If anything last year proved that you need athletic size and lob targets for Luka to work - DA fits that mold a lot better than any of these 3. The Lakers need size and DA is a lot better than anything they have on their roster for this role, especially on an expiring contract, at worst, it gets them out of Vanderbilt's contract 2 years earlier.
I read a few takes that say the Lakers are looking at adding Brook Lopez next season...he's 37 so right along Lebron's timeline but a lot cheaper than Ayton.
Looking at the Lakers roster they really have very little assets. Reaves is they're only good starting level piece. Rui and DFS are fine as bench or occasional role playing starter. Knecht is on ok prospect but probably not needed on a Luka/LBJ roster. They really need to add about 4 big minute players. If LBJ looks to retire they might be better off just flipping Luka to the highest bidder. Currently they are out their 2029 pick and 2027 they keep only if its top4. They can certainly get way more than that back in a Luka deal.
Oh I agree upgrading from Vanderbilt to Ayton makes a lot of sense for them. Its the Rui/DFS subtraction that I said doesn't make sense. They need those guys to play minutes.
Brook might make sense either way especially if they can get him for the tax MLE or such. Crazy that its 8 years ago when Brook played for the Lakers.
Standing 6'11" with fluid footwork and a high release, Jabari's shooting profile projects as ideal next to a rim-centric big like Donovan Clingan or as a small-ball center. His ability to space the floor opens crucial real estate for Scoot Henderson’s downhill game, while his defensive mobility allows him to switch, stunt, and recover in a way that perfectly complements a wing rotation featuring Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara. He’s not a perfect player yet—but that’s part of the appeal. He brings versatility, upside, and the kind of high-character work ethic you want embedded in a long-term rebuild. In theory, Jabari’s growth arc dovetails nicely with Portland’s timeline. In practice? He’d offer real lineup flexibility from day one. He can play backup 4 in conventional lineups, or run a small-ball unit with Advija , Camara and Smith that's very switchy. It’s easy to imagine him as a floor spacer that fits in any lineup. But that’s all basketball. That’s the part you can measure. The part that makes the charts look good. Here’s what you can’t quantify. There’s a janitor in Charlotte—Alonzo, I think is his name—worked the visitor’s locker room for 27 years. Says he’s seen hundreds of players pass through, most of them too busy arguing about foul calls or yelling at assistant coaches to say hello. Jabari Smith Jr.? Not only does he always say thank you, he once stayed late after a preseason game to help mop up a busted urinal flood in the corner bathroom. Didn’t flinch. Just said, “You got another mop?” and got to work like it was game 7. He wears rubber gloves like he was born for it. There’s something monastic about the way he approaches ammonia. And it’s not a one-off. Detroit, January—subzero wind, frostbitten air—Jabari’s the last guy out of the building because he’s helping the janitorial crew salt the tunnel. "Slippery when wet" sign in one hand, bag of rock salt in the other. He’s not doing this for PR. There are no cameras. No agents. Just the gentle silence of a 21-year-old man looking at a clogged drain and deciding, “I am this drain’s shepherd.” Look, I’ve seen a lot of power forwards come and go. Most of them want shots. Or minutes. Or status. Jabari? He wants clarity. He wants clean lines. A disinfected baseline. The sour musk of bleach and victory. There are men who play basketball, and there are men who stand barefoot in a puddle of piss in Memphis, TN, holding a bottle of Lysol and muttering something about how “cleanliness is a kind of love.” You want culture? You want character? Trade for Jabari Smith Jr. And get that man a goddamn mop.
