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

at the beginning of the offseason, presti talked big about how they had a new arena ( or tv deal or something like this) coming, implying that finances wouldn't be a concern going forward. but then they sold off dort, wiggins, and joe just like everyone predicted.

and it seems like it will affect everyone. i'm pretty sure the only reason we don't have pj washington is actually concerns about finances a couple years from now (as opposed to dallas not being willing to trade him to us).

but anyway, okc has mitchell, wallace, and mccain all coming up for contracts in the next two years, too.

 

If you actually watch Kessler you would know he has soft hands. You can’t catch all those lobs and have hands as bricks. He has good footwork. You can throw it to him in the post.

I said Bynum because Gasol was the one with great footwork and hands. Bynum had great hands. But they had to work on his footwork. He was a work in progress. I say Bynum before the knee injury. Because Bynum was about 13 points a game. High percentage shots. Great shot blocker and a presence defensively inside.

before Gasol got here Bynum was the Center so he was catching Lobs and dunking before he got hurt in Memphis. Kessler is that guy defensive athletic at the rim. Touch. Same size “7,2” 250.

Poetell??? Bynum didn’t shoot 3’s Kessler is developing his 3. And Bynum was getting better on free throws.

 

Yr

this is true but their game style is still very similar. Neither player is overly skilled in the paint. One is just more athletic and plays above the rim. Not saying they are identical twins. I am more talking about their career projectors. So yes Walker is slightly better and a better shot blocker and could say rebounder but not a big enough of a difference not to put them in the same category.

 

Bynum issue was

injuries. At that time he was challenging Howard and Marc as the best center in the nba. So the skills were there to be a corner stone center. This was not the case for Walker he is a traditional work horse type center. Rim run catch lobs block shots do the dirty work. Ex Kobe and a prime Bynum could have formed an inside outside 1 2 tandem. That would not have been a potential tandem for Kobe with Walker. Would have had to be on the market for a star level player. Another example of building a different type of championship team. Kobe/shaq 1 two punch vs the more rounded Pistons. The Ben Wallace type center that cannot form a 1 2 punch tandem so have to go with the more rounded approach limiting Wallace to play a particular role.

 

for those still interested:



trying to create a bidding war, which makes sense.

the QO thing is a bluff, imo. that never goes great. trade value goes down; their financial situation won't be a lot better next year, etc.

and even if they did keep him on the QO, they're still in the second apron.

best plan is to get someone to eat nnaji with watson and/or get a 1st back with little to no returning salary. tricky.

still think the plan was to basically swap watson for djj and some draft capital. maybe add neiderhauser as a sweetener/salary-raiser for watson?

 

There are some similarities with their counting stats, but you really should consider context. At 25, Kessler is on an upward trajectory and has a modern NBA center offensive skillset (lob-catching and the 3-ball looks promising). Poertl does not have a modern NBA center offensive skillset. Poertl would be trash on the Lakers, while Kessler is a perfect fit. There is a large enough difference, especially from a Luka led Lakers perspective.

 

Doh

 

I haven't seen enough of Walker to say that plus I am a huge Z fan. That trade was painfully stupid. I do believe Walker will be better when it is all said and done. Again, I love Z's game.

 

i think they have narrow paths to one or the other, but both is totally insane unless they plan to royally screw harden (which will incite a league investiation, imo).

anyway, i'll tell something now that will anger people: an argument could be made that kuminga is better and worth more money than watson. throw rotten produce at will.

 

Are you sure he fits modem nba without an outside game? Both players are not much of a threat outside the paint which is very similar to Rudy and why Minny can't achieve the next level. Knicks went on and won with Towns and let Robinsaon move on to Boston. It's not a one cookie league. Can build championship teams differently. The top 5 centers in the nba all have an outside game. If we look at the teams that won rings in the last few years have centers with a shooting touch. Even our last title we played Davis in those key moments at center. So centers like that can be more situational than ideal.

 

The game has changed. There is a reason why you don’t have any back to the basket bigs anymore, we don’t need an inside threat like that.

Kessler isn’t an offensive center, some of you just need to let that go, it’s not how we’re building our team. Now he can finish plays really well, he can probably shoot the 3 well enough and he can pass some as an offensive hub.

But his value is on the defensive end, and that’s what we need from him. An elite rebounding, elite shot blocking, elite rim defender.