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

For who?

 

Definitely weird I don't think the Lakers wanted this too badly.

Then again with Pelinka all the rumored moves never happen.and you get the left field ones. It's a bit frustrating as the DLo Murray switch would have definitely improved the playoff prospects and last year's playoffs showed the theargins are razor thin. A slight improvements.like Brogdon to Jrue payed huge dividends

 

Klay Thompson for C'lo. Lopez for Rui and Wood, Valenucius on a vet min. Championship contender, and done on the cheap to boot.

We got the rook..adding two shooters and two bigs. What's the problem?

 

pretty annoyed at Dejounte going to NO for basically nothing.

either no one wants to deal with us, which is a conspiracy theory at this point, or the FO is again sleeping on the job. (more likely)

 

Well, they had a 2025 and 2027 pick to trade. We didn't. 2025 is going to be an especially deep draft. Plus, they got Daniels, who is a good young player, and was recently the 8th pick in 2022. New Orleans likely trumped a deal from us. Now, I will tell you that we could have got the Spurs pick, but I'm pretty sure Popovich rather take potentially less value from Minnesota. We could of ended up with two win-now players who fit, in Carter and Knecht.

 

Free Agency: who you want?

I'm going to go position by position of players who I'm interested in. These are an in-a-vacuum targets. Too many variables to factor in construction right now. We'll get some answers tomorrow and maybe I'll throw some scenarios out Sunday before the opening bell if there's enough clarity to make heads or tails out of anything.

CENTERS

if you wish to follow along at home, here's who's out there:

https://www.spotrac.com/nba/free-agents/_/year/2024/position/c/sort/contract_value

This is a non negotiable. Priority 1. Upgrade has to happen.



I'm holding strong to my target size: center in the 250 lbs range who can spell 20+ minutes (mpg target becomes less likely as we go down the list) .

My dream target became unrealistic before their playoff run was over -- Hartenstein.

1) Jonas Valanciunas - the whale, both size size and best available. 265 pounds, can play next to or behind AD, can shoot to a degree, good rebounder. Coming off $15m, he's going to cost all or most of your NTPMLE. Only a viable option if DLO walks and Bron takes a haircut of $4m a year (there's a couple other ways, but that's the simplest). Wrote this before the DLO news. Jonas is out now.

That's the only one who truly fits the bill as a FA. Then we're facing a steep drop off. Rest should be minimum signings

2) Drummond: how is he only 30? Big. Rebounds. Can start, probably want to keep him under 20 mpg though.

3) Bismack Biyombo: I can't quit you. time to do what we should've done last year. Had a good stretch for the Grizz this year.

4) Mason Plumlee: Better defender than Drumm, plus he doesn't have to relocate.

5) Goga Bitadze: size and potential, still hasn't quite put it all together yet which isn't great. His game before he came over looked much more promising.


Next three are undersized smaller bigs but they still have the necessary mass.

6) Xavier Tillman: really liked his toughness and fight with the Grizz. Underutilized with the Cs.

7) Daniel Theis

8) Drew Eubanks


Band of misfits to close out the list

9) James Wiseman: reclamation project

10) JaVale McGee: One last ride

 

The Athletic has Valenucius rated as a. Mini MLE at most. Curiously same level as Wood.
After him, might as well look for a big through trade.

 

It's coming Kareem!

.... these fools in the Media and on LB think I just sit around and contemplate my navel.

 

For anyone else not on the team last season plus the two rooks.. we are at about 14 with all the opt ins

Trade somebody Rob lol

 

The hold up is PG

 

What we have to trade:
DLo - $18.7m (expiring)
Rui - $17m (2 years)
Gabe - $11m (2 years)
JHS - $3.9m (3 year, team options)
Wood - $3m (exp)
Reddish* and Hayes - $2.5m (exp)
Lewis - $1.9m (3 year, team option)

First round picks: 2029, 2031
Pick swaps: 2026, 2028, 2030
Five second round picks

Need a C and PG upgrade. Could use a wing upgrade.

Possible targets:
Nets - Cam ($23.6m, 3 years), DFS ($14.9, 2 year PO), Schroder ($13m)
Bulls - Vucevic ($20m, 2 years), Ayo ($7m, 2 years)
Hornets - Nick Richards ($5m, 2 years), Bertans ($16m, exp)
Pistons - Stewart ($15m, 4 years TO)
Magic - WCJ ($11.9m, 2 years)
Raptors - Brown ($23m), Poetl ($19.5m, 3 years PO), Olynyk ($12.8, 2 years)
Jazz - Sexton ($18.1m, 2 years)
Wizards- Kuzma ($23.5m, 3 years)

Honorable mentions
Hawks - Trae ($43m, 3 years), Hunter ($21.7m, 3 years), Capela ($22.3m, exp)
Cavs - Garland ($36.7m, 4 years), Allen ($20m, 2 years)
Blazers - Grant ($29.8m, 4 years PO), RW3 ($12.4, 2 years), Thybulle ($11m, 2 years PO)

 

good list, jsm; why no sharpe?

we can't take a S&T now that dlo's opted in. we're over the apron. valanciunas isn't going for the vet min, either, imo.

i'm worried that lopez being available means the bucks know he's cooked. i'd rather have portis from them.

wonder what ainge would ask for to swap dlo for sexton. their salaries are close.

rui for stewart and dlo for sexton solves problems.

also wonder if dlo/rui/top-5 protected 2029 gets cam and schroder?

there are still moves we can make, and i think we will. very annoyed by murray going for that price.

 

What about Valenciunas? He would be great next to AD. How can we get him?

 

i think the dlo opt-in actually means we probably can't. unless slick's ny times guy is right and he goes for tpmle. i just don't see that happening.

 

Don’t we also have that 6K or so trade exception thingy we have to use or lose in next few months ….. which I know nothing about?

 

This is why it would have been better if DLO opted out.Now they are on the verge of the second apron.Now their trade options are limited by the CBA.Now they have a roster overload with limited ways to improve it.DLO(ideally) or someone else has to be traded for for a salary dump now so the team has options to improve.

 

Nets and pistons are the teams we need to be talking to, imo.