2025 Offseason Thread Vol.5

[Lilseb93]

Lakers don't have a lot of leverage, and most teams aren't trading a lot for an old LeBron. Miami makes logical sense if they are interested. It's not as unrealistic as it sounds.

[MartyConlonJr]

I don't want to give up any picks for LeBron.

I want to keep us open to have all our tradeable picks and max cap space next year, which means moving Wiggins, as well as either Herro, or Jovic, Davion and JJJ for expirings. I don't want to really see any go, but those are realistically the way to have full max space.

Ideally you are in a position where you can decide during FA whether to retain guys or not if that max player is actually available. Delaying Jovic extension, waiting to take JJJ's team option are all possible, but moving Davion's 12 mill or Herro's 33 mill (plus the fallout all season of not offering an extension), are the risks.

LeBron James, Dalton Knecht, Jaxson Hayes and an unprotected 1st for Andrew Wiggins and Tyler Herro would allow us a 1 year team for LeBron to go for a championship, but enable us to reset next year, or reup if not

C - Ware / Hayes
PF - Bam / Jovic / Fonteccio
SF - LeBron / Highsmith / Keshad
SG - Powell / JJJ / Larsson
PG - Davion / Kasparas

[carnageta]

I know ya'll are not the biggest Herro supporters but he just finished a season in which he was an all-star and averaged 24ppg on 60% TS lol. He's 25 years old and has gotten better pretty much every single year. Getting Powell doesn't make Herro redundant whatsoever. We desperately need scoring and the more guys that can score the better it will be for us.


I want to issue a warning about Norman.

He's a career 13.0 ppg scorer who just had a career year (at the young ripe age of 32) playing next to one of the greatest facilitators in the last 10 years (James Harden). Do ya'll really think his production last season (averaging nearly 22ppg) was a 'norm'? Nah man, that was an anomaly - a right place at the right time sort of situation.

Look, I'm not saying Powell ain't sh*t - he's a great piece and can be a very solid player on a championship contender. What I am saying is that he's not going to average 20ppg for us so don't be disappointed when his numbers (inevitably) drop back to his career average next season.


A guy that has a career 13ppg average is definitely not making Tyler Herro (19.5ppg career average) redundant lol. There's absolutely no point in getting LeBron James if Tyler Herro isn't on the roster alongside him.

[SA37]

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Wiggins and Rozier for LeBron, Knecht, a 1st, Phil Jackson, Jeanie Buss, 10 lifelong subscriptions to Playboy, and a 4-week Playboy mansion time-share.

[Daffy]

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Embrace it.

Dread it,
Run from it,
Destiny arrives all the same.

[Joey Bada]

I know ya'll are not the biggest Herro supporters but he just finished a season in which he was an all-star and averaged 24ppg on 60% TS lol. He's 25 years old and has gotten better pretty much every single year. Getting Powell doesn't make Herro redundant whatsoever. We desperately need scoring and the more guys that can score the better it will be for us.


I want to issue a warning about Norman.

He's a career 13.0 ppg scorer who just had a career year (at the young ripe age of 32) playing next to one of the greatest facilitators in the last 10 years (James Harden). Do ya'll really think his production last season (averaging nearly 22ppg) was a 'norm'? Nah man, that was an anomaly - a right place at the right time sort of situation.

Look, I'm not saying Powell ain't sh*t - he's a great piece and can be a very solid player on a championship contender. What I am saying is that he's not going to average 20ppg for us so don't be disappointed when his numbers (inevitably) drop back to his career average next season.


A guy that has a career 13ppg average is definitely not making Tyler Herro (19.5ppg career average) redundant lol. There's absolutely no point in getting LeBron James if Tyler Herro isn't on the roster alongside him.

I agree with your overall message, but Powell was playing less than 20mpg for his first 4 seasons

Since 2019-2020, hes been playing starter minutes and averaging 17.5ppg on 48/41/83 shooting

[eddieheatfan]

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here we go

[MartyConlonJr]

Yes, and I would argue if you think Powell is benefiting from James Harden, then I think you'll see similar benefits with LeBron. But looking at Powell's per36 numbers over the past half decade, he has been pretty much on a steady improvement trajectory since 2019 when he started getting starters minutes, but it just did not drop as his minutes increased.

