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

I'm absolutely doing it if it means we're getting one of their good players in Lu Dort and one of their multiple First picks in what is arguably the most hyped NBA Draft Class in over two decades, enabling us to walk out of Draft Night with two promising prospects on cheap rookie contracts and a ready-to-go starting wing to compliment Luka and AR and address an all too notable weakness in the current roster.

To me, that's just smart GMing, even if it means giving a very dangerous rival team in our conference a valuable First several years down the line. It's still in service of actually constructing a competitive Lakers roster around our two stars in Luka and AR with the assets and cap space we have available to us.

IMO it's just a smarter way to go about things as opposed to the idea of betting every single penny in our piggy bank on one aging superstar whose game doesn't compliment the superstar we already have and is reliant on his athleticism, which is one of the first things to go as a player exits their physical prime.

 

To be clear, Claxton will struggle against Jokic, (Embiid is almost finished), and maybe Sengun in his best day. But I’m not really worried about the rest. Where I think he brings value is his versatility on defense.

- He is an elite PNR defender in the same vein Chris Bosh was, he can stay with the smaller guards and challenge them at the rim.
- He has also shown to play drop coverage well and block floaters at their apex or be quick to step out snd contest a shot.
- He can also help from the weak side if he isn’t in the PNR.

Pair him with Watson and you’ve got two very good shot blockers at the PF/C - admittedly neither can guard Jokic well. But I imagine we’d be able to stop the rest of the team and take away his playmaking - so let Jokic try to beat us every night offensively and then he won’t have much for the defensive end.

As for his offense, Claxton looked phenomenal next to a playmaker of James Harden’s caliber. Well, we’ve got two of those. If people want a lob threat and a finisher, he’s one of the better ones. He’s also developed a little hook shot the last few years.

Ask yourself the question how would Hayes look playing next to the Brooklyn team? And how would Claxton look in a team trying to compete defensively with two fantastic playmakers in Luka and Reaves.

I’m really liking Hayes, but Claxton is far better defensively and at 23m next year with a contract that’s descending, that’s not a ton of money for a high level defender and lob threat at the 5.

At his apex, Ayton is the better player. But he hasn’t shown the drive mentally to stay at that level. The big worry with Ayton is, he’ll let you down in the big moments with just a lack of effort. And that’s inexcusable - you don’t build a foundation on poor footing.

Secondly, if we’re trying to thread the needle and steal Peyton Watson, we need salaries to be close to matching. That’s why we send Ayton and Vando (both expiring so neutral value) and the first is what prizes Claxton away from Brooklyn.

Why do we waste the first? Because Claxton may be one of the best available centers in the style that Luka likes to play with. High flying lob threat that defends well.

I’d personally trade 2 firsts for Jalen Duren, but I don’t think Detroit is doing that. Who else is there out there that’s better than Claxton and gettable for less? Maybe Hartenstein… but he isn’t in the mold that Luka prefers.

 

I highly doubt Denver is going to trade Watson to us unless it’s a clear over pay. I imagine they’ll just call our bluff and say give him the offer sheet, we’ll just match it.

And I’m calling their bluff back. I’m giving Watson that 32m offer sheet. At which point they’ll be roughly $30m over the 2nd Apron and have a $100m+ tax bill. To get below that, they’ll have to get rid of Gordon and Cam Johnson. Let all the other cap teams know, we’ll take one of them for a first.

If they don’t believe in Watson enough to get rid of both of them, he is ours. And we haven’t lost an asset.

Same situation holds true for OKC, they’re already over the 2nd apron by $50 million and have about $215 million to pay in luxury tax. We should be able to take one or even two of Hartenstein, Dort or Caruso for trade assets into our cap space. If we’re doing a trade, make them take back a small salary like Knecht.