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

Is Rui + crap for Vuc anything more than a pipe? Because if it is, i'll pack their bags myself and drive them to the LAX.

 

Kuzma’s large contract and the new CBA rules could make acquiring Kuzma a bit difficult. Teams like the Lakers and Warriors have been linked to Kuzma"

"Unfortunately, they don’t have a ton of cap space available to take him on without giving up key players."

"The (Sacramento) Kings are a possibility, especially with Kuzma’s relationship with (Vivek) Ranadivé."

"The (Milwaukee) Bucks and (Dallas) Mavericks are interesting options as well. However, both lack the intriguing young talent or draft assets that the (Washington) Wizards would likely want back."

 

"Asking price is high" is better than "not avaliable."

I'll probably meet your ask unless it's two firsts. They get one and the protections stripped from the other. Call it in!

 

guessing danny's been shopping whatever our top offer is around to see who would beat it, and if kessler is our #1 target, this will drag all the way to the wire.

i just hope we have some backup options available and that ainge has promised to come back to us if he gets what he thinks is a better offer so we can consider countering.

i also wonder if he's even named a price that he'd accept right away.

anyway, he does still have the option of retaining him, but he's in his third year and eligible for an extension. they can push it off a year, i guess, but that can create bad blood.

btw, this was another reason i thought dayron sharpe might be gettable--he's a FA this summer. they have his bird rights, but they have claxton ahead of him and might not want to commit much cash to another young center.

 

They keep saying this new CBA is going to restrict big trades. Yet it looks like Butler and Beal might get moved before the trade deadline anyway. We shall see soon enough.

 

Everybody is posturing right now.

 

Lakers and definitely GSW has different restrictions under this new CBA, because of how contracts are created.If Beal for some reason will refuse to go in trade Butler not going to Suns.

 

That's because Beal is one of the 2 players in the NBA with a no trade clause. It doesn't have anything to do with the CBA. I believe Lebron is the other one.

 

I'm at least 105% sure he's the #1. Putting together the crumbs...
1) had interest in him over the summer. Rob never gives up on a crush, i guarantee you he still has a Buddy Hield photo in his wallet.
2) have talked to DA repeatedly about him this year and continue to do so
3) didn't include Sharpe in the Nets deal
4) AD is groveling at this point
5) JJ is using two big sets for a pairing that doesn't work. It's the precursor to the move, like when we moved DLO to the bench. He still wants to see what the lineups and sets can look like, get the team used to some of those actions.
6) we keep saying that we want to trade for someone now who will be part of the future. There are an extremely few players who are even on the block adjacent who fit that bill.

That's what worries me. What's plan B? It can't be Kessler or bust. To me, that's not going to be acceptable.

 

Lively out for 3 months with a foot fracture..ouch..ouch..I guess Gafford is off the trading block now.

 

Damn! He must really want no part of Ja's fake thug shenanigans. Cause he'd be a really good fit there. For him to say anywhere but Miami and Memphis... that says something.

Went full Murtaugh too old for this on Ja

 

https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2025/01/lebron-ad-want-lakers-to-be-aggressive-on-trade-market.html

 

I'd be damn ok with " Let's trade for Vucevic ". Or Valanciunas or Kessler. Since Westbrook was the 3rd choice, at least one of these guys, would be fine with me.

 

It has nothing to do with his no trade clause and they not trading Durant or Booker.
Phoenix could only acquire Butler by trading Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, or Bradley Beal. The Suns can’t aggregate two or more players salaries to match Butler’s $48.8MM cap hit, and Durant, Booker, and Beal are the only three players on their roster whose salaries are higher than Butler’s.

 

Lonzo no, Vucevic yes and they needed do it yesterday

 

if you believe the rumors (lots of salt here), vuc is available for seconds. now maybe that meant expirings and 2nds (we're out in that case), but i think a guy with one year on his deal who is a legit nba rotation player who is still young with some upside (rui) would suffice.

this makes me think, as jsm lays out above, that vuc isn't priority one.

i agree with others that rui/vet min/2nds for vuc would make me pretty happy. so if and when vuc is off the board, i will start to get a bit annoyed, as i feel like we may be using it as a fallback. but we pursued DFS early and decisively. we can't let ainge futz with us while other opportunities go off the board.

all that said--and i risk a firestorm here--i think rob has actually been pretty good at this kind of game so far, so i'm hopeful that he has the situation thought out further than i do.