I'm not even that excited about a LeBron year, or that eager to get rid of Herro. I just think next year is a reset year, why not have the spectacle of LeBron and let these guys get some exposure, as well as him fitting the hole of what our immediate problems are, and I'm looking at the viability of a superstar grab and having to make three hard decisions (Jovic, JJJ, Mitchell) over one (Herro). Also quite aware if you put Steph Curry and Herros age 21-25 seasons head to head, you have pretty close to the same player, which is a scary giveaway.

[SA37]

I would guess LeBron to Miami is a remote possibility because LeBron likes his super friends and being home. I also think he might not want to deal with Riley again. I'd expect him to go (in order of preference) to Cleveland, Golden St, Dallas, or New York. I'd say the teams with an outside chance would be Miami, San Antonio, and Denver.

[Enso]

Thinking about it now with the way Bron likes his storylines, he prob forces a buy out and goes to Cleveland. Best chance to get a ring and dominate the airwaves again.

If he can’t get a buy out then I think we come into play.

[Johnny Fontane]

Thinking about it now with the way Bron likes his storylines, he prob forces a buy out and goes to Cleveland. Best chance to get a ring and dominate the airwaves again.

If he can’t get a buy out then I think we come into play.

If forcing the Lakers hand for a buy out, is that how he wants to be remembered by Laker fans? The Kobe fans who still don’t like him will have a field day with that one

[3ammy3uck3ts]

I would guess LeBron to Miami is a remote possibility because LeBron likes his super friends and being home. I also think he might not want to deal with Riley again. I'd expect him to go (in order of preference) to Cleveland, Golden St, Dallas, or New York. I'd say the teams with an outside chance would be Miami, San Antonio, and Denver.

Cleveland can’t match salary, Golden State could but they’d have to send out Draymond and I don’t think they’d do that tbh (would probably have to work out a Kuminga sign and trade too) Dallas is only interested in a buy like Cleveland as they’d have to give up too many pieces to match salary, New York could do it if he wants to go there. Miami can match salary the easiest by far without giving away key pieces, Denver can’t match salary, and San Antonio could match salary with Vassell Sochan and Barnes but I’m not sure they would considering they weren’t interested in KD either plus the probably want the ball in their young PGs and Wembys hands for development.

There’s not a ton of options if he doesn’t ask to be bought out tbh

[carnageta]

Yes, and I would argue if you think Powell is benefiting from James Harden, then I think you'll see similar benefits with LeBron. But looking at Powell's per36 numbers over the past half decade, he has been pretty much on a steady improvement trajectory since 2019 when he started getting starters minutes, but it just did not drop as his minutes increased.

I'm not even that excited about a LeBron year, or that eager to get rid of Herro. I just think next year is a reset year, why not have the spectacle of LeBron and let these guys get some exposure, as well as him fitting the hole of what our immediate problems are, and I'm looking at the viability of a superstar grab and having to make three hard decisions (Jovic, JJJ, Mitchell) over one (Herro). Also quite aware if you put Steph Curry and Herros age 21-25 seasons head to head, you have pretty close to the same player, which is a scary giveaway.

I just don't think involving Herro in a trade for LeBron is a smart move. Why is next year a reset year - because of free-agency? Herro or not, we will already have enough cap space to offer a max contract to a star. And honestly, cap-space is not even that important with how sign-and-trades work (i.e. look at how we got Jimmy in 2019). If a big whale wants to come here in free-agency, we'll make it happen.

Herro has a lot of respect around the league. Norman Powell himself was saying how he is excited to play alongside Tyler and how he wants to make his life easier on the offensive end. All-stars carry weight.

Herro is only 25 and if push comes to shove he can always be traded down the line. The Heat will not give him a 50m/year contract extension unless he absolutely earns it this upcoming season. If Herro elevates his game to yet another level then by all means we should give him his money.

