2026-27 Team Developments: Trades / Free Agents / News / Rumors / Ideas

Here’s an idea: If we can’t find a deal for Vando, why not start him? Let him be our POA defender to start the first 5-7 minutes of the game. Luka dominates the ball offensively the first quarter anyway so he won’t get in the way offensively. Maybe he plays well enough to raise his value by the trade deadline. I’d try to get my 13 million dollars worth out of him.

Grimes
AR
Luka
Vando
Walker

 

If it’s possible to get someone like PJ Washington for our unwanted salary, I’d gladly throw in our remaining swap/second and I don’t know if we have any protection contingencies left that we could trade but I’d offer that too. He’s the kind of player I’d be okay adding Carr to the package too. Proven 3&D with size under a reasonable contract for years, track record with Luka, still the right age for the Luka timeline, etc

I was trying to find other forwards in this category who might be available trade and I circled back to Herb Jones. Given his shooting regressions and contract, I feel like the Pelicans are bluffing heavily when the reports indicated they wanted first round picks for him. Maybe I’m being a homer but I feel like Vando, Knecht, and the second rounder/pick swap sounds like a fine offer for a terrible team like the Pelicans. They get some assets and get off Herb’s deal much sooner since Herb has two extra and pricier years compared to Vando.

 

have thought about both, too. i wouldn't move carr for washington--his contract runs through 2030. i'd gladly swap vando/knecht or vando/laravia for him, though.

re: herb--i have no idea what NO is doing. i think they're run almost as poorly as sacramento, so i'm not sure you can deal with them rationally. i'd do vando/knecht for herb, no problem. jaylen brown just went for two firsts. you're not getting two firsts for herb. you're getting -1 first, lol.

 

I’m going to put it to yall like this.

I watched the tape Mamu. Beautiful shooter. Quick release. Guy is fast athletic. That’s how I want my power forward looking. I would say probably a Bogdanovic who played in Utah with Kessler. Bogi smaller. Mamu is bigger. I like his game. That’s the power forward you need. What I liked about OG at the 4 the Knicks had 5 guys that could space you out at their starting lineup.

We can’t do that but Kessler will surprise you with his skill. He’s more of a Clingman type.

Rui would be a seamless fit. I value the shooting and I told y’all that,

I’m just naive but I see a starting lineup of Luka Reaves Hachimura Mamu and Kessler.

nobody would be able to sag off because we would space you out and our lob threat Kessler would provide the spacing. Kind of an OKC with Holmgren.

Rui would have to be the Dort he’s a lot better on perimeter defense than people give him credit for.

Now Kaminga. We would have a way better defender and quicker and way more skilled athlete. I’ve watched about 20 games on him. I had him on my fantasy team.

He’s a Kawhi meaning He has to isolate when he gets the ball. Dribble and go to the basket or shoot it. Outside of Lebron or Jaylon Johnson you’re not stopping him when he goes to the basket. Try!!! The lob with Kessler will open it up.

he’s not a ball movement player Rui is. Kaminga is a one cut guy. Before his injury on Golden State when Butler got hurt he was carrying them. Easily 20 points a game. He was getting like 28 points and 34 points.

He can shoot the 3. Great midrange shot. And him running with Luka and Reaves you’ll get the athleticism With dunks at the rim LeBron effect. Just not the dribble and handle. That’s fine. Kawhi doesn’t have a great handle. And Luka needs the ball in his hands.

What I like about Rui he can play off catch and shoot. He can isolate if you need him to. He can post. When Ruis on you can’t stop him. He’s so advanced as a scorer.

so Kaminga scouting him. He’s gonna make mistakes and do bonehead s*** cause he plays fast. He’s such a fast player. It would be showtime here. Don’t bench him when he makes mistakes. If he makes a mistake and you keep him in he’ll play great for you. Just let him go. Anyway you’re gonna have to pay this guy in a year.

Everyone loves Rui great guy. Pros pro never sulks. You would never know he’s a lottery pick because he has no ego. No agenda. Hes my favorite guy. He played Center for Darvin Ham against Jokic didn’t complain and did an admirable job. Can play 3 and 4.

he finishes at the rim. Great free throw shooter. Yall act like he’s 42. He’s around Luka’s age. Hasn’t gotten his shot. Thiero isn’t starting and his offense isn’t there. Him and Carr need another year. Rui needs to start with these guys. We need scoring. We need the scoring.


Finally

We are young. And youth one of the youngest most exciting young teams in the league.

give me Kaminga then Rui

so 1. Kaminga

2. Rui 1A

But honestly it’s a done deal and I think Rui comes back. And I’m happy about it. Spurs f***ed up.

Luka
Reaves
Hachimura
Mamu
Kessler Four great shooters the spacing.

Luka
Reaves
Kaminga
Mamu
Kessler great shooters and a tremendous athlete.

after evaluating all the moves and players. Rob did a phenomenal job A+. Luka wanted shooters he got the best on the market Grimes and Mamu.

Luka wanted an A-List Center Lob threat. He got the best on the market, Kessler. What more do you want from the man?????????????


