Trade & FA 2025-26: Free Agency Starts 5pm CST/6pm EST

[SleepingHero]

I know you were just using it as an example but didn't think of Jrue to the Lakers.   Aren't they pretty tied to Reaves or has that changed some?  Reaves better suits the Luka timeline, but he is in line for a big pay raise after next season.

Jrue would probably help more now, I think.   Although he is sort of on the Lebron timeline.   If Jrue is healthy and they find a capable starter that should be a real good team.   I am just not sure it is a contender and it opens up many more questions down the road imo.

Latest word out of La La Land regarding Reaves:

https://www.latimes.com/sports/newslette...ot-so-fast

Are the Lakers going to trade Austin Reaves?
My friend and colleague Bill Plaschke argued in those hallowed Times’ pages that the Lakers must trade Austin Reaves to fulfill their needs for a big man no matter how painful the decision would be. Bill Simmons predicted on his podcast that Reaves “will get traded” this summer.

So what was the buzz at the combine about all this?

Everyone is aware of the noise from the media and on the message boards (shoutout Lakers reddit), no one is acting like a trade is going to happen this summer for a couple of reasons.

One, the Lakers and the most important people in the organization all love Reaves and his journey from undrafted free agent to a talent that people think is All-Star caliber. And, at just $14 million next season, he’ll be one of the most productive players in the league per dollar minus some superstars on the very early stages of their rookie deals....

Two, he’s not viewed as “untradeable” because almost no one in the NBA is untradeable. But if the Lakers are going to trade him for a center, they’re going to want one that is foundationally important — a build-around type and not a fill-in toward the obvious need they have at center (and will need to address in other ways).

If one of the best centers in the NBA were available, the conversations might be different, but at least now, during the first part of the offseason, that just isn’t the case.