JJJ, Jovic, and Mitchell may be hard decisions but at the end of the day they're not in the same league as Herro. Jovic and Jaime are barely above-average role players at this time, and DMitchell is a solid piece. However, neither of them are all-star calibre players (not yet anyways) like Tyler Herro is. We don't trade Herro for an aging LeBron just so we'll have enough money to pay Jovic and Jaime.


The only 2 (two) trades that you make for Herro are a) for an in-prime star, or b) for draft capital / young assets (i.e. a reset). The same for Bam as well. You don't trade neither for 37 year old Kevin Durants, and definitely not for 41 year olds.

[3ammy3uck3ts]

LeBron buyout would be shocking but we just saw the bucks waive and stretch Lillard for $120M and essentially sign Myles Turner for $50M a year so I guess you never know what some of these teams will do

[carnageta]

Thinking about it now with the way Bron likes his storylines, he prob forces a buy out and goes to Cleveland. Best chance to get a ring and dominate the airwaves again.

If he can’t get a buy out then I think we come into play.

If forcing the Lakers hand for a buy out, is that how he wants to be remembered by Laker fans? The Kobe fans who still don’t like him will have a field day with that one

The Kobe fans that don't like him already have a field day with LeBron lol.

At the end of the day LeBron has a large fanbase of supporters, a large group of haters, and a big chunk that are relatively neutral towards him. It doesn't really matter what decision he makes; he'll always have haters. I doubt he really cares about this stuff anymore, especially if it means it's an opportunity to win one more championship on stacked team - a team in which he won't have to really try as hard in the regular season but can turn it up in the playoffs (especially the finals) to help secure a FMVP.

[3ammy3uck3ts]

Kobe fans that don’t like LeBron are just still somehow in denial that LeBron is the far superior player

[Johnny Fontane]

Kobe fans that don’t like LeBron are just still somehow in denial that LeBron is the far superior player

That doesn’t matter when Kobe’s Laker career far exceeds Lebron’s Laker career

[marson]

Kobe fans that don’t like LeBron are just still somehow in denial that LeBron is the far superior player

That doesn’t matter when Kobe’s Laker career far exceeds Lebron’s Laker career

Championship-wise sure. But overall? I think LeBron has the edge. That said, MJ is still the GOAT.

[Beenie]

On the floor, Herros spacing next to LeBron in the lineup makes a ton of sense.

LeBron’s presence reorients the lineup back its proper roles and in the case of Herro, he’s at his best as an off ball, 3 dribble or less, catch n shoot shooter.

That said, for future cap considerations, if he and Mia are at a contractual stalemate, it makes sense to use this opportunity to part ways.

It can been done without jeopardizing competitiveness this season if other separate deals would also be in the works

[SA37]

I would guess LeBron to Miami is a remote possibility because LeBron likes his super friends and being home. I also think he might not want to deal with Riley again. I'd expect him to go (in order of preference) to Cleveland, Golden St, Dallas, or New York. I'd say the teams with an outside chance would be Miami, San Antonio, and Denver.

Cleveland can’t match salary, Golden State could but they’d have to send out Draymond and I don’t think they’d do that tbh (would probably have to work out a Kuminga sign and trade too) Dallas is only interested in a buy like Cleveland as they’d have to give up too many pieces to match salary, New York could do it if he wants to go there. Miami can match salary the easiest by far without giving away key pieces, Denver can’t match salary, and San Antonio could match salary with Vassell Sochan and Barnes but I’m not sure they would considering they weren’t interested in KD either plus the probably want the ball in their young PGs and Wembys hands for development.

There’s not a ton of options if he doesn’t ask to be bought out tbh

I believe LeBron has a no-trade clause and I don't think most teams want to give up a ton of value for LeBron, so a trade is really unlikely.

It's hard to imagine the Lakers would just buy him out, as he'd just go to a contender and the Lakers would have to potentially face him.

I think he'll play the year out in LA and sign with one of the teams I mentioned the following year.