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My Lakers Offseason

Trade 1 -
Lakers Trade
Rui Hachimura - To Heat
Gabe Vincent - To Heat
Maxi Kleber - To Heat
1 Swap to Heat
1 Swap to Pistons

Heat Trade
Andrew Wiggins - To Lakers
Kyle Anderson - To Pistons

Pistons Trade
Simone Fontecchio - To Lakers

Heat save 40 mil for next year.

Lakers Trade
Dalton Knect
Shake Milton

Magic Trade
Goga Bitaze

Sign Bruce Brown with the TPMLE
Sign Jericho Sims to Vet Min
Sign James Wiseman to vet min
Sign Lonnie Walker to vet min

PG- Luka Doncic - Bruce Brown - Jordan Goodwin
SG- Austin Reaves - Lonnie Walker - Bronny James
SF- Andrew Wiggins - Simone Fontecchio
PF- LeBron James - Dorian Finney Smith - Jarred Vanderbilt
C- Goga Bitaze - Jericho Sims - James Wiseman

Lakers keep there 1 first while putting together a competitive team.

I dont think Knecht has value after JJ decided to glue him to the bench.

Ducklett wrote:I dont think Knecht has value after JJ decided to glue him to the bench.

Goga played less minutes than Knecht..

I think Sims will be re-signing with the Bucks for slightly more than the vet min. He played well for us and provided a different element.

Goga is not a starting C, Lakers should aim higher

Mavrelous wrote:Goga is not a starting C, Lakers should aim higher

I don't know that the Lakers have the assets to aim higher. Adding Luka pushed their timeline much further out so they really shouldn't be in desperate win right now mode. I don't even like giving up the swaps here.

Personally if anything I'd go smaller. Gogo's probably the best center option available for Knecht and filler. Add a cheap FA guard or two and a backup C and go from there. The team will have more flexibility for moves in 2026 and a better idea of what they need to do.

Mavrelous wrote:Goga is not a starting C, Lakers should aim higher

6 players finished in the top 30 in Rim Protection and Defensive Rebounding Talent

Victor Wembanyama
Jarrett Allen
Ivica Zubac
Anthony Davis
Goga Bitadze
Isaiah Hartenstein

Ducklett wrote:I dont think Knecht has value after JJ decided to glue him to the bench.

Knect is exactly what Magic need. Magic also cut Milton and save money.

Miami passes. We're not looking to get worse on the floor and this is an undersell on Wiggins.

Lakers24gm wrote:

Mavrelous wrote:Goga is not a starting C, Lakers should aim higher

6 players finished in the top 30 in Rim Protection and Defensive Rebounding Talent

Victor Wembanyama
Jarrett Allen
Ivica Zubac
Anthony Davis
Goga Bitadze
Isaiah Hartenstein

And yet, he didn't see floor in the PO...

Mavrelous wrote:

Lakers24gm wrote:

Mavrelous wrote:Goga is not a starting C, Lakers should aim higher

6 players finished in the top 30 in Rim Protection and Defensive Rebounding Talent

Victor Wembanyama
Jarrett Allen
Ivica Zubac
Anthony Davis
Goga Bitadze
Isaiah Hartenstein

And yet, he didn't see floor in the PO...

He's offensively limited, and Orlando needed more offense. Which is why a Knecht + filler for Goga deal makes sense. Both are more valuable to their new teams. IMO Knecht would have gotten at least some playoff minutes on Orlando and Goga certainly would have gotten playoff minutes for the Lakers.

Lakers24gm wrote:My Lakers Offseason

Trade 1 -
Lakers Trade
Rui Hachimura - To Heat
Gabe Vincent - To Heat
Maxi Kleber - To Heat
1 Swap to Heat
1 Swap to Pistons

Heat Trade
Andrew Wiggins - To Lakers
Kyle Anderson - To Pistons

Pistons Trade
Simone Fontecchio - To Lakers

Heat save 40 mil for next year.

