@nathangivey @NBA__Courtside Look at the teams with cap space and tell me who’s a threat to sign him. The market is different than you think.
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Fesenjan
291 posts
@NBA__Courtside Yall will probably be surprised when you see what he’s still worth on the open market. Bro was the #1 viewed player this year and still is good for 20/5/5. Acting like he won’t get offers is honestly crazy.
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Brian Windhorst on LeBron future with the Lakers:
“I have specifically spoken to people on both sides of the negotiation of ‘what do you think his value is in the 2026-27 NBA season. Knowing there’s no team out there with cap space that are going to say ‘here’s $35M to play for us.’ Yeah the Warriors or the Cavs would take him for the Mid Level Exception or the minimum. Of course. There’s not team who’s going to clear $35-$40M for him and say come to us. So, who are the Lakers bidding against? I talk to both sides, and I don’t hear an answer”
(Via @hoopstonite)
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@Nick08789575 @TheSteinLine Which is why I asked bc it’s seemingly contrary to the Shams report
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The Lakers’ Luka Dončić, I’m told, is scheduled to rejoin the team in Los Angeles on Friday in advance of the Lakers’ first-round series against Houston after his recent trip to Madrid for treatment of his Grade 2 hamstring strain.
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@Obolatcan24 Brother you can’t rely on the original timetable that was estimated prior to him receiving specialized treatment in Europe
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It's not officially confirmed but his original timetable would say that he would be
🦅@deadboylyfee
Is Luka confirmed out for the entire first round?
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@HisandHerLakers They reserved Sunday solely for the teams coming out of the play-in, who will have a shorter turnaround time. I was annoyed too but it makes sense.
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League couldn’t even give us an extra day. Fuck the NBA. Never seen a sports league that hates on its biggest brand while slobbering over small markets like Indy and Spurs etc.
Just annoying. It is what it is. Gotta find a way to split the first two to try and extend the series
Mike Trudell@LakersReporter
Los Angeles (4) vs. Houston (5): Game 1 is on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. on ABC.
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This is my take on it:
LeBron James is 100% best with the ball in his hands. I don’t believe there’s a better on ball value scorer/playmaker/decision maker in the league than current LeBron other than Shai, Luka, and Jokic as true offensive hubs.
That said, Luka has 0 off ball value. He has to play on the ball, which is fine. LeBron has off ball value, and is the most underrated part of his game.
But if you’re going to ask LeBron to play this role, the team better be damn good, and the Lakers aren’t. They have a bottom 5 supporting cast in the NBA, imo. You also aren’t going to maximize LeBron at this role. LeBron can still go to another team that needs this offensive hub and win the championship imo.
²³𝙻𝚎𝙱𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚜🏀☄️🌎💞@BronGotGame
That “For now” spoke volumes 👀
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id rather play the wolves in the first round instead of the rockets so lets go get that 3 seed
Legion Hoops@LegionHoops
Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun and Cameron Johnson are all out for the Nuggets today. Major implications: if they lose, and the Lakers win tonight, the Lakers would move to the No. 3 seed in the West.
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@Ralph_MasonJr Lakers make the most financial and basketball sense. Signing with Cleveland would be an emotional/narrative-based decision.
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Yep. Lakers are in great position to retain Bron, assuming both parties want that
Run It Back@RunItBackFDTV
.@sam_amick on LeBron's future: "Cleveland and Golden State, you're not just talking about a pay cut... maybe a minimum contract. ... Question becomes do the Lakers want him back... what does Luka think? This is his franchise now." @MichelleDBeadle | @boogiecousins | @TeamLou23
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@SamQuinnCBS Tbh you have pretty defeatist takes that sometimes don’t age well. Take it a step at a time and see how things play out. Idk why you have to jump to conclusions like this.
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I'm gonna be honest, after what happened with Haliburton and how long their odds would be with a hobbled Luka going against San Antonio or OKC, I just don't think it would be worth it to plan on bringing him back even if he "could." Focus on next year. Don't take the risk.