Scoot needs the rock. Needs the leash. Needs to learn how to drive the Ferrari and crash it into a fire hydrant. With Anfernee soaking up usage and floating through defensive possessions like he’s above lateral movement, it’s hard to build the on-ball reps—and the culture—that a young team needs. A three-team deal could fix that: Anfernee Simons goes to Orlando, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Denver’s pick go to Chicago, Portland gets Kevin Huerter, Gary Harris (as breathing contract ballast), and their own pick back from Chicago. Basketball-wise, it’s a reasonable compromise. Huerter can shoot. He can space. He’ll let Scoot work. The defense might scream like a rusted hinge, but hey, at least Scoot’s driving. But let’s not stop at the analytics. Let’s talk about character. Because there’s been this long-running myth in Portland that Anfernee Simons is a soft-spoken, humble, high-character guy. And maybe that was true when he was 20. But over the last few years, he’s gotten… weird. Cold. One veteran staffer swears Simons once laughed when the team chef dropped a tray of salmon filets. Just stood there sipping a green smoothie and said, “Five-second rule,” while interns scrambled to save the lemon garnish. There’s a custodian at the Moda Center—Marlene, God bless her—who swears Anfernee once tracked in muddy sneakers, walked past her mopping, and said, “That’s why we have you, right?” That’s why we have you. No please. No sorry. Just bourgeois contempt sprayed across her dignity like bleach on tile. Now, is Kevin Huerter a perfect citizen? No. Definitely not. There’s a story from the Phoenix airport where he got into it with a rental car agent who gently informed him the SUV he requested wasn’t available. Huerter, fresh off a back-to-back and allegedly short on REM sleep, reportedly narrowed his eyes and said: “You one-eyed bastard.” Now, to be fair, the man was wearing an eye patch. And Huerter did come back five minutes later with an apology note and a voucher for Panda Express, which, honestly, is more remorse than most of us can muster. So yeah—maybe Huerter has a temper. Maybe he needs some emotional coaching and a ban from Budget Rent-a-Car. But he’s a role player. He spaces the floor. He gets out of Scoot’s way. And when the ball swings, he shoots. Cleanly. Like a man who knows better than to mock the sanitation crew. Sometimes, the right move isn’t about PER or TS%. Sometimes it’s about restoring dignity to the mop. Send Anfernee to Florida. Give Scoot the keys. And give Marlene a damn raise.
OK. How about Simons and Ayton for Isaac, KCP, Black and FRP? Isaac is used to being a backup and so Clingan could start with no drama. Isaac has four more years but it's at only 15 million a year. he was fairly productive before last year. I guess that is two bad contracts. Maybe we would need to get two FRPs?
As long as we can trade Grant somewhere for expirings I think I would do Isaac/#16 for Ant. Granted we’d probably need to use that #16 to send with Grant to get rid of him but at least Issac would be ok coming off the bench, has some skill, and 15 mil per isn’t that bad(definitely don’t like the length of the contract) but who knows maybe he just needs a change of scenery. I just want Ant gone mainly, he can’t start next season.
I was thinking Ant and two future SRPs for Black, Anthony and pick 16 in this draft. I know some people don't like Cole but I think he'd be a good backup for Scoot, he hit the three at above 35% this last season and plays hard... I don't think they'll need him if they have Ant and a healthy Suggs back. They can also bring Corey Joseph back for cheap and they were giving him more minutes to in the playoffs than Cole. I know I just said he'd be Scoot's backup but I still like the idea of Scoot, Deandre, the worst of the 2029 FRPs and our lotto protected 2031 FRP, conveys as our 2031 SRP if in the lotto for Zion. I honestly think that a lineup of Shae, Tou, Deni, Zion and Clingan has three competent playmakers (Deni, Zion and Shae). You would have Cole Anthony and Anthony Black off of the bench who can both run the point. We could probably draft Demin with one of picks 10 or 16 and get a big forward that could play small ball 5 with the other pick. Demin and Fleming or Newell and Demin. That roster would be really fun to watch next season, if healthy would make a push for the playoffs and a possible run to the second round and they would be a nightmare for opposing teams to play with Chauncey's style and all of that length and athleticism.
Anthony Black had zero assists in his 5 games in the playoffs. (89 minutes) Not saying the guys sucks, but that is pretty hard to do for a PG. Sounds like he brings the ball up the court and stands in the corner. Does he have any play-making ability at all? I do see some potential with him as a backup, but I feel like he is a little overrated by Blazer fans.
They run all of their stuff through Banchero and Wagner. Black isn't actually a PG even though he's listed as one - that's what OM fans have discovered.
my hunch is that if Orlando had a strong enough interest in Simons to offer a 1st round pick, the deal would have already happened. They aren't going to pony up two first's for him IMO
That makes sense. So, if he is more of a defensive SG, I would rather give the minutes to Thybulle or eventually Rupert.
I think the blazers know we need shooting. I don’t see us giving up Simon’s for a bunch of non shooters unless they have something else coming down the pipe
