Trade & Free Agency 2026/2027

[Chicagojk]

A good possibility. They could also add Poulakidas to the roster and bring back Cisse on a two-way. More than one way to do it. A lot may be determined by how SL goes. Poulakidas is auditioning for a real roster spot. Tyler Smith is trying to keep his Two-way spot. Ishchenko is trying to secure one. Even Nemby has something to prove IMO.

Yeah it should be a competitive summer league team.   Poulakidas is an interesting guy who may be overlooked some.  He impressed me in last years lost season.   He sort of fits what they have been targeting.   Good size and shooting.    He may not be position versatile but appears to be able to play with different lineups.    I am curious how he responds with the new staff.

[Smitty]

Yeah it should be a competitive summer league team.   Poulakidas is an interesting guy who may be overlooked some.  He impressed me in last years lost season.   He sort of fits what they have been targeting.   Good size and shooting.    He may not be position versatile but appears to be able to play with different lineups.    I am curious how he responds with the new staff.

Exactly. He's 6'6 SG/SF size. 23 years old and shot 40% on 6 threes/gm in just 20 minutes per. He's bulked up a ton and has been mentioned more than once in press conferences. He checks every box the guys they brought in do...

In the G-League he shot 46% from 3PT on nearly 9 attempts per game.

[Scott41theMavs]

My observation is that there seems to be a desperation to use the TPE, and a sense that it would be a mistake if they don't. It seems to me to be on the level of a "move to make a move" rather than a desire for a trade that's chasing actual value.

Of course everything is a cost/benefit analysis. I would have a fairly big problem with the Mavs believing they are done "in a vacuum." But it takes two to tango with regard to trades, and three + with sign and trades. I presume that M&M are lifting the rocks on Watson, Wallace, Scoot (with Schmitz's go-ahead), Jrue, and Murray. If there isn't a trade fit (i.e. the incumbent teams want too much in return, or in the case of e.g. Watson, the price goes too high), then so be it. There could be a benefit to "we love our boys in blue" and waiting until the deadline to use the TPE or MLE. I'm just presuming, with trust, that they will use the assets available to them to better the team - if the opportunity arises, and if they believe in the resulting roster enough to pay the tax (which further moves will likely result in) this year.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

I don’t think Cleveland will find it difficult to dump Strus. He’s a good player on an expiring contract. We went through this with the two OKC guys. Teams want rotation players more than they care about “not helping out” someone in a financial jam. I don’t see any significant assets going to the team acquiring him.

[Tyler]

Yeah, it's hard to see a trade for Klay from another team's perspective. If Klay is gone, it certainly feels like a buyout situation.

The perspective for another team trading for a large expiring deal is usually to unload guaranteed money for cap purposes. Klay could certainly be bought out after that, though. Of course, it depends on the player coming back. Dallas could just do it themselves and not bring in more money they don't want.

[windjc]

I like Klay. The obsession with getting rid of him on here is weird.

[DanSchwartzgan]

The Watson deal is done.  4/$117 to LAC.  DJJ and picks to Denver.  AAV is $29mm.  I wonder what happens with Mathurin now.  LAC still doesn't have a center other than Lopez.

[KillerLeft]

The Watson deal is done.  4/$117 to LAC.  DJJ and picks to Denver.  AAV is $29mm.  I wonder what happens with Mathurin now.  LAC still doesn't have a center other than Lopez.

That was a fun dream for about 12 hours.

[DanSchwartzgan]

That was a fun dream for about 12 hours.

Fake news.  My bad.

[FireNicoHarrison]

The Watson deal is done.  4/$117 to LAC.  DJJ and picks to Denver.  AAV is $29mm.  I wonder what happens with Mathurin now.  LAC still doesn't have a center other than Lopez.

I hope for them that he is a great player for real because that contract is insane.

[Mavs2021]

The Watson deal is done.  4/$117 to LAC.  DJJ and picks to Denver.  AAV is $29mm.  I wonder what happens with Mathurin now.  LAC still doesn't have a center other than Lopez.

They have defined a price for Mathurin by giving Watson 29M p.a. Mathurin will now look for a similar number. Even if the Clippers insist they won´t trade Mathurin, I doubt they want to hand out another contract that comes even close to the 29M number. 

