Official Build around Luka thread for Lakers.

[stan francisco]

What about Mitchell Robinson? I can see New York trying to get an asset for him and he barely plays big minutes.

Dalton, Vando, three seconds for Mitchell.

Boom.

Dalton is a future star. Vando is our best defender. Anybody else?

I like Robinson a lot, but I’d rather coach Hayes into playing the boards more aggressively than trade our two best Luka helpers to NYK. Robinson has a serious free throw impediment. If for a good price, absolutely! I love his defense.

Rui and Klieber for Robinson and filler? NYK need shooters and hustlers, a backup for OG.

OG Anunoby, anyone? He’s been called an even better defensive talent than a prime Kawhi, by a coach who coached them both.

[Karmaloop]

Lakers shouldn't pay a FRP for Claxton, if that's the price then yeah I'd hesitate

I'd be VERY surprised if Clayton fetched a FRP with any real value without any bad money coming back Brooklyn's way.

[loveshaq007]

Guerschon Yabusele (4/60), Grimes, #3, #35, Bona and Oubre (if he opts in) ... for bronny, lebron (re-signed to make deal work)..... try to get 20 mil in cap space

try trade #3, kleiber, rui, bona, Dalton Vando for sabonis and #42

trade cap space, AR #35, #42 for derrick white and horford


white/Grimes/Luka/yuba/sabonis

[SlimShady83]

Guerschon Yabusele (4/60), Grimes, #3, #35, Bona and Oubre (if he opts in) ... for bronny, lebron (re-signed to make deal work)..... try to get 20 mil in cap space

try trade #3, kleiber, rui, bona, Dalton Vando for sabonis and #42

trade cap space, AR #35, #42 for derrick white and horford


white/Grimes/Luka/yuba/sabonis

I don't know Yabusele, Grimes, Bona all that well to comment on them.

Oubre, Is a Free agent this summer and player option as well, I wouldn't mind him as a Free agent off the bench give Lakers a good scoring punch but wouldn't trade him only as a FA, I do think he stays with current team.

Kings no way ever going to trade Sabonis, they're looking at one last shot with him on the team, If they don't win a chip, he also has 3 years left so no need for Kings to trade him just yet - would love him though.

As for Boston players, let them start their semi rebuild with out our help I don't want any of their players that said there are Celtic fans who hate Reaves and think he wouldn't even start on their team, so I'm staying away from Bos If It includes Reaves.

[stan francisco]

Ty Jerome and Sam Merrill might not get re-signed by Cleveland, according to the wiretap.

[Astaluego]

I think the Blazers are a good trade partner, in theory Ayton should be available (on the cheap), he has been disappointing, is expiring and they have their young lottery prospect ready to go... so why Ayton? His biggest problems (in my opinion) come from lack of motivation, (he had a spectacular year alongside a true PG in old CP3, which took them to the finals (Suns stage) that earned him a max, which everyone thought was fair, even the Pacers signed him to a max offer to take him, prioritizing him over Turner), he will be in a contract year, in LA he would play to win for a contender and would have Luka (Bron/Reaves) spoon-feeding him, I think it's the perfect situation for him... He's the same age as Luka (not even in his prime), He has the size (bigger (better rebounder) and adequate to face the western Giants, than other rumored options Claxton/Okongwu etc), more mobile and athletic (than Kessler/Poelt) which would make him a better fit for JJ's (and NBA in general) switch-hitting defensive system and a much better offensive hand than either of them, plus his contract is expiring and aligns with the idea of max cap space in 2026 (I guess this is Bron's last year?).. obviously this would be the best case scenario, it could also go wrong and he's still a bum, but then you have a 35 million expiry at the deadline (which in itself has some value) to work out another trade.

