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

I think the bold is because LeBron actually tries when he's guarding the ball. He doesn't want to be embarrassed getting blown by. But when he's in a helper or low-man role, that's when he likes to conserve energy and take plays off. That's why I actually think he's better off in a wing stopper role than in a helper or low-man role. It forces him to try more. It's similar to how Russ was when he was here. When he was actually guarding the ball, he actually tried and was pretty decent at it. It was when he was off-ball that he would fall asleep and leave guys wide open.

 

yeah, when russ was here, he was actually a really good on-ball wingstopper, imo. he just couldn't guard quick guards in space and refused to do anything off the ball except gamble for a steal here and there. we had both him and lebron playing similarly--not boxing out, not closing out, spending time kind of not doing anything useful off the ball on defense, but both equally ready to compare manhoods against iso wing scorers, lol. like the opposite of the title team, where we had good guys to harass quick guards and good team defenders but nobody but lebron could clamp down on a wing in isolation.

against low ball movement teams like okc, you can get away with a russ or lebron type (not two--nobody can get away with two guys just not consistently functioning in the scheme). but against like, indiana...forget it.

 

Would the Raptors take DK for Mogbo

 

And I agree if it's just one defensive possession.
But comparing it to the Orlando bubble, the final five played 3-4 minutes straight, because they were a wall of doom on defense, but on offense they had a great sense of cohesion, both tactically and qualitatively.

In my humble opinion, a fundamental step forward for the 2025-26 Lakers is the coaching staff, which must find, throughout the regular season, the final five they can trust on both ends of the court.

 

Not sure if legit

 

If you were in his position as one of the most famous male athletes in the world and pregnant what would YOU do?

Second thought …. don’t answer that!

 

Neither would address what I want from the backup or 3rd string center spot, but they'll both get linked to us. Love cause Bron. Vuc cause Duffy.


Edit: Woike thinks Love could be a 3rd C for us and we're done this summer.

 

man, if the bulls buy out vucevic after holding out on him for years in the trade market...that's hilarious.

i think one key lesson of the summer is that teams need to stop playing around on trade value and trying to rook everyone else. could have at least gotten a few seconds for vuc at the deadline last year.

 

Kevin "Jared Dudley" Love?

 

We'd need to open a roster spot for Love, so we'd be back to trying to find a consolidation trade? He's pretty washed, but probably about the same caliber player as Kleber.

 

Love is probably still a better player than Kleber. So if we traded Kleber and Knecht for a decent wing, bringing in Love, would be ok.

 

Bulls and Blazers are the worst in the league with this. They'll likely both be the last to get with the times. Overvalue and then wait until the player has negative value or walks.

Bulls did the same with Drummond. Wasted his value.

 

Kevin Love is only 6'8"? I thought he was taller than that - is my memory bad, or did he shrink?

 

hard to say, as both guys haven't really played a bunch the last couple years. but yeah, i'd be in on this idea. i'd like to get dosunmu from the bulls, but the salaries are hard to work out as a 2 for 1 there. thybulle and some seconds for kleber/knecht works, but my guess is we've already offered that and been refused.

 

I really want the Thybulle/ Robert Williams package, but I don't know if they'll ever trade with us. What's the most you would add to our Kleber/ Knecht/ Vincent/ 2nds package to get them? I would add at least 2 swaps but not the FRP.

 

i don't know if we have seconds to offer. i may add one swap, but i'm not even sure about that, tbh. i know knecht's value is in the toilet, but i feel like they're getting a look at a guy with talent for two guys that don't figure into their short or long-term plans.

as we've been discussing, they'll likely just blazer it and hang onto these guys until they walk for nothing, but i'm not sure they're going to get much more value than knecht in trade for either.

and it's possible portland understands this and is thinking of using those two as salary filler in a trade for an impact piece for them later. but...why not take our expirings for that and get knecht on top of it?

anyway, given that we've heard rob and cronin talk a lot and nothing has happened when a consolidation trade would have helped us retain goodwin, i'm guessing there's just nothing to be done here.

maybe there's another thybulle type out there, but i really think it's important to us that the deal is expiring. so josh green, for example, isn't viable.

some consolidation trades are possible with chicago, but again, i feel like we'd have pulled the trigger on these before having to waive goodwin if they were possible.

 

Both of these thoughts have been mine with Kevin too always, with karacha’s being the only answer I guess. Somehow he seems more like 6’10” out there.

 

well he certainly shrank in weight. he was fat at ucla and his first couple nba seasons