And how are yall feeling who was like damn we could’ve got Claxton. I knew he was working on something. Rob be quiet but he gets the job done. This is one of the most balanced rosters in the league. All these guys laughing at us on sports Radio. You’re idiots looking at you Antonio Daniels. How do you pay Walker Kessler 130 million? It’s amazing when Utah offered him $150 million in NBA circles. Great contract one of the best defenders in the league. When the Lakers do it. What are they doing?? They’re throwing their money around. Let em hate.

 

Because he's bad. We can't keep doing this every year, there's a reason why he's fallen out of the rotation every year the last three years under two different coaches. The entire theory of the new team built around Luka is having rim-rolling centers and shooters around him and Austin. If Vando is out there his guy can just play free safety and crash down on any Kessler rolls to the basket. With that extra defender covering the Kessler role, everyone else can stay home on the shooters. He's too harmful offensively.

 

I don’t want to fall in love with young guys, but I’m just not trading Carr.

He has the athleticism - 6’5 with 7’1 wingspan, one of the fastest guys in his class and gets up with a 42 inch vertical, the shooting - 37% on 6 attempts and over 40% as a catch and shoot guy and the desire to play the defense saying he wants to be the primary defender at POA.

I’m just not letting that go, he will be better than Max Christie in a year. I call him Carr McDaniels because he has the length and provides rim protection from the weakside the same way Jaden does. You don’t get that kind of defensive potential in a 2-3.

Adou on the other side can guard 1-4. There are videos from last year where a fast guard gets a run up on him at full speed and Adou shuffles from a standstill and stays on them. He is 6’8 with 7 foot wingspan and a 41 vertical. He has a combination of strength, size and speed that reminds me of a young Ron Artest. I’m just not trading him from the defensive potential either.

These guys are worth 20-25m per year if they develop. They develop and we’re a title favorite. It’s one of the only ways I see to compete moving forward.

 

I like Carr a lot too, and agree with the notion that we need to develop players like him.

I’m just saying that if he’s the difference maker in a trade package that nets you a dependable starting level forward who has already developed and demonstrated that they’re already good value at ~$20 million… it would be hard for me to use “Well Carr might develop into a good ~$20 million piece in several years” as justification to say no to the trade.

 

I’m just grasping at straws trying to maximize his value.

 

Problen with the Rui version of that is iti would be like the old slow lineup that we had before Smart entered the starting lineup. That was terrible man. I guess if you dont want to start Grimes, the Kumiga option woulb be the best option because his defense is a little better. He wou;d stil lstruggle with point-of-attack though, but not as bad as Rui or Reaves.

 

PJ is a stud defensively and helps us win games right now. But we’re out of assets, so it’s going to be hard to improve meaningful moving forward.

The most meaningfully, franchise altering improvement can come from Carr developing into a 40% 3pt guy that can defend 1-3 POA and Adou developing into a lob threat that can be a sort of Ron Artest being able to guard 1-4. They have the tools and desire to do so.

Those things happening puts us over the top. I know its unlikely, but it’s also high reward for low risk.

 

I agree with this. And would rather have these two than PJ Washington that’s me.

 

Here’s my logic with your thinking. Did you know who Jalen Williams was outa Santa Clara? No you didn’t cause I didn’t. I didn’t know who Adou Thiero was. You gotta let these guys develop.

Shai trade looked good. He was just a throw in Paul George was coming off all NBA third team. MVP season team USA he was as sure as they come. Go young you go young you gotta go young.

Carr has the potential and work ethic. Jalen Brunson was a hard worker. Those days are over man. Trading the kids. We ain’t doing it.

cause we get burned. Who was Cason Wallace in College. Mark Walters and the Lakers are going to lean into player development. And you’re gonna be better for it you’ll see. The way of the league is youth.

you know the average age of the Spurs and Thunder?????? 22.

 

it’s definitely something to behold. This was the franchise laughing at us right?

 

It's a long deal but an AAV of $16m isn't bad at all. Dare i say, team friendly. Foreign concept for some teams

 

Yeah. I like the potential of Kuminga but keeping Rui would be nice.

 

His deal starts at 13.8m - Quentin Grimes is paid slightly more.

I would say Eason is bigger and a better defender. Grimes is a better shooter and scorer. Hopefully Grimes can put it together this year.

 

I really don't know what the hell they're doing.

If Herb has one more average season, they're attaching firsts to get rid of him and the 70m left on his deal over 3 years.

I do think that Murphy goes to the Warriors or Boston this offseason.

Missi is apparently key for them? This is the same team that let the same thing happen with Hayes. They'll regret not moving him in 2 years when he leaves for free as a backup somewhere. They just keep making bad move after bad move.

 

he did not bet on himself. and yeah, RFA really screwed him, tbh. that and him losing his shot completely in his contract year. terrible luck there.

but the suggestion that he'd have been ours for that contract is just not true. don't know if you were saying it, but you can't compare an RFA deal with zero suitors to a UFA deal.

his agent is watching kuminga's agent scramble to get a mid-level deal right now.

petyon watson will be next, imo. denver's going to get him for really low money, too. unless he's ballsy.

 

Is it my anti-Rob bias speaking, or did we hand out two of the worst contracts of the offseason in Grimes and Mamu?

I think you can think they are good players, and think the contracts suck and are bad for the franchise. The two things are not mutually exclusive.

at the very least they should have taken into account that we needed to preserve some space for a solid starting PF