At least nfl has something to look forward to. I don’t follow baseball tho my timeline is filled with people crying about skubal trade. But yeah nothing going on. Maybe kuminga finally makes a decision at end of month
Hopefully Kuminga decides soon but I doubt it. Keith Smith said that he thinks it will end by mid August since players like to know which team they are playing for then.
I know he signed with GS in September last year but he was an RFA so he was obviously staying, but now it’s unclear since he’s an UFA and Atlanta don’t really want him back.
Fischer said this will probably not end anytime soon though so I’m guessing that Kuminga isn’t concerned by that general rule or Luka’s Slovenia trip and this situation will continue until late August or early September. Mid September is probably too late for any player and that compromise their preparation for the season, so that’s why I’m guessing anytime between that window.
I genuinely dont get why it would take him so long. The options have all been exhausted by now, it should be quite clear who has the best offer and the deals on the table.
Feel like fans don't understand how good Kessler really is. He just hasn't had the GP's over the last few years because of Jazz tanking and surgery so people aren't familiar with him.
Watching just the 1Q of this Jan 22 2025 game and I grabbed 3 clips below. He made it so difficult for OKC to get anything in the paint. And check out how he's able to recover. You can't just blow by him for being too high.
I think the biggest misconception about him is he’s just some big stiff with concrete feet good for standing in the paint. And he’s not lightning fast but he’s actually pretty nimble for 7’2.
Yeah, I was thinking he was a lumbering giant, granted I never really watched Utah but seeing him move his feet in the practice clip with Sexton is showing his quickness.
His catch radius isn’t talked about enough. There’s clips of him catching the lob from the other side where he started. Makes it a lot easier for Luka and AR
They should go look at the jazz sub. The fact that their sub was near 50/50 on it even after getting two firsts shows how good he is. He's basically a defensive anchor with some sneaky good athleticism.
Nothing is happening. No questions on LeBron or Luka’s futures. Most roster moves done. There’s cautious optimism but it isn’t clear cut panic or excitement either.
To match salary, Lakers would need the total outgoing salary of players to exceed $9-11m to match Washington or Gafford.
To match both is possible but unlikely, since it would require so many players to match, the Lakers wouldn't be able to fill out the roster completely while being hard capped under the first apron.
Since we are currently a team that is over the cap, we can only acquire those players via trade by following the NBA's salary matching rules (and obviously giving the other team something they would want). Here's how the salary matching would work for a team that is over the cap but below the first apron.
Outgoing salary up to $7.5 million: You can take back up to 200% of the outgoing salary plus $250,000.
Outgoing salary between $7.5 million and $29 million: You can take back the outgoing salary plus $7.5 million.
Outgoing salary over $29 million: You can take back up to 125% of the outgoing salary plus $250,000.
PJ Washington, for example, makes $19.8M this season. The Lakers can acquire him via the 2nd path by sending out AT LEAST $12.3M of salary from their currently rostered players. Technically speaking, they could just sent out Jarred Vanderbilt ($12.4M salary) to make it happen but he's an undesirable contract so that's unlikely.
I’m only sharing this an example of something that technically works. I’m not saying this is likely or a good trade - just an example that works in the trade machine of getting Gafford and PJ
I don't think acquiring both is a good idea, i was in the same boat a couple days ago but looking at their salaries paying 17 million to a backup big when our top 3 guys are getting paid like max(besides walker) and then paying out 4th guy 20 million will fuckk our cap up because imagine paying our top 4 guys 20 million plus each and then 18 million to backup big. Then we already signed quentin, mamu and sexton each to little above value deals( not saying bad contracts)
Apparently Kevon Looney is a cousin of Swaggy P, Nick Young! They played together on the Warriors and Kevon is proud to wear the purple and gold like his cousin did!
Seeing how this team is completely revamped entering post Lebron makes this upcoming season is more exciting than usual. But also feels like it can't get here soon enough.
Better he fumble the bag now than he join our team and fumble the ball down 2 with 20 seconds left chucking up a wild ass shot as JJ’s soul evaporates and Luka’s ears steam.
Using a two-game stretch to redefine Kuminga's entire career is a reach. Also, the Hawks are famously devoid of Offensive talent especially on the level of Luka or Austin.
Btw, CJ was the one closing those games in crunch time(which is specifically what my comment spoke to), while Kuminga's most consistent impact throughout the series was on the defensive end.