Ryan Rueda@PlayoffDude
I’m confident Luka and the Lakers will use every top-level treatment available to speed up his hamstring recovery. If everything goes right, a Game 1 return in the second round definitely feels possible.
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@AnthonyIrwinLA He likely had interest from other teams, so you need to come with a real offer or you risk losing out on the player. Pretty simple, nothing wrong with the process.
They can still waive another player if a good buyout opportunity presents itself.
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End of the day, Bufkin is another end of the roster guy. He won’t matter this year. I just think the process on this decision wasn’t great.
I mean, shit, the Lakers have half a scouting department right now lol. I should’ve lowered my expectations.
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@_RyGuy_38 @24Dparks @Kareem_is_it Okay but that’s the point. Austin has leverage and won’t accept a trade to a rebuilding bucks team
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@Fesenjan1 @24Dparks @Kareem_is_it Lakers aren’t trading AR unless it’s for Giannis or Joker. Worst case we pay him and keep him
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@HisandHerLakers Yes but you can walk and chew gum at the same time. Notice how the Lakers are the only team that justifies inaction based on some vague hope of the future. Good teams don’t do that; they improve incrementally and use creativity to pivot when necessary.
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@Fesenjan1 They don’t have a chance to be a top contender this year with the assets they have. It was always going to take several transaction cycles after the Luka trade.
Lakers are in the middle of a soft rebuild. Whether LeBron stays or goes has nothing to do with it. On Luka’s timeline
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If Giannis survives this deadline I would say lakers odds at getting him this summer are around 20%. If you have a 1 in 5 chance to get a top 3 player and pair him with another top 5 player you have to try. Everything else can be figured out.
But gotta have a backup plan too.
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@_RyGuy_38 @24Dparks @Kareem_is_it At that point why wouldn’t he just push for a S&T to a better team? He will have no shortage of suitors. The Bucks thing is just too far fetched.
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@24Dparks @Kareem_is_it He’s underpaid right now. Money has to mean something. S&T maximizes his earning potential as opposed to signing with someone else with space. Which has me wondering which contender out there has room to bring him in. Since you’re assuming he wouldn’t want to be on a bad team
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@HisandHerLakers If you have a chance to truly go for it but choose not to - especially when LeBron might leave in the summer - I’d call that throwing away a season.
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@Fesenjan1 There is no throwing away a season. This season was always a gap year once they traded for Luka.
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anthony irwin just said on his live stream he’s been hearing about a 3 team scenario where the lakers would trade a first round pick with rui and filler to the bucks so the warriors could land giannis 😭😭😭
rob pelinka will not walk the streets safe if this happens
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@Yinoma2001 Wouldn’t be surprised to see them trade for Sabonis using cap space and a couple of picks
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This is good and bad.
Good as Yossi stated.
Bad in the sense that I'm not too excited about the 2026 free agent class. RFAs are unlikely to be moved.
You could use that cap space to send to Giannis I suppose.
Yossi Gozlan@YossiGozlan
In the past 48 hours, the Clippers, Jazz, and Wizards made big trades that eliminated their cap space. The Lakers are the only competitive team remaining that can offer max cap space in the 2026 offseason.
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@LobosTequila @deadboylyfee They’ll likely only move Wiggins if they know it’ll land them Giannis. They won’t do it otherwise
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Linka getting me Wiggs or Herbo at the buzzer tomorrow #fairs
GIF
Underdog NBA@UnderdogNBA
Lakers willing to move 2031 or 2032 first-round pick for the right wing but are finding prices too high, per @DanWoikeSports.
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@Greenlineentdmv 1. Trade Ayton+Vincent+2nd+swap for Allen. Gets CLE very close to ducking the second apron
2. Trade Rui+Kleber+1st for Wiggins. Gives MIA the pick they want in pursuit of Giannis
After re-signing Reaves and using the NTMLE, LAL would have ~$9M left to fill two roster spots
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@Fesenjan1 Show us the way! #GiveUsTheWisdom We desperately need a Lakers Trade
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