2025-26 Team Developments: Trades / Free Agents / News / Rumors / Ideas

i mean, maybe, but the real problem is the motivation. teams will just find new ways to make the same things happen, imo. the issue is that there will always be some teams that aren't actually trying to win. when that happens, it goes against the primary implied incentive structure, so you get this. it used to just be lopsided trades, but the league made those harder to execute, so it's buyouts now. if they make that harder, i think new ways will be invented because you can't stop a team from trying to be bad (or develop young talent or whatever). now, if you flattened the lotto odds or something drastic like that, you wouldn't have to worry about this stuff, but the whole reason that exists is sort of a nod to the natural state of things being that some teams are competing and some aren't.

there are now more teams competing than ever, imo, which is what the league has wanted. we'll see if it's profitable, but it's probably a better fan experience to have 7 consecutive different champions than dynasties.

 

Well you know like Chris Carter say you gotta have a fall guy.!!!!!!!

 

You sound like Mark Cuban.

 

Yes we all liked Goodwin …. but seriously? Manon looks to be a quicker and better “banshee” on defense soon as we develop him adequately to not hurt on offense (at our leisure with how else the defense has been improved with ALL the off season moves). But are you saying with all we’ve seen in just one year already from Bronny prior to the “inevitable” jump start to his even quicker progression that Marcus Smart is going to be for him specifically along with our other young defenders …. that you’d give Jordan Bronny’s roster spot NOW? And you think we got screwed having Bronny on the roster? He didn’t keep Jordan from playing for the team last year.

Shirley you can’t be serious?

 

Marcus Smart is gonna give us that mamba mentality how Kobe used to get everyone going. We don’t have that. Get in guys faces. Come on let’s Go!!!!!!!

Matchups I want to point something to yall When we play OKC we have a Center thats gonna make Chet work. What does that do????? Use up fouls on him. All I think about is OKC.

we got something for em. Lebrons gonna make Jalen work because Jalen still has to guard LeBron.

we’re gonna throw alot at Jalen Thiero at times Bronny Hachimura Vando. Really get in his face.

who’s guarding Reaves????

And Shai we’re taking some of that point total down cause you’re guarding Luka. And we saw what happened when OKC played Dallas.

and we’re putting Smart on Shai. It’s gonna be a tough matchup for them. Cause when they go on their scoring droughts with us. We’re putting points on them.

The Clippers concern me because they have a big who can come out to three and he gives us problems Collins.

Beal and Harden both can shoot the three. Where we really get them is inside with Ayton and Zubac.

and our physicality is going to be hard with Lebron. Luka wins it though because neither Harden or Beal can guard him.


Nothing you can do with buyouts. I will go back to Rob Pelinka saying we are in a Second Apron world we just gotta figure out how to operate in it. He was always planning for it. It’s called the buyout!!!!!!!!!

 

We’ve had Bronny James type players here before. Jordan Farmar Shannon Brown.

 

I can't really complain about anything major thus far. I like idea of trying to snag Thybulle and Williams, because it makes the team deeper and even more versatile. I'd be a little concerned about depth at PG tho, with just Smart and Bronny. If Smart got dinged up or something early, we'd be forcing Bronny into the mix, ready or not. Other than that, if we go into camp as is, we'll have a clearer picture of what moves, we might need to make, heading into the season.

 

Ehh. I liked Goodwin but I'd take Bronny over him. He's still very much a prospect but I think he's shown flashes and was well worth the pick.

 

yeah, moving gabe now takes away a safety net of sorts, and smart should, in theory, do some of what i was wanting thybulle for.

i'm not opposed to a gabe/kleber for thybulle/williams move, but i could also just go without it.

 

My big problems with the current CBA
-teams who draft and develop players get no salary cap relief. this is bad for fandom and I think fans want to be invested in players who become part of the fabric of the area they live in.
-secondary stars and potential stars are getting paid at ridiculously inflated salaries. There is no way Jaylin Williams and holmgren should be in the same salary structure as SGA. And how the hell is a guy like Bradley Beal treated like he is Jokic?
-these guys should not be getting paid at a rate which basically kills your cap IMO

 

When you have Luka, Lebron, and AR I'm not worried about PG offensive duties - it's more will the Lakers have players who can defend the opposing PG. Having Thybulle fixes that concern IMO which is one reason I would love a WIlliams/THybulle move. (of course you can just argue back that Thybulle hasn't actually been an iron man in terms of injuries as well)

I am legit concerned that the Lakers outside the big 3 offensively who can generate bursts of offense from the guard position with speed/quickness (TJ/Hedgehog types). I think those type of guys can get you a critical 1-2 wins in the playoffs.