[stan francisco]

I think the Blazers are a good trade partner, in theory Ayton should be available (on the cheap), he has been disappointing, is expiring and they have their young lottery prospect ready to go... so why Ayton? His biggest problems (in my opinion) come from lack of motivation, (he had a spectacular year alongside a true PG in old CP3, which took them to the finals (Suns stage) that earned him a max, which everyone thought was fair, even the Pacers signed him to a max offer to take him, prioritizing him over Turner), he will be in a contract year, in LA he would play to win for a contender and would have Luka (Bron/Reaves) spoon-feeding him, I think it's the perfect situation for him... He's the same age as Luka (not even in his prime), He has the size (bigger (better rebounder) and adequate to face the western Giants, than other rumored options Claxton/Okongwu etc), more mobile and athletic (than Kessler/Poelt) which would make him a better fit for JJ's (and NBA in general) switch-hitting defensive system and a much better offensive hand than either of them, plus his contract is expiring and aligns with the idea of max cap space in 2026 (I guess this is Bron's last year?).. obviously this would be the best case scenario, it could also go wrong and he's still a bum, but then you have a 35 million expiry at the deadline (which in itself has some value) to work out another trade.

I just doubt if he has the wherewithals to hang with JJ’s schemes. Maybe he’s brilliant, but what little I remember seeing from him was never that he is a good decision maker. If I’m wrong, good. I just don’t know how bright he is. It matters, as JJ is not going to tolerate players who are not very high IQ. He’ll have a child on the sidelines.

To me, the formula is:

We need 8-10 starting caliber players who are high IQ true two way players. Indiana, Boston and Oklahoma have that. Cleveland, too, when healthy. Boston does, too. So does Denver and Golden state. That’s why NYK will be swept. That’s why we got bumped. Depth. Consistency. A system on both ends. An identity. A collective belief. JJ played a rotation of five in round one.

We need high IQ dawgs around Luka. Both high IQ brains AND dogged brawn are required traits. The type of players like Marcus Smart, Emhart, Nesmith, Dyson Daniels, Lue Dort, McDaniels, Rui, DFS, Aaron Gordon, JJJ, Brook Lopez, Zubac, Kessler. That is where I’m looking.

We have LeBron. We have Reaves. We have Luka. I play only two of the three at the same time as their contributions overlap when all three play.

With risk of repeating myself as nauseum, fast breaks with two of Luka, Bron, Reaves, needs no system. Fast breaks are born out of dogged defense. That’s why all three can’t be on the floor at the same time.

They all need to move well off the ball, and also be bold enough and handle well enough to rip the ball away from Luka for a bit when he dribbles too much, or gets injured. All of the guys above could ably do that.

Reaves, if he improves his defense by strengthened core physique, is perfect next to Luka. Same with Knecht. If defensively they improve.

Vando, as much as I love his defense, is a one way player. Out of our current roster, who are true two way players?

[SlimShady83]

Luka looking good, people going to regret making fun of Luka's weight.

Watch on YouTube

[SlimShady83]

Vando, as much as I love his defense, is a one way player. Out of our current roster, who are true two way players?

Keep in mind this will be the first offseason Vando will be healthy, if he can learn a reliable shot and even give us 10-15 points a game, look out. I'm not willing to give up on Vando and in saying that I don't see any team really wanting him atm due to contract, no one really wants longterm contracts unless a top tier player IMO.

Maybe a team would be willing if they wanting to shed salary of a player who has even worse contract?

[stan francisco]

Vando, as much as I love his defense, is a one way player. Out of our current roster, who are true two way players?

Keep in mind this will be the first offseason Vando will be healthy, if he can learn a reliable shot and even give us 10-15 points a game, look out. I'm not willing to give up on Vando and in saying that I don't see any team really wanting him atm due to contract, no one really wants longterm contracts unless a top tier player IMO.

Maybe a team would be willing if they wanting to shed salary of a player who has even worse contract?

I hope you’re right. I’m as big a Vando proponent as there is. I wish every Laker played defense with his intensity. Just saying if two-way is a strict requirement (seems to be v top WC and EC teams), he has some shooting hours ahead in order to fit that full bill. Shooting has not been his forte up until now.

Vando with a reliable shot? I hear you loud and clear. That’s one very frightening thought. Beast. Artest in his older MWP days added a reliable three. It can be done.

[stan francisco]

Luka looking good, people going to regret making fun of Luka's weight.

Watch on YouTube

This is fantastic news!!! Keep it up, Luka.

I guess we’re getting a new conditioning coach. I like this.

[danfantastk32]

This is fantastic news!!! Keep it up, Luka.

I guess we’re getting a new conditioning coach. I like this.