They have traded younger + asset in every single deal from Zubac to Harden to Kawhi to DJJ so far. Cisse makes more sense there than Gafford, if you take all their moves into account. Maybe they move on from Brook Lopez, too. He doesn´t make much sense in LA anymore, unless he´s the veteran mentor.

Garland/Wagler
Watson/Mathurin
Ingram/Dick
Hachimura
Lopez

Add a plethora of picks and that sure is a decent turnaround for their situation, but doesn´t feel like any thought was put into roster coherence.

[KillerLeft]

Fake news.  My bad.

Wait - you mean the deal is fake?

[Chicagojk]

Does anyone have room to take Cam Johnson for free?  I think that is the only way out for Denver if they want to keep Watson right?  I don't think anyone is taking Braun now.   Johnson is overpaid but in his last year and is a theoretical 3 and D wing.   Denver is really asset poor now so they don't have much to offer and like the Lakers really need to be careful keep on using assets to improve the team.

[Scott41theMavs]

The Watson deal is done.  4/$117 to LAC.  DJJ and picks to Denver.  AAV is $29mm.  I wonder what happens with Mathurin now.  LAC still doesn't have a center other than Lopez.

Merde. Really wanted him, but the Clipps were always in the driver’s seat.

Edit: of course it’s always good to read the thread.

[Winter]

There's nothing out there in media land on this Watson acquisition as a done deal.

[KillerLeft]

@LegionHoops

REPORT: The Hawks have a preferred framework in place to execute a sign and trade that would send Jonathan Kuminga to the Lakers, per @khobi_price

Hawks would receive:
Jarred Vanderbilt
2032 first-round pick swap

Lakers would receive:
Jonathan Kuminga

Ok, so I argued with Scott over whether his anger was justified over teams "helping" OKC earlier this summer. I stand by my takes on those deals - the teams got good players they wanted, so OKC didn't have to pay anything. There might have even been a bidding war in one or both of those situations, for all we know. People here wanted both players, honestly. 

But this one...I think the Lakers might be getting off pretty cheaply here, unless Vanerbilt is less distressed than my impression. I think of him as an injured player, who, when he plays, you wish would become injured again. I know Kuminga isn't the prize of the century, but one swap (despite it being a pretty good one, I think) seems light to motivate someone to sign and trade their free agent to you and take your worst salary off of your books to make it happen. I'm hoping this is fake.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

They have defined a price for Mathurin by giving Watson 29M p.a. Mathurin will now look for a similar number. 

He can look.  Hawks denied $24 million option on Kuminga.   If someone is offering Mathurin or Kuminga, $20 million a year, they should jump on it.

I see both as MLE level players.  What's a 4yr deal starting at the MLE?  4/$65 million?

[KillerLeft]

Does anyone have room to take Cam Johnson for free?  I think that is the only way out for Denver if they want to keep Watson right?  I don't think anyone is taking Braun now.   Johnson is overpaid but in his last year and is a theoretical 3 and D wing.   Denver is really asset poor now so they don't have much to offer and like the Lakers really need to be careful keep on using assets to improve the team.

And that's the rub...they NEED shooting. They've already had to let Hardaway walk this summer after having a really good season. Moving Johnson would make that situation even worse. 

Man, Denver has been really mismanaged. Part of it is that they're suffering from having two max contracts at the same time, but their medium sized deals are all un the upper range of "medium," too, and at least two of those contracts are baaaaad. I was looking at their salary situation the other day, and they're already almost assuredly stuck in the repeater tax for this year and only have like 8-9 people under contract. It's ROUGH.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

I was gonna ask who is better? Cam Johnson or Peyton Watson? Does it even make sense for them to move Cam so they can give Watson big money? They are in a tough spot

[KillerLeft]

I see both as MLE level players.  What's a 4yr deal starting at the MLE?  4/$65 million?

I think that's a fair look at their value, especially this summer. With Mathurin, it's so tough to tell. Are we hearing nothing about him because he's last at the trough, or do teams have offers agreed upon with him on contingencies that will get kicked off by the LeBron signing or the Watson thing resolving?