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

really feels like a breadth of talent problem rather than top end - SGA in particular is a good #1 but come on this guy in the post-season even with the refs buying all his crap is just not at the level of a prime Lebron or Curry as an offensive engine. They lose J Williams and seem fine because they had Mitchell and Morey's gift basket in teh wings. They lose both J Will and Mitchell and even OKC looks like they have a body problem again.

Full disclosure: I probably over-value Smart. Despite Smart's 3 point jumper being VERY streaky, watching him the dude is a difference maker who has shown he can actually win you a playoff game with all the stuff hedoes.

The lakers issues is the cliff like fall in 2 ways players: you got the stars (luka, lebron, ar), you got the good playoff caliber roleplayers who I define as guys who will get minutes in most playoff games (Smart, Rui, and I think it's pretty fair to include ayton, hayes in here). but then a complete drop off.

A more cynical take would be that Lakers don't have anyone a coach can trust past the big 3 and Smart. An really cynical take is the Lakers are blowing smoke up everyone's a**** and good coaching and smart players couldn't cover up AR's defensive shortcomings when the chips were down (cough James Harden in the CLE/Knicks series cough)

I think the first take is fair - this team did win a lot of games despite a lot of injuries, never had their best 4 available really at all, at good health, and I watched all the OKC games this team was in it. you compare it to the CLE/NY series where the CLE looked like a deer in the highllights outside of one game the Lakers just ran out of bodies IMO.

Because of this rationale I would be wary of going with giannis move unless you know for sure you're getting some Smart like steals to fill out the roster around that kind of blockbuster move. And why it feels like a no brainer to move picks and trash for guys like murphy and jones. The roster then becomes where you can mix match size and skills to exploit other teams rather then always trying to figure out a way to survive minutes (i.e. the vando, jakes minutes)

 

good
we are much closer to 1999 finals repeat

 

i don't see williams at 6.5, but i don't see hayes signing at minimum, either. so what if you just re-sign hayes at the williams number? if you're spending big on turner at starting center, i'm not sure you need both williams and hayes, and i actually like hayes as a backup center quite a bit. third center can be a rookie or development project, imo.

how is rui signed here? if ayton opts in and smart opts out, what's the cap number? you need 62 to sign those guys at the figures you mention, and i'm not sure we can get there.

i do like the idea of using like, knecht/jake in S&T for thybulle or ellis (i think both guys will make more than 6.5, tbh).

i also think turner is a solid buy-low (ish) candidate, though i wonder about his fit with luka as a pick and pop/spacer more than a lob guy.

so, i think you could realistically get to:

luka/smart/bronny
reaves/ellis or thybulle/nsj
watson/adou
lebron
turner/hayes

it's got a rui-sized hole--if he and lebron could be convince to take a bit less with player options on year 2 that could exploit bird rights, you can maybe get there?

 

It works like this:

Luka (49.5) / x / Bronny (2.3)
Reaves (20.9) x / Knecht (4.2)
Watson (28) / Jake (6) / Adou (2.1)
Lebron (19) / Rui (13) / Vando (12.4)
Ayton (8.1) / x / x

Then you add the minimums, do the trades and resign Smart and Reaves.

But I was trying to just remake the Knicks, that’s why I tried to include Timelord to resemble Robinson.

 

Turner is not a big upgrade over Ayton and his contract is pretty awful

if I'm taking on that contract, I'd want a first from Milwaukee.

 

yeah, so you have to lose hayes or have him sign for lower than market value...or you're relying on a trade for a center to backup turner, too.

i wonder how low you can get hayes to agree to...he's an above vet min player at this point. one could argue he's in the 10-12m per range.

 

Why not just keep Ayton? Turner,Ayton,Hayes gives some versatility.You could even play Ayton and Turner together,especially against OKC

 

he'd have to go out in the turner trade here, else other things couldn't work.

 

Yeah his contract is awful - can't be giving that munch money for MLE perforamnce. You could try to get them to cough up Rollins with Turner. He's young but the Bucks are going to have to suck for awhile to rebuild so he doesn't really fit their currently time line

 

Is Hayes worth all that? Is any team spending any of the exceptions on him? I can't see why

I do like him but not sure if he has a market. Maybe if some team has some money lying around and has a need for a backup C, but tricky for him. I don't see Chicago or Boston who need starting centers going for him either

I'm paying him as less as possible. If we lose him because he gets a bag somewhere else, happy for him and we should find someone serviceable as a very min. Probably Reed becomes more interested with an upgrade to backup C instead of 3rd string

 

Kenny Atkinson to remain Cavs coach despite Knicks sweep in conference finals: Sources
Atkinson guided the franchise to its first appearance in the conference finals since 2018 and first without LeBron James on the roster since 1992, but there was some question coming out of the series about potential changes Cleveland might make. Instead, no major changes to the front office or coaching staffs are now expected, per those sources.

 

i think this is grass-is-greener territory. if hayes played for someone else, i think we would be devising ways to pay him 10m. capela and lopez signed for about that last year.

people focus on him getting played off the floor or being less impactful in the playoffs, but...centers that make 30m per have the same things happen to them annually.

this is my point--if he walks, we'll have to spend a lot more to replace his contributions. tbh, i don't think robert williams or paul reed will be as cheap as others do, either. one way or another, you're going (probably well) over tpmle on a quality backup center.

i'm only letting hayes walk if it's part of a clear path to another high quality rotation player.

 

I was just trying to remake the Knicks team with a spacing 5 and a backup lob running rim protector. I’m not suggesting we do that, I don’t think Turner is the best fit for this team.

You know, everyone will talk about how good the Knicks are defensively, but really it’s their offense and everyone getting hot from 3 at the same time that’s lead to this run. We can recreate that.

 

I’m with you on this one, I don’t think there is a clear market for Hayes, tanking teams don’t need him and contending teams don’t have the money to spend on him.

I think it makes sense for him to stick around here, we retain his bird rights even if we pay him the minimum and we can make good on that next year, same with Rui.

 

got halfway through your post and was like...but you think there's a market for rui?

i've said repeatedly that we should try to press those bird rights into short lower-than-market-value wink/wink hot dog stand deals, though.

i just think people saying hayes is a vet min guy while rui is clearly a full mle guy for all the teams...i disagree.

 

Base on Rui shooting may not get a big big deal but there should be a market for Rui
.