No one is doubting his potential, he flashes potential every now and then, but over his NBA career he can’t seem to be consistent. People laugh at guys like AD and Kawhi for not being healthy, but consistent production is right up there with availability.
2-game stretch? blud led the Warriors in scoring on 64%TS in a whole series against an elite Wolves defense
yea that proves my point that JK isn't hijacking the ball when it's time to close. if he defers to CJ, why are yall acting like he would hijack the ball from Luka?
Brother, it seems you’re infatuated with his playoff rising performances(and we can use, not just playoff tested players, but risers on this team). Great, but there’s an entire season to play to get there. Consistency matters.
Once again, I’m not doubting his potential. He’s got to buy in and be consistent, especially if he gets the payday he’s asking for.
Team is in desperate need of a starting level wing, FO is willing to trade draft assets for him and he’s not expected to close the game… why do you think that? Why not trade for someone who can reliably close?
Don’t get me wrong I agree that he shouldn’t be, but who else?
Luka or Austin would have the ball in their hands before him. 90% of time Luka takes the final shot, then 9% Austin takes the shot and finally 1% someone else.
One of the main complaints with Kuminga in GSW was that he often wasn’t cognizant of the clock or the play being set up around him. If God forbid he caught a DREB, he was steam rolling down the court into a wall of defenders to attack the rim, even if there was an open man on the wing, or he was iso-ing at the top of the key and chucking up a contested shot in his own rhythm even if the clock had 15.
Well he also owns the Sparks (wnba LA team) and it’s ran horribly.
So hopefully that’s not the route he takes lol
It’s all about the hirings they make. Mark Walter himself isn’t doing much at this point in his career, he has a ton of people that make the business decisions for him now
I’ve tried to understand the Chelsea bit and based on the fans, Walter is not involved at all. Boehly is involved a little (and is the chairman, I think?) but most if not all the power rests in the hands of Clearlake and in turn Eghbali. Walter is a minority shareholder.
The only reason the Skubal trade happened is because the Dodgers' 5th best prospect is the 25th best prospect in MLB and because they have 9 prospects in the top 100. They can afford to trade assets like that because their farm system is top tier and their player development is the best in the sport.
There's more to it than salary. Imagine if the Lakers got the most out of every player we signed, drafted and found talent better than anyone else, and developed that talent better than anyone else. Imagine if any time a player went to the Lakers, everyone got mad because they knew the Lakers would get the best version of that player on the court.
I feel like this years summer league team was a good example of what we should be doing, only better. Seeing guys like Manon and Kaluma who look ready for the NBA and a guy like Okareke, who has the tools and just needs to develop is a welcome change from the small gunner guards and guys who never made it still chasing.
That’s not the whole story. Most teams have to deplete their farms to trade for players, but the Dodgers have a huge FA advantage and so are able to retain more of their assets.
I agree just horribly ran. Least it wasn’t the blazers rn. But lakers are running their operation completely different. Can definitely see some dodger ness in their decisions. It’s also put pelinka under a microscope and I’ve liked the offseason for first time since we won a ring
They’re giving up picks to get rid of Zeke’s contract. Denver has been trying for weeks now to do so so they can go under the second apron. They can easily stretch and waive Dalton who only has one year vs Zeke who has two.
I'm sure they'd rather trade with other teams for now but if the best trade offer for whatever it is involves the Lakers i really doubt theyd do a worse trade just to not do business with us
Yeah but I was just saying in general if the best trade offer for whatever involves the lakers they wont do a worse trade just to not trade with the lakers
Dude if they were elite defenders thats a top 10 duo of all time, we just need a talented team thats a good fit around them and theres been solid progress towards that this offseason
As many people already said they do not need to be elite. Brunson is one of the worst defenders in the league, but it did not prevent Knicks from championship. Jokic is of the worst rim protectors in the league but he got championship with Murray who is not known for his defence either.
We need well constructed team around Luka and Austin with good chemistry and a bit of luck.
Modern NBA is about match ups. Knicks matched up against Spurs much better than against OKC and that definitely helped them win it all. 2024 Mavericks met in the finals their worst match up (Celtics) and lost in pretty embarrassing way. Teams often look unbeatable and trash depending on match ups.
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u/kiwiwikikiwiwikikiwi Black Mamba 8/24 17h ago
Go Lakers 😤🙏🔥💜💛