Free Agency Update, Teams With Cap Space, Trade Market, Anthony Edwards' Bold Claim, Pels Add Center

We take a look at how the free agency market is shaping up and which teams still have cap space available, plus what's going on with the trade market, Anthony Edwards makes a bold claim, the Pelicans add a center and more with Trevor Lane and Keith Smith...
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[@dantheman1689]

Appreciate you LeTrev and Chief Keif

[@Dr.Megladon]

Lol that one had me laughing 😅

[@podheads101]

Lmao good one 😂

[@jakevelten]

The Ford Bronco became the Escursion. A few years later they introduced the Escape - perhaps missing out on the funniest rebrand of all time.

[@d.a.baracus]

Actually, the Bronco was replaced by the Expedition. Ford re-introduced the Bronco a few years ago, but still makes the Expedition. The Escape is different than the Bronco & Expedition b/c it is a compact SUV while the other 2 are full-size SUVs.

[@LN-Lifer]

Shout out to Keith for always keeping an eye on the chat I've actually been meaning to say this for a long time

[@meetone]

Usa starters should be : Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers Anthony Davis , Los Angeles Lakers Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

[@ForrestBreeze]

replace AE with book i think. i like this alot though.

[@savagehcr2232]

does anyone have the count on how many times weve heard 1 second of "the office' opening song? 🤣love ya Keith

[@d.a.baracus]

Here's a Lakers/Nets mock trade that I think would work for everyone involved: Lakers send Nets: Rui Hachimura, D'Angelo Russell, JHS, Christian Wood, & a protected 1st round pick. Nets send Lakers: Cam Johnson, Dennis Schroder, & Day'Ron Sharpe. From the Laker's side: I think talent-wise, Rui & Russell are comparable with Cam & Schroder, but Lakers do this trade because the latter 2 fit better with the Lakers' roster. Both Cam & Rui are 6'8" 6'8" swing forwards, but I think Rui (230 lbs.) is more of a PF who can play down to SF, while Cam (210 lbs.) is a SF who has had to play up to PF. Consequently, Cam is better suited to play alongside LeBron, who is almost exclusively a PF at this point in his career. As a practical matter, I think Cam is a better perimeter defender against wings than Rui is. Also, while Rui was outstanding from 3PT range last season (better than Cam was), Cam is historically the better 3PT shooter; Cam has consistently shot over 39% in each of the past 4 seasons, while Rui's 3PT% is just all over the place. As for D'Lo v. Dennis, D'Lo is the much better shooter & overall the better player, but Dennis is a much better point-of-attack defender than D'Lo is. Considering the defensive deficiencies of other potential backcourt-mates, particularly Reaves & Knecht, Dennis would likely fit better with the team than D'Lo currently does. Plus, the Lakers would be getting off of D'Lo's contract, which they absolutely have to unload before the trade deadline. Sharpe is a proven big-body backup center who can step in & give LA a solid 15-20 min per night right away, and is only 22 years old, so has the potential to develop into more. Plus, LA clears about $2M off the total payroll & opens up a roster spot. From the Nets side: They get a 1st round pick and some desirable contracts. D'Lo & Wood combine for roughly $22M in expiring contracts. When factoring the other players involved in the trade, there's a net savings of roughly $12M in contracts for the '25-'26 season. Also, the Nets would be buying low on Wood. Yes, he was terrible for LA last season, but he had averaged 18-9 while shooting over 40% from 3PT range in the 3 seasons prior. If he bounces back, he's someone the Nets could flip for assets at the trade deadline. As for Rui, he's of comparable talent to Johnson, but is 2 years younger, & on a contract that is a year shorter and pays $3M-$5M less per year. The contract is reasonable, so if Rui continues to play well, he can be flipped this year or next if the Nets decide that he's not part of their long-term plan. Finally, the Nets would be taking a flyer on JHS. Yes, he was bad with the Lakers last season & is recovering from an injury right now. That being said, he was a consensus mid-1st round pick just last season, played outstanding in the G-League, and is still only 21 years old. Plus, the Nets would have team-control over JHS for another 4 seasons, being a RFA in 2027, whereas Sharpe is a RFA next year. As mentioned, I think the trade works for everyone... The biggest impediment to the trade would likely be the Nets overvaluing their assets, & expecting a 1st for Cam alone...

[@dmitryowens]

Terrible trade for the Lakers - Rui is as good or better than Johnson, DLo is significantly better than Schroder and Wood is better than Sharpe. I'm getting sick of Lakers fans saying that we should trade Rui and/or DLo for players who aren't better than they are - that's pointless.