Yes...good news. But does it really take a new conditioning coach? I'm sure the other gal/guy was top notch. I really put this on Luka. It's up to him to want to come in in the best condition possible. Yes...there are great conditioning coaches...there are good ones, and there are bad ones. But all a good conditioning coach is gonna do is mark the path......Luka's gotta walk it.

I dunno...it'll be great if he starts taking his long-term career seriously. I'm stoked about that. But I find it dubious that our current/old conditioning coach somehow didn't know what he was doing. I'm sure he was top-top notch. Whatever...let's hope it works.

[stan francisco]

As long as it’s not Byron Scott. Bron running suicides is a bad idea, Byron.

[danfantastk32]

[Keep in mind this will be the first offseason Vando will be healthy, if he can learn a reliable shot and even give us 10-15 points a game, look out.

Boy....doesn't this sum up the current state of the Lakers!! We have one 'fact' here (I'll take your word that it's true) that really doesn't speak well to him...and then some "ifs" that 'if' they happened, he might be a good player.

Isn't that the Lakers in a nutshell? I mean really look at it: "IF" we can build a great team around Luka.....look out! <-------but how in the hell are we going to do this?


I don't wanna toot my own horn here (and of course now I'm going to)...but I really nailed it with OKC over the last couple years. And the part that's important, is that we need to do this as well. Who remembers OKC 6 years ago when Chris Paul was moved there, and he played them into a playoff spot totally ruining their plan to tank? One thing that did was teach SGA for the rest of his life how to play. That team had nothing (that anyone knew of) and had been dragged kicking and screaming into the post-season, and it was a great laugh that "jesus...they can't even tank right!"

Well........

So they got alot of picks, didn't they? ALOT.

5 years later, they are in the finals (I think they are clearly gonna win...but who knows)...and guess what? Their oldest starter is 27. And even more importantly:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Incoming future first-round picks: 13

All seven of their own

Unprotected from LA Clippers (2026)

Top-four protected from Houston (2026)

Top-eight protected from Utah (2026)

Top-four protected from Philadelphia (2026 and 2027)

Top-five protected from Denver (2027, top-five protected in 2028)

Top-five protected from Denver (2029, if first conveyed in 2027, top-five protected in 2030 if first is conveyed by 2028)

Swap rights: LA Clippers (2027)

Swap rights: Houston (2025, top-10 protected)

Swap rights: Dallas (2028)

Maximum tradeable future first-round picks: 10

Future second-round picks: 17

Future outgoing first-round picks: None

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THIRTEEN first-round picks incoming. SEVENTEEN 2nd-round picks. <------talk about options / flexibility!!!

Lakers, in contrast have 6 #1 picks coming in the next 7 years.....and they have ONE!!!!! ONE!!! 2nd round pick in the next 7 years.

Lakers are #5 in salary....OKC is #25



Not to be Debbie downer here....but when are we gonna get it??? There's no "rising to the top" next year. Lebron is so clearly past it, but sells jersey, and tickets, so Ownership wouldn't dream of moving him. Not that they'd get anything real for him.

I've got a reality that us Laker fans should prepare for: One of these days.....someone from Luka's "crew" is gonna sit down and show him the reality here. We have Luka (him).....we have a completely mortgaged future (for what, I might add?....Finey Smith????) we have a 40-year old taking a 3rd of the cap space.....and we have a slew of completely mediocre - heavily flawed riff-raff around him. So WHAT are you going to rebuild with...and WHEN? <----- This is all gonna get through to Luka at some point.

You can do the math here on where that is gonna go.

So no.....I'm not worried about the Lakers winning a title in the next 5-6-7 years. Right now the Lakers are the guy who's $15k in credit card debt, but got paid a few hundred bucks in cash....and so he bought expensive shoes, and a haircut...and he's ready to hit the bar on Friday night. Meanwhile OKC is the guy who's just wrapping up his Masters in engineering, and thanks to a late-night job, is pretty close to making a down-payment on a house. It's just boggles my mind reading people's posts trying to figure out how we're gonna contend next year. It's like the guy with the new haircut....just push reality away for a few hours, and maybe you can get laid on Fri.

We gotta change our life. Short-sighted moves have dropped us in a 30-foot deep hole. Stop worrying about the dirt getting on your clothes...you got bigger fish to fry.

