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

^LOL.

So, what's next for the Lakers? Can we add a minimum? I'm guessing that the Kuminga deal isn't happening? Would just focus on touching up this roster with some defensive talent what what's left on the scrap heap.

 

Reaves: Massive Overpay
Kessler: Overpay
Grimes: Overpay
Sandro: Fair
Sexton: Overpay

Pedinkus and his player options added to the mediocre signings. Kuminga is better than anyone they have now as far as a wing player. If Dinkus can get rid of Vanderbilt without sending draft capital, that would help.

 

What?!?!?!

Reaves: incredible Value
Kessler: A steal
Grimes: Pure Larceny
Sandro: Like candy from a baby
Sexton: Sneaky steal

Rob has just been schooling everyone all offseason. If we get Kuminga or another replacement, it will be short term just to hold the place for our young guys to get a year under their belt and replace them.

This team will surprise people this year - assuming health. But regardless, we’ll be fun to watch.

 

Zaire Williams is still out there. Very underrated shooter, defender, and athlete. And, he is 6-9. He fits really well, kind of like a 6-9 Keon Ellis. Lakers apparently were interested in him at the beginning of free agency according to Khobi Price. He is also from Southern California, and has the same agent as Kessler.

 

Reaves: not a deal, fair value if he is healthy, overpay if he doesn’t play 65+ games
Kessler: fair value if healthy
Grimes: fair value, could be a win on our end
Sandro: fair value to slight overpay
Sexton: fair value

I don’t like the length of years, the fact that every player got towards the upper end of their value, and getting player options too.

But Rob isn’t the best negotiator anyway.

 

It’s pretty cool having two young guys who are athletic. Now I know what it’s like to have young wings. Kind of cool to be the team with the exciting wings. This Cam and Thiero show is pretty entertaining. Add that to Luka and Reaves and you have showtime.

Kessler in the middle. That lob threat with the spacing. Damn should’ve kept Ayton.

but add to that some shooting with Knect Swiss Army knife with LaRavia and Vando Vanderbilt and you have a little bit of everything.

you Add Mamu Grimes and Sexton. That’s a deep team.

I’m good either way Kaminga or keeping the squad.

 

Reaves: Massive Overpay
Kessler: Steal
Grimes: Overpay
Sandro: Fair
Sexton: Steal

 

Grimes is going to surprise a lot of people.

 

Reaves is not an overpay and I’ll die on than hill. We just saw Mitchell get a $70M per year extension.

You can’t look objectively at the list of player salaries in the NBA and say that Reaves isn’t worth his contract.

 

Yes, if you look at the worst contracts in the league vs production? Reaves is a no brainer.

70 mil for Mitchell? That’s likely a million dollars per game he plays if they are lucky. Terrible deal. Talk about negotiating against yourself, wow. Nobody was going to chase him with that kind of money.

 

Technically Reaves in not an over Pay but not exactly worth 46mil either. Meaning the market set players prices. His numbers says he is but the accomplishments are not there. Also at any point was Lakers franchise player. Ex He will be paid more than Lamelo Ball, Star talent like Kyrie. Brunson don't make super star money but his impact on Winning and success says differently. Neither player are seat fillers.?so I guess it all depends on how you look at it. Austin and Walker is more potential base contracts.

 

LeRavia, Hardy, Knecht, 2031 Wizards 2nd, 2032 Wizards 2nd, 2033 2nd, 2032 swap for Watson starting at 23 million would be nice.

 

Any move for Watson needs to shave payroll and deliver some draft capital to Denver.

 

Grimes, Mamu, Sexton were all backups in bad to mid-level teams who haven't made much money so far in their careers.

I can understand the justification of betting on guys with good advanced stats on long-term contracts, hoping they improve as starters around Luka and become cost-controlled assets as the contract progresses.

But to call these contract steals is not just irrational, it's borderline insane.

Can it work out? Yeah, I can call my broker and buy a random stock tomorrow, and it can 10x in a year. Is it likely to though?

 

I love the sound of a threesome with Margot Robbie and Sydney Sweeney

 

I think Pelinka has a trick up his sleeve

 

Right, I think it would have to be something like:

Hardy, LaRavia, Knecht and a second rounder to Brooklyn
Watson to us at around $20-25M AAV
2 second rounders and the first round swap to Denver (I think this would also give Denver a TPE)

This only works if Watson makes it clear to Denver that he wants to be a Laker and Denver is willing to play ball due to luxury tax concerns. You'd also have to hope that Brooklyn actually sees value in taking fliers on those 3 players so that they'd accept a single second rounder as payment in exchange for them using up ~$16M of their remaining cap space.

So unfortunately I don't think there's a real shot at this. The Watson and Pelinka interaction at Summer League is fun to speculate about, but I doubt there is anything to it.

Now if say hypothetically we had preserved an extra first rounder, or even just one extra first round swap, in the Kessler trade? That would have made things a lot more interesting.