[@dmitryowens]

Also, Wood wasn't terrible last season - he just had injury issues and Ham didn't give him enough playing time. Sharpe is a more traditional C though - Wood would probably be best suited to playing PF.

[@d.a.baracus]

@@dmitryowens I will give you that D'Lo is better than Dennis, & collectively that Rui & D'Lo are comparable in talent to Dennis & Cam (as I stated in my post). But the trade is about better fit. Cam fits better w/ LeBron b/c at this point in his career LeBron can basically only play PF on defense, & Cam is an above average perimeter defender. On the other hand, Rui is more of a PF who has to play SF b/c of roster construction. Also, Dennis is a better fit in the backcourt for LA b/c he's a better point-of-attack defender than D'Lo is, & LA's other starting guard, Reaves, is a below average defender. As the roster is presently constituted, Reaves & D'Lo are going to play 30+ min per game each, meaning they're going to be on the floor a significant amount of time together. Having 2 poor defenders in the backcourt play that much together is not ideal. As for Sharpe v. Wood, who is "better" is difficult to assess b/c they're so different. Who fits better w/ LA is easy; it's Sharpe. First, Sharpe is 6'11" 265 lbs, while Wood is 6'8" 214 lbs. One of LA's biggest needs last season was a big-body center to take some of the load off of AD from guarding other big centers like Jokic, Embiid, Valanciunas, etc. Last year, LA's only players over 230 lbs. were LeBron & AD, & the only guys they had who were over 6'9" were AD & Hayes (who only weighs 220 lbs). Sharpe would fill that role. Plus Sharpe is a monster on the offensive boards, is only 22 years old, & has a developing outside shot so could potentially grow into a top-end rotational piece for LA. Ultimately, this trade improves LA's perimeter defense, gets them a backup center, & replaces any loss in 3PT shooting & ball-handling that they sacrifice w/ D'Lo & Rui.

[@LN-Lifer]

That's Anthony Edwards trying to Make the Michael Jordan comparison

[@kda1024]

Very happy with the signings and draft picked Trajan has made for the Pistons. I hope that a backup Center and PG are going to complete the transactions this off-season (unless we are able to complete another sin contract trade with assets). I would love to see Paul Reed and Tyus Jones on our roster.

[@kda1024]

Ford = Bronco, Chevy = Blazer

[@keithsmith9912]

Yeah, we butchered that whole thing! 🤣

[@afuturemodern]

how is 54-37-1 BPG not a starting-level center?

[@LakerGang2001]

Don't let the 1 BPG fool you, he's a defensive liability

[@antman5628]

Yes westbrick go to nuggets

[@DaNewWaveLee]

Fultz could be good in a certain situation.

[@user-bj2ug1cy9m]

Ford Bronco was recently brought back. The Chevy Blazer is a different OEM.

[@keithsmith9912]

Man...could we have messed that up any more than we did? Wow!🤣

[@1peruvianguy]

💜💛

[@dozer4981]

They get the bronze and lebron response to the world "its just a game"

[@jondykstra6190]

Curry, Edwards, KD, LeBron, Embiid. Tatum for KD if he misses time.

[@LN-Lifer]

I don't understand Utah They have cap space but reports are they're shopping out their best players? Why not get someone good who fits with what they have now?

[@YungLanxx]

Timing is everything, no point in forcing signings to win now if the timing isn’t right 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@LN-Lifer]

I don't actually believe that Westbrook would be a bad addition for the Lakers at a discount The problem before was we paid him too much and he played too much But I would be happy to take his energy and rebounding off the bench on a minimum

[@thetruth-ou3ln]

Ant man is a talented player but he should come down or life will humble him. Lebron James or Michael Jordan even in their prime were not out there screaming "I am the number one option".

[@superkat460]

TRAE YOUNG WANTS TO COME TO LA.

[@deborahstewart1934]

San Antonio trade Julian Champagnie to Wizards for cash, then sign Tyus Jones. Wizards trade Klye Kuzma and Johnny Davis to Utah Jazz for John Collins Cody Williams.

[@hillbilly21960]

Ant isn’t anything like Mike other than he can jump , big whoop. He’s not anything close to legend yet.

[@jenzix_]

first like first comment

[@icecoldac3]

If you’re a NBA Team executive/front office staff and don’t watch this show, something’s genuinely wrong with you.

[@antman5628]

Ha kawhi knees are “feeling good” until they don’t. Just retire already my god

[@thanemlesstrue-arrow5724]

No I want Kawhi to stay on the Clippers, that's good for us.

[@scottallen1980]

Chevy=Blazer Ford=Bronco

[@ShaunC29]

Ford №¹