Lakers Trade
Dalton Knect
Shake Milton

Magic Trade
Goga Bitaze

Sign Bruce Brown with the TPMLE
Sign Jericho Sims to Vet Min
Sign James Wiseman to vet min
Sign Lonnie Walker to vet min

PG- Luka Doncic - Bruce Brown - Jordan Goodwin
SG- Austin Reaves - Lonnie Walker - Bronny James
SF- Andrew Wiggins - Simone Fontecchio
PF- LeBron James - Dorian Finney Smith - Jarred Vanderbilt
C- Goga Bitaze - Jericho Sims - James Wiseman

Lakers keep there 1 first while putting together a competitive team.

I like this. Seems like it makes pretty good sense for all parties.

With Wiggins final year off of Miami's payroll, Miami can position to be a big player in free agency in 2026. They will have just Bam, Herro, Ware, Jovic's cap hold, their 2025 #20 pick, and their 2026 pick, plus about $55M in cap room. They could probably flip Rui for another pick if they wanted to.

Ducklett wrote:I dont think Knecht has value after JJ decided to glue him to the bench.

Did I imagine those DNPs for Goga in the playoffs?

RiotPunch wrote:I think Sims will be re-signing with the Bucks for slightly more than the vet min. He played well for us and provided a different element.

I agree they should keep him. They probably shouldn’t pay him over the vet minimum though, as they should make sure they get the full reimbursement for tax purposes from the league.

For example, his 4 yos vet minimum for next year is $2.46m, while the league would reimburse the Bucks down to $2.296m. In essence, he’s already getting a little over “minimum”, but the bucks save $170k off the tax. Is Sims worth $3m? Probably not. It’s the reason we see a lot of tax teams cycle through guys rather than give them a 20% raise, because the vet minimum reimbursement is so helpful.

LA is overpaying in both trades. I'm still such a Goga skeptic too. Like if a team says we want him to be an 18-20 mpg part of a center rotation in the regular season, sure. As your main guy and a player dependent on in the playoffs? That's a lot of stock put into some cherry picked data points that haven't been compelling to his own teams....

You hit on most the Lakers needs and were realistic in value, maybe too much in other teams' favors, but that C rotation is pretty suspect.

I don't see any scenario where any team is placing any amount value into Dalton Knecht after he got benched during the playoffs and even before that. The Magic have no reason to do this deal at all. Also the Heat are not doing this. A pick swap that unlikely to convey is not bridging the gap in value between whatever garbage the Lakers are sending out and Andrew Wiggins(even if he's a bit overpaid). This just feel a Lakers bail out package with other teams are not getting fair value.

There was too many people replying to me, so I will just answer everyone in one post.

1) Goga proved himself a starter when he got minutes, something Knecht hasn't.
2) Goga started losing minutes initially due to injury and struggled with a hip issue up until the end of the season which effected his performance.
3) There is obviously some kind of friction between Paolo and Goga, who do you think you pick between those two?

Ducklett wrote:There was too many people replying to me, so I will just answer everyone in one post.

1) Goga proved himself a starter when he got minutes, something Knecht hasn't.
2) Goga started losing minutes initially due to injury and struggled with a hip issue up until the end of the season which effected his performance.
3) There is obviously some kind of friction between Paolo and Goga, who do you think you pick between those two?

Forget Goga. He is bad for Lakers...because I want him in Nuggets

facothomas22 wrote:I don't see any scenario where any team is placing any amount value into Dalton Knecht after he got benched during the playoffs and even before that. The Magic have no reason to do this deal at all. Also the Heat are not doing this. A pick swap that unlikely to convey is not bridging the gap in value between whatever garbage the Lakers are sending out and Andrew Wiggins(even if he's a bit overpaid). This just feel a Lakers bail out package with other teams are not getting fair value.

Goga was benched during the playoffs as well. Dalton brings something they desperately no need in shooting and they trade away a position of some what strength in Center with Carter, Wagner coming back and Issac off the bench.

I was worried about this not being enough value for Miami. But that cap space they clear is massive.