[Liam_Gallagher]

What can we get for the expiring contracts Rui, Gabe, Kleber, 2031 1st and pick swaps?

Anything of value? It adds up to about 42 million. Ayton?

[danfantastk32]

^ ^ ^ ^

My point exactly

[DNP-Old]

What can we get for the expiring contracts Rui, Gabe, Kleber, 2031 1st and pick swaps?

Anything of value? It adds up to about 42 million. Ayton?

#1

LAL out: Rui, Vincent, Milton and '31 1st (top 4 protected)
LAL in: D.Gafford, J.Smith, K.Williams and 2025 #26 & #27

CHI out: J.Smith and A.Dosunmu
CHI in: Rui

DAL out: D.Gafford, D.Powell, O.Prosper
DAL in: Vincent and A.Dosunmu

OKC out: K.Williams
OKC in: 3 LAL 2nds ('27, '30 & '31)

BRK out: 2025 #26 & #27 and 3 LAL 2nds ('27, '30 & '31)
BRK in: D.Powell, O.Prosper, Milton and LAL'31 1st (top 4 protected)


#2

LAL out: Maxi and Knecht
LAL in: Thybulle (opt in and extend)

POR out: Thybulle (opt in and extend)
POR in: Maxi and Knecht

[Karmaloop]

What about Mitchell Robinson? I can see New York trying to get an asset for him and he barely plays big minutes.

Dalton, Vando, three seconds for Mitchell.

Boom.

That's a massive overpay for a guy who hasn't really stayed healthy the last 2 seasons. I don't mind trying to gamble on him, but there's too much of an injury concern. At best, I'd do Kleber and a '26 pick swap that has some protection on it.

[stan francisco]

[Keep in mind this will be the first offseason Vando will be healthy, if he can learn a reliable shot and even give us 10-15 points a game, look out.

Boy....doesn't this sum up the current state of the Lakers!! We have one 'fact' here (I'll take your word that it's true) that really doesn't speak well to him...and then some "ifs" that 'if' they happened, he might be a good player.

Isn't that the Lakers in a nutshell? I mean really look at it: "IF" we can build a great team around Luka.....look out! <-------but how in the hell are we going to do this?


I don't wanna toot my own horn here (and of course now I'm going to)...but I really nailed it with OKC over the last couple years. And the part that's important, is that we need to do this as well. Who remembers OKC 6 years ago when Chris Paul was moved there, and he played them into a playoff spot totally ruining their plan to tank? One thing that did was teach SGA for the rest of his life how to play. That team had nothing (that anyone knew of) and had been dragged kicking and screaming into the post-season, and it was a great laugh that "jesus...they can't even tank right!"

Well........

So they got alot of picks, didn't they? ALOT.

5 years later, they are in the finals (I think they are clearly gonna win...but who knows)...and guess what? Their oldest starter is 27. And even more importantly:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Incoming future first-round picks: 13

All seven of their own

Unprotected from LA Clippers (2026)

Top-four protected from Houston (2026)

Top-eight protected from Utah (2026)

Top-four protected from Philadelphia (2026 and 2027)

Top-five protected from Denver (2027, top-five protected in 2028)

Top-five protected from Denver (2029, if first conveyed in 2027, top-five protected in 2030 if first is conveyed by 2028)

Swap rights: LA Clippers (2027)

Swap rights: Houston (2025, top-10 protected)

Swap rights: Dallas (2028)

Maximum tradeable future first-round picks: 10

Future second-round picks: 17

Future outgoing first-round picks: None

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THIRTEEN first-round picks incoming. SEVENTEEN 2nd-round picks. <------talk about options / flexibility!!!

Lakers, in contrast have 6 #1 picks coming in the next 7 years.....and they have ONE!!!!! ONE!!! 2nd round pick in the next 7 years.

Lakers are #5 in salary....OKC is #25



Not to be Debbie downer here....but when are we gonna get it??? There's no "rising to the top" next year. Lebron is so clearly past it, but sells jersey, and tickets, so Ownership wouldn't dream of moving him. Not that they'd get anything real for him.

I've got a reality that us Laker fans should prepare for: One of these days.....someone from Luka's "crew" is gonna sit down and show him the reality here. We have Luka (him).....we have a completely mortgaged future (for what, I might add?....Finey Smith????) we have a 40-year old taking a 3rd of the cap space.....and we have a slew of completely mediocre - heavily flawed riff-raff around him. So WHAT are you going to rebuild with...and WHEN? <----- This is all gonna get through to Luka at some point.

