal, no-one wants DLO back

So there aren't really any players I'd try to steal that have player options. We know RFA's are super difficult to get (impossible if the team wants to keep them), and anyone with a team option, they don't control their future.

So I don't see why we should operate under the cap. The best FA available is Ayo.

 

I doubt Ayo is much of a fit here he’s basically a pg. We need an athletic wing or a defensive big that can get boards. I would make Denver pay for Watson or make Utah pay for Kessler. See if one of them will blink. If neither works out I’d try for Murphy. After that I got nothing lol probably smaller moves that just don’t move the needle at all. I do think LeBron being back makes the most sense. Cleveland is the only other location I can see and watching them I think the Lakers clearly have a better roster and just play better as a team.

 

Wiggins. And you’re discounting all the trades that you can make when you can absorb money.

 

Utah has 67m space before the first apron. They won't let Kessler walk for free.

Peterson
George
Lauri / Ace Bailey
JJJ
Kessler

They're gonna start competing now.

Watson is a tough call. Maybe the Nuggets let him go? But it's more likely they retain him.

 

Yall watching tonight???? Your lob threat is in New York. Mitchell Robinson Deandre Jordan


Go get Robert Williams. I put the guys.


No need to over pay Ayo. Sign Ellis. Or get Anfernee Simmons here.


Lebron just talked so he’s gonna be waiting around until August probably seeing what we do.


Probably bring Rui back. And Austin.

have no idea what’s going on with Denver and Peyton but seems like he wants to come here or is making it known that it will be us and Denver.

but who knows what Denver wants to do if they want to do an overpay?? Remember everybody thought Memphis was going to to be keeping everybody and then they started trading people.

So maybe we get Watson. Is Desmond Bane better than Austin Reaves????

 

Ja Morant for Zach Lavine probably makes sense. So you’ll probably see that on draft night.

 

I must of deleted wiggins by accident. We’ve been talking about him for weeks and potentially opting out. He is the best option (only?) for that.

And yes I am discounting trades where we offer Cap Space. Namely because we can send out Vando, Ayton, Knecht and Jake and get almost 40m in salary back. I feel like anyone over that price figure is going to come back with Reaves going out.

Any other smaller trades and I’m trying to send out Vando out. Our guys aren’t bad contracts anyway. Knecht, Jake and Ayton are expiring - only Vando is a longer contract.

 

If Lakers bring back the same team it will make the season boring. We have seen the Lebron and Austin together for some time now. Its safe to say those two will never win a championship on the same team if those two are starters. I am not even expecting a title. Just move on get younger and more athletic.

 

You know the more I think about it, the more I think the cap space is to absorb Giannis if he wants to move here.

It doesn’t really make any other sense to open up 60m of cap. For who? We’ll be an over the cap team if the Bucks don’t want our offer.

 

Never rule out the Lakers.

 

haha lol.

 

So it’s a one conference finals??? Cause the Knicks and Cavs Finals is over after that game 1 debacle.

 

I think we can do smaller moves that eat into cap space. It's particularly relevant for teams that want to reduce their cap sheet and are tanking. Like the Bucks after they trade Giannis.
So you could trade Turner for Vando+Knecht and absorb the rest, for example. This helps Bucks receive less salary then they are sending, which can save a pick from us, for example. They also save money in future years. Basically cap relief = 1 FRP, which can be very valuable for us, as we don't have many.

We may do the same with Nets or NOLA, or other teams in similar situation. We can also do it with teams wanting to get out of the aprons or luxury tax.

Again, just shows the multiple avenues we have to improve the team and it's up to Rob to maximize them.

 

i mean, you've given up on watson, but that means denver is dumping one or more of braun (unlikely), johnson, or gordon. johnson would be the top actual FA on the market, right? he's valued higher than rui, whom you have near the top of the list, that's for sure.

who's to say we couldn't end up with a jrue holiday situation after some of the carousel. like, denver and minny don't want us to benefit, but they can't stop chicago or bkn of recycling whomever they dump there for a little extra, right?

you've pointed out one very specific way to get a 30m dollar player if we're over the cap, but that requires things--such as eating vando's extra year and taking 4 for 1 deals--that may not be possible/palatable. we need a player worth 30 million plus added to the roster, imo. whichever route gets us there, i'm ok with.

and once again, i just don't understand the sacrifices for flexibility if we end up just getting the band back together.