Kwon

@PrinceMarv13 I was offended too.

Number 2 is wrong The last sentence of this tweet is laughable

@conn0rfl8ter @PurpGoldLakers Yeah those are disgusting. Nike🤦🏻‍♂️

@PurpGoldLakers Lakers number one priority should be getting rid of the LeNeon yellow jerseys and returning to the gold

Luka in the 2010 Lakers uniform... yeah, this looks TOUGH.

@LALMuse Carr

Which one of these four new Lakers acquisitions are you the most excited to see next season?

@LakersNation Well if the hawks now are trying to get peyton watson they aint doing a trade for vando.

The Hawks reportedly aren't interested in Jarred Vanderbilt in a Jonathan Kuminga sign-and-trade. lakersnation.com/lakers-rumors-…

@LakersNation PJ but i dont think Mavs are dealing with us for a long time

Do you think the #Lakers should pursue PJ Washington instead of Jonathan Kuminga? lakersnation.com/nba-trade-rumo…

@ShamsCharania Voice memos? Whats next handwritten letters to bron?

Latest on the LeBron James free agency for NBA Today -- including voice note pitches from some interested teams:

@ShamsCharania Someone has to blackmail richard jefferson so he can let us know where Bron going. The decison 2.0 is exhausting!

@LegionHoops He look like tall Travis Scott

AJ DYBANTSA IN HIS SUMMER LEAGUE DEBUT: 27 PTS 7 REB 2 STL HE HAS ARRIVED 🔥

@UnderdogNBA Hes going to be good but definitely not popping right away.

Keaton Wagler in Summer League debut: 7 PTS 1-7 FG 1-5 3PT -23 +/-

@PurpGoldLakers He wants it. He’s not getting it anywhere, but if he wants 25 that means he’ll settle for 20. Man this dude is a headache already!

Per Jake Fischer (Bleacher Report livestream from Las Vegas), Jonathan Kuminga is looking for more than $25M per year: "I do believe that Kuminga is looking for something more than that $25 million ballpark that he landed last year from Golden State. Quite frankly, I find it difficult to imagine he's going to find that number on this marketplace." On the Lakers' offer: "They have made offers to Jonathan Kuminga repeatedly. Last I heard, two years, $20 million was what the Lakers were hoping for." heavy.com/sports/nba/los…

@LakeShowYo I remember @BillSimmons did a pod about Bron possibly or likely coming to the Lakers and how that could mess with zo’s growth. That sure came to fruition. Although was it bron/trade to Pelicans or Lavar/Big Baller Brand ZO2 sneaker that tanked his career?

2017 Lakers Summer League championship team was the greatest of all time 😭 - Lonzo Ball - Brandon Ingram - Josh Hart - Kyle Kuzma - Ivica Zubac - Alex Caruso - Thomas Bryant

@jovanbuha This is an incredible breakdown. I agree with pretty much all of it. We definitely need more on the defensive end. However, let’s see Luka fully control this team without Bron. The vibes are going to be much higher. I also don’t think the Pelinka/Dodgers are not done with moves.