You can do the math here on where that is gonna go.

So no.....I'm not worried about the Lakers winning a title in the next 5-6-7 years. Right now the Lakers are the guy who's $15k in credit card debt, but got paid a few hundred bucks in cash....and so he bought expensive shoes, and a haircut...and he's ready to hit the bar on Friday night. Meanwhile OKC is the guy who's just wrapping up his Masters in engineering, and thanks to a late-night job, is pretty close to making a down-payment on a house. It's just boggles my mind reading people's posts trying to figure out how we're gonna contend next year. It's like the guy with the new haircut....just push reality away for a few hours, and maybe you can get laid on Fri.

We gotta change our life. Short-sighted moves have dropped us in a 30-foot deep hole. Stop worrying about the dirt getting on your clothes...you got bigger fish to fry.

Agreed. Good points. I was excited about us building like that, starting with the young core of Ingram, Randle, Kuzma, Hart, Caruso and Lonzo. Add a star to that team and trade a couple of pieces and a few years later we would’ve been on our way with what you describe. Instead we traded our youth to please Bron and for Jersey sales, and have had very few picks since.

Edit: the Lakers wrinkle is that this is the Lakers which has always been a star franchise. Can’t forget that. We’re in perpetual win-now mode.

[tamaraw08]

[Keep in mind this will be the first offseason Vando will be healthy, if he can learn a reliable shot and even give us 10-15 points a game, look out.

I don't wanna toot my own horn here (and of course now I'm going to)...but I really nailed it with OKC over the last couple years. And the part that's important, is that we need to do this as well. Who remembers OKC 6 years ago when Chris Paul was moved there, and he played them into a playoff spot totally ruining their plan to tank? One thing that did was teach SGA for the rest of his life how to play. That team had nothing (that anyone knew of) and had been dragged kicking and screaming into the post-season, and it was a great laugh that "jesus...they can't even tank right!"

Well........

So they got alot of picks, didn't they? ALOT.

5 years later, they are in the finals (I think they are clearly gonna win...but who knows)...and guess what? Their oldest starter is 27. And even more importantly:

Incoming future first-round picks: 13


Future second-round picks: 17

THIRTEEN first-round picks incoming. SEVENTEEN 2nd-round picks. <------talk about options / flexibility!!!


We gotta change our life. Short-sighted moves have dropped us in a 30-foot deep hole. Stop worrying about the dirt getting on your clothes...you got bigger fish to fry.

Sorry man, you know I respect you but for every 1 OKC, there's like 4-5 bad teams still languishing in the bottom half in the league for the past 8-10 years now.
You clearly said you don't trust Rob and the whole Lakers front office. They had Caruso, Brook Lopez and simply let them walk for nothing.
There's also some luck in play for OKC here, not purely luck but some luck.
Thunder's heart and soul is SGA who was picked 11th by the Clips averaging 11 pts/game his rookie year.
For the past 20 years, how many players were picked 11th or later became top 10 in MVP voting?
OKC averaged 23 wins for 2 miserable years but got VERY fortunate to land a 7-0 skilled Center in Chet, also got lucky 11 teams passed on Jalen Williams. They hit on these guys but also somewhat fumbled on Giddey who was such a liability 2 playoffs ago, playing 12 mins/game vs Dallas that they gave up on him and again got fortunate that the stupid Bulls team didn't ask for any picks to give up a 3&D veteran Caruso.
Again it's not all luck but also great scouting too by the OKC front office. But for every 1 OKC there's
the Pelicans who traded Davis for multiple picks and still in a pile of crap.
Wizards had peak Beal and John Wall before and STILL stuck.
Kings had many many picks....
Detroit also had many many picks
I lost track the last time these teams didn't get a top 15 pick.
I know you said it's simply adding more chances to eventually pick the great/good players but still.... Kings had Hali and Fox but lost them both within a few years.
And oh, I almost forgot the freaking Sixers who abused the NBA Welfare system with their "process" of 4-5 straight shameless tanking= 5 years of misery and NOT whiffing on any conference finals appearances.