2024-25 Team Developments: Trades / Free Agents / News / Rumors / Ideas

I’m all for it, but, he has taken a step back since we tried to grab him before he went to Denver. What are we giving up to get him?

 

The FO has already said that Rui is someone they want to keep moving forward. I bet we don’t trade him, unless it’s for another big that we see staying long term.

 

I am not saying Juzang is equivelent to a first. Rather, if the Lakers are on the fence about including that second first, the addition of Juzang perhaps closes the gap for them. Sort of worth half a first if you will. I think this is a strategy that teams use in trades from time to time.

 

If Kessler is actually this good on D including perimeter isolation defense, rim protection, screener mobile and screener rim defense, as Cranjis is saying, seems to me that for now and certainly next 5 years he would be a valuable get. A lot of these non shooting bigs, if it's necessary can learn to over time, but we need help for AD from a BIG in games when he sits and sometimes maybe on the floor at same time on D. Like in 2020. Sounds like he gives vertical offensive option enough as well. Aren't we always crying the blues over Magic shipping out Zubac and how useful he would be with us NOW? He's not even good on perimeter isolation D is he? Kessler's only 23.

 

That doesn't make a lot of sense from a basketball standpoint. Especially since we just traded a guard for a big forward.

 

They have to do their best to project the probability of that, determine the risk, and make a decision from there. They cant just be reactive to stuff all the time. The good front offices look ahead and project.

 

Zu has actually been pretty good defending on the perimeter this year. He's had a really great season overall. That team has somehow managed to be really good defensively all year with Harden and Powell playing major minutes together.

The super pro Kessler stance from Cranjis caught me off guard. I'm not going to pretend like I understand every metric he puts out there and I think there's such thing as breaking things down too far statistically. But the point seems to be that (1) pairing AD with Kessler could potentially make us elite defensively and (2) the vertical spacing Kessler provides, as well as the correct scheme (based in some part on what he saw from the AD - Hayes lineups early in the season, which JJ himself did not like) paired with LeBron/AD/AR could keep Kessler's lack of shooting from hurting the offense.

I don't know. I'm pro trade for Kessler (and anti trading for Valanciunas or Vucevic), but don't know if I'd go as far as taking the protections off the 2027 pick and also trading the two firsts. We'd become a mammoth sized team, with one of AD or Kessler out there at all times (and significant minutes where they're playing together) and at least one, and often two, of LeBron/Rui/DFS out there as well. But one of the other things that Cranjis has been harping on all season is coverage fit. Last year, Ham had a good playbook, called the right plays against specific coverages and we scored really well when we ran organized offense. The problem was that we'd inexplicably stop running organized offense in second halves. The problem with JJ, as he claims, is that we are not calling the right plays against specific coverages and we're also not running organized offense often enough. It sounds like there are very specific plays and sets that make Cranjis believe Kessler would work with us offensively, but he's been complaining all year that JJ tends not to run the right plays and sets at the right time.

 

For Kessler's age and capabilities that we need, seems to me that rather than hanging on to one 1st and hoping we can land a decent big in the future that could become good enough to be a starter ..... that it would be worth taking the protection off the upcoming one we already don't have, and aren't going to suck lotto type hard unless injuries just decimate us, and giving another first plus Rui and whatever filler needed of not core players? Could we get assurance from DFS to stay?

 

If they feel Brown has regressed too much, there are other options they could look at.

Rui + 2025 2nd for Huerter + Ellis. Thus option is mostly for Ellis. 3 and D and athletic and fast 6-6 guard. Underutilized in Sac.

Rui + protection removal for Sexton + Juzang + 2027 2nd. I am not crazy about this, because Sexton is Brown without the defense. Sexton has also regressed athletically. But Juzang is another shooter like Dalton. Buy I like the overall shooting upgrade over Rui here.