My extended thoughts on the Lakers’ moves today (for those who didn’t catch my stream): — I think the primary goal should’ve been to land a long-term piece next to Luka and Austin. There was no scenario in which the Lakers built a team as good as OKC's or SAS's in one offseason (especially after losing LeBron). They landed that foundational player in Walker Kessler, my top offseason target (at any position) and clear top C. Perfect fit. Franchise cornerstone who can be top 5 in FG%, rebounds, and blocks next season. Monster on both ends. Love the signing. Think the AAV is fair and in line with market value, especially re: poaching him in restricted free agency. From that perspective, the offseason is an unequivocal success. I give the Kessler trade an A (would’ve liked to have kept one pick and/or one swap out of it -- trade price was high). Add in Deandre Ayton and Mamu, and I think the Lakers have one of the strongest center cores in the league. -- I also think the FO deserves credit for emptying the clip and going all-in for Kessler. The price was high, but I've criticized them for years for refusing to trade picks and meet some of the asking prices for young starters. It's only right to commend them when they actually do it. They went three transactional cycles with Luka without adding a high-level young starter. They finally did that. — As for the other three moves, I like all three players individually, particularly on the offensive end. I see the vision there. Collectively, they check a ton of boxes: youth, speed, shooting, dynamism, ball-handling/playmaking, rebounding (Mamu). This can be a top-five, if not even top-three, offense. -- At the same time, I view all three players as largely bench-level guys on a true contender. I view Grimes as a fringe starter/6MOY type, and Mamu and Sexton as high-level bench players. As of right now, two of those three project to start. It's similar to last season, when multiple guys were slotted into higher roles than they should've been (Smart, Rui, and Ayton). -- I think LA overpaid each player by roughly $1M-$2M in AAV, based on the market and similar signings. Not the worst thing in the world, but I also don’t understand why those contracts also came with player options. Should’ve only been POs with lower AAV deals (or fewer years). Or the agreed-to AAV with no POs. Feels like they paid max market value on each player + gave the PO on top. Perhaps that had to do with waiting on Kessler S&T, but I think they needed to negotiate the AAV or PO down. — I’m probably lower than consensus on Grimes. But I’ve come more around to the signing. I just think that, for now, they’re asking him to be: 1) the No. 3 option on a title contender, and 2) the defensive stopper on a title contender. I’m not sure either one of those is an appropriate ask of him. I think a proper slotting would be him as the fourth-best offensive player and the No. 2, or even 3, defender in a starting group. Offensively, he's an amazing fit, and the Lakers haven't had a role player with that skill set in years. Defensively, he'll need to channel his best stretches of defense far more consistently. Even then, I don't think he can be the best POA or wing defender on a title team (which he currently is among LA's top 7 players). — Love Mamu’s game and skill set. Just don’t think he’s a starter on a contender -- especially defensively. The Lakers are now set up to have him or Luka defend wings that play at the 4. Not ideal. If the Lakers add a 4 and move him into a third big role, I love the fit and see the vision. He can shoot, pass, drive, and rebound. He’s going to unlock a ton for them offensively in two-big looks or as the single big. I think it’s close between him and Rui, but I understand why they picked him. He has a more well-rounded game. He's the one that I have the most issue with contract-wise. That deal should have been 3 years at $39M, or 4 years at $40M, with no PO (same AAV on the shorter deal or a lower AAV on the 4-year deal). — Sexton is the signing I have the most reservations about. I think the Lakers would’ve been better served spending less $ — or even the same $ — retaining Marcus Smart or signing Kelly Oubre Jr. Both are much better defenders than Sexton, and could switch between POA and wing stopper roles at a higher level. Sexton is the better offensive player — better scorer/passer/shooter — but the Lakers’ obvious weakness with a Luka/AR/Kessler core is perimeter defense. I get the appeal of a scoring bench guard; I just think that archetype is easier to find than a (playable) wing/POA stopper. You can find the former on min deals every summer. You can't get the latter — most of the min. defenders aren't playoff-level guys. You can’t solve every hole in one transaction cycle, but the Lakers once again prioritized a small, offensive-minded guard over adding wing/perimeter defense. Sexton’s reputation as a defender is far beyond his actual defense. Even in the best-case scenario, he’s a 6-2 guard with switching limitations. The Lakers need good defenders in the 6-6 to 6-9 range. I would feel much better about this roster with Smart or Oubre in Sexton's place. — The Lakers didn’t address the wing defense for the sixth consecutive offseason (post 2020-21 season). It’s been a real blind spot for them post-KCP/Caruso. Grimes and Sexton are not good enough to be the primary POAs/wing stoppers on a title team. If you consider the Lakers a top 10 team (which I still do), I think they have the worst collection of 1-4 defensive talent among those teams by a decent margin (NYK, SAS, OKC, TOR, PHI, DEN, MIN, HOU & DET). That’s before mentioning CLE, ORL, PHX, POR, etc. DEN is maybe the exception -- depending on their offseason -- but I’d still take Gordon or Watson over any Laker perimeter defender by a good margin. -- I believe Kessler can be in the non-Wemby/Gobert conversation for best rim-protector in the league. He'll put out some of these fires, and is a massive upgrade over Ayton/Hayes. LA was the second-worst rim-protecting team in the NBA last season. That won't be the case this season. At the same time, he's not Wemby. He's not an elite defensive system in and of himself. He needs support. And the Lakers have built a rotation that is basically, "Let Kessler save us." -- There are three wild cards in all of this: Adou Thiero, Cameron Carr, and Jake LaRavia. Adou and Carr have the athleticism and defensive upside LA desperately needs. Perhaps one of them pops and quells some of these concerns. I think that's a big ask for a second- and/or first-year player, respectively, but that's the challenge ahead. LaRavia's shot and offensive confidence declined over the second half of last season, and if he can return to shooting like SAC/MEM (high 30s), he can be a bench stopgap. -- For those mentioning Vando, JJ has never used Vando as anything more than a 9th man when the team has been healthy over the past two seasons. They have clearly not clicked. JJ values shooting above almost all else. Perhaps LA is injured enough for Vando to factor in more, but I believe Jake will be ahead of him (again), and Adou and Carr may even be given opportunities ahead of him as well. This is all before factoring in the possibility that LA might trade him at some point. -- Overall, I commend LA for going all-in for Kessler. They added their center of the future and a third foundational piece. I think they also added three high-level bench players, albeit on contracts that are far more player-friendly than team-friendly. I think they've probably taken a step back from last season. It's been a successful offseason, but I think they need to start prioritizing perimeter defense more seriously and look beyond players whose primary strength is having a bag. -- As for comparing this group to last season, I don't think the new starting group or bench is as cohesive as last season's group. I think LA has 7 guys who could play in a series vs. NYK/OKC/SAS. Last season, I believe they also had 7, but they had more top-end talent with LeBron. Maybe Kessler is transformative enough defensively to offset that. I could be wrong. I think this group has a higher floor than last season's but a lower ceiling.