That being said we're talking about Cardio Gabe - having a warm body which is a threat to do literally anything on the court would be an improvement. A team with Ayton and Williams is center is frankly an awesome combo to put around the Big 3 in terms of defense, rebounding, and offensive threat both vertically and mid range. Thybulle and SMart give you two pit bull legit all NBA type of defensive stoppers who can guard multiple positions. Then you still have Rui and Laravia as more two way types. That's at team unlike last year is just going to put pressure on opposing teams both on offense and defense across the board and just be star driven

 

I'd easily take Goodwin over Bronny on the team for next season. Just a safer bet. Bronny is definitely improving, but we've actually seen Goodwin play well in NBA games outside of garbage time. Can't say the same for Bronny yet. I think Bronny is going to turn into a rotation player eventually, but I'd rather have Goodwin as the safer bet for this season.

Based on how Bronny was used in summer league, offensively I think they're trying to develop him as an on-ball player rather than a catch and shoot, 3&D type. That might prolong his development a bit.

 

In a hypothetical sure but the statement was made that we were and are still screwed by having drafted Bronny James with the 55th pick. With all of the other improvements on D and 2 way types that have been made already …. would You NOW choose to give Jordan Bronny’s “roster” spot to feel a little safer or whatever this year?

 

Manon is a question mark. We have to stop treating rookies as players who fulfill roles in contending teams. It almost never happens in the teams getting to the Conference Finals. It's great to have them developing and I really believe Thiero, for example, has great chances of becoming a core rotation player for us at some point, but no rookies should be part of the 8/9 man rotation at year 1. Much less the Manon types. Goodwin is a guy you know exactly what he gives you from day 1, while developing even more. And at a minimum cost.Those guys are very hard to find and we had to cut one of them, it's not great. But we will survive lol, just not ideal.

On Bronny, he's definitely a better player than last year. But, to be fair, the bar was really low. Still far from an NBA player in a team that needs to win every game, imo. And I still have major doubts he will ever be one. I don't think his full contract is worth it and it costs us flexibility. It was a topic last year in roster construction and it is this year too. It is what it is, hopefully he becomes what we hope he can be, but it is a fact, imo, that we would be better off not having him at all, or at least in a G-league contract or 2-way, which is what he's worth right now

Yeah, flattening the odds must happen at some point. And agree with you that teams will always find a way, but the league's role is to make them find them. It can't be natural to get this type of players as buyouts, especially during the summer which rarely happens. It changes the dynamics and if it becomes a trend, it's a problem imo. Lucky us to get 2 awesome role players that fit our exact needs out of it

 

The bolded is something I've been thinking about too, it would be nice to have a quicker guard that can get downhill to the basket. Luka and AR can get to the basket, but more so with ball-handling skill and navigating a P&R. LeBron can do it with bully ball. The only guys we've had this decade who could do it are Dennis in 2021/2023 and those flashes of THT. I guess Russ too lol.

 

Before I get too excited about the Smart signing, I'm reminded that Boston moved on from him and then went out and won a championship. And he was DPOY. How 'bout them apples. No wonder Bron hasn't called him to welcome him. What if he's locker room poison?



I keed, I keed, but something to think about.

 

No I'm definitely glad now that we took Bronny in that draft. If you told me I could replace Bronny with Goodwin on the roster next season but still keep team control of Bronny, yeah I'm definitely doing that. I'm not trying to just waive Bronny, though, because I agree he's showing actual potential now.

The reason I was really hoping we could swing a consolidation trade to keep Goodwin was because I thought he was good Smart insurance. Smart fills the exact role we needed, but obviously he's missed a lot of time the last few years. He has a lot of miles on him from all of those C Bags playoff runs. Goodwin isn't some awesome player or anything, but he's like a poor man's Smart. Does similar things and fills a similar role on the court. It would be nice to have had both guys. Gabe is smaller so he's not really the same.

 

LOL you could have left that **** in the other room rather than deciding instead the punch bowl made more sense.

 

Right. That's my point here.

Picking Bronny hasn't really cost us anything IMO and I do think there is a legit chance he is the better player and we could start seeing that this year particularly on defense.

Goodwin is a good guy and was a solid player for us who i liked so I'm not going to bash him at all. I'd be happy if we were able to bring him back down the road.

But we chose Smart (literally and figuratively) and that was the right call to make here.