Rui + JHS + 2025 2nd for Lonzo

Gabe + Vando + 29 1st (top 15 protection) + 25 2nd for TimeGuy + Thybulle + 29 2nd

Another variation with Scoot instead of Thybulle

JHS + Wood + 25 2nd for Dosunmu

 

I disagree. Young bigs who can play are much rarer than guards.
We traded a guard who was supposed to be traded last season, then last summer, but nobody would take him. The only reason someone took him now was for cap room this summer from his expiring deal.
Apples to Oranges.
I’m talking about players that teams actually want to help them win games- not for tanking or cap reasons.

 

I’m totally down with trading Rui and ONE first for Kessler.
If Ainge demands TWO, or the inclusion of Max or Knecht, I’m hanging up.
Rebuild is coming, regardless of LeBron saying he can play another 5-7 seasons.
It will be impossible to land that next cornerstone like Antman via trade without multiple First Round picks along with young talent to offer.
I’m much more interested in the path we’ve frequented the most: trading for our Championship Talent, over lucking out in the lottery and getting a Magic, Worthy, or Kobe again.

 

But we'd have a core piece actual Big center now and going forward plus already really nice core pieces going forward, some cost controlled 2-4 years, including AD, with him, AR, Max and DK if we took protection off the one we already don't have, and gave up 1 more maybe with protection of some sort at the very lotto top and a young good player in Rui and still potential in JHS or whatever?

 

i'm good trading picks for kessler because i believe he'll hold value at least through that first pick we'd send (2029).

you don't want to send too many picks out for guys who won't be useful to you anymore when the pick comes due, imo.

if kessler just stays who he is now, there is always a demand for starting quality centers, so yeah, you don't have the picks to spend in a luka trade, but you do have kessler if it comes to it. he'll likely be worth a 1st or more in trade for the next five years.

and again, i like dalton a lot, but i'd think hard about moving him for kessler. i wouldn't add a lot to the package, but i think it's something utah should consider. knecht could be a legit #2 scoring option next to markkanen, imo. cost-controlled for three years and would be...popular in utah...

 

I think Kessler is a valuable piece, but Ainge asks for the protections on the 27’ pick to be removed and most likely 2 additional firsts plus Knecht and in return he’ll throw in a second. I don’t think that’s the best use of our talent, heck I’d rather trade the firsts for fox or wait to see if PHX blow it up.

In saying that, I see the appeal defensively for Kessler, he is one of the better bigs on that end of the floor. But offensively, it’s a junky fit. It harms AD by pushing him further from the paint and onto the perimeter more where he has to work much harder to score, it also closes some of the lane for AR and LeBron.

I’d personally prefer Myles Turner as the big, he gives spacing while still being a decent rim protector. So I see our defence improving with him while our offence be negatively impacted.

 

i hang up and call his bluff. he doesn't want to pay kessler, imo. it's the only reason his name isn't on the untouchable list, imo. removing protection on the '27 pick plus knecht, with a second coming back...i think about it. another first on top is a big no for me, dawg. much like kessler, knecht is clearly a draft hit, imo. one for another is fair. knecht isn't as proven, but he's cost-controlled for longer.

i think we're going to get outbid for fox. our best chance there would be to clear space and hope he doesn't get traded and sign an extension.

phx won't hand us booker or durant. no way.

i just don't see turner as available? been over it with slick, who also wishes indy was selling there.

tbh, though, i'm just not as sold as everyone else on centers shooting threes. if your center can defend all over the floor, it's ok if he can't hit the three, imo.

we've shown we can score with AD at the 4. as did his previous team. we've also shown we can be a top team if we have a top defense.

 

Oklahoma won 15 in a row by beating C Bags.Game was a reminder of how much the current game is dependent on simply making shots
Live by 3 dye by 3
Okla shot 16 for 38 42 % , Boston 9 for 45 =20%
same as Lakers vs Cavs

 

Why do i feel like Robs going to go after a Davion Mitchell/Jose Alvarado type guy?

 

https://frontofficesports.com/fox-skip-bayless-others-sued-on-14-counts-sexual-battery/

 

we've named mitchell a bunch here, i think. jhs/2025 2nd for mitchell makes some sense for both teams, imo.