@NBAonTNT Kenny fit 🔥

@AllenSliwa Ham has to go. Front office might believe him but he lost the team. Dlo has to go. No consistency. Need more 3d and scrappy guards, and bigs that can play

Thoughts Laker Fans?

@JustStayDown0 @juanctoribio Thats just middle aged white guy face lol

@juanctoribio This looks like AI. Every person in this photo except Shohei looks like they are melting.

@GetUpESPN @TimBontemps Bontemps voice is nails on a chalkboard. Also has to be the grouchiest dude on the planet.

“The Lakers didn’t materially get better. … Everyone is acting like they had the greatest offseason of all time.” —@TimBontemps

@AllenSliwa Ad lost that one for us. Actually the last 3. Knicks no show, houston physical no show, and this one zero clutch gene

Deserved to lose

@BillSimmons Man lotta dummies on the comments. Lol. Clearly just messin. Clearly just spittin as in trollin. But yea f these refs.

Great non-call — the arm is part of the ball, everyone knows this.

@LAIreland is russ island going to get crowded now? Russ was flying last night!

@Jst_B_Easy716 @wojespn They wouldnt. They would sit him and then trade him again in two months.

@wojespn Russ isn't the prize for Indy, the picks would be. The prize for the Lakers would be getting Turner & Hield AND getting rid of Russ If I were Indy I'd want more than 2 draft picks 5 years from now. It's not enough to deal with the media attention and drama Russ brings

Should the Lakers give up the two picks? Full audio of Pacers center Myles Turner on The Woj Pod: apple.co/3fnF4no