Trade & Free Agency 2026/2027

[omahen]

These are the type of gambles I always like.  Most don't work out though.  Omax is similar as was Kessler Edwards with the Mavs a few years ago.   Williams was a higher draft pick then either.   

Williams failed in Memphis and they gave up on him.  He went to Brooklyn who are irrelevant and continued the grind.  Maybe regained some confidence.   Now he is at a make or break.  Push through and be a reserve for several years in the NBA or hit a wall and wind up overseas next season

Development will be so important for the Lakers.  They really need to hit on some of these low cost guys.

I think their moves around the margins have been solid this season. Their recent rookies Carr and Thiero look like they have potential (although Thiero is still very raw), Looney and Williams can be productive vet min players. I think also LaRavia was a decent signing for the money, he just had an awfully down year on offense and hopefully he can bounce back. 

I am less enthusiastic about the mid level contracts they gave this season. I think Grimes is on a higher level of what he is worth and I think Mamu is (way?) overpaid. Not a fan at all of his deal, as I think he is a player that is nice to have at roughly vet min, but is not better than a 8th or 9th rotation guy on a serious team. I guess they see way more in him than I do. 

I am really surprised by the total overhaul they are doing. Currently there are only 7 players left from last season and other than Luka and AR they are all from the back-end of their rotation. And I will not be surprised at all if another 3 (Vando, Bronny and Knecht) will be gone this summer. Like there is someone else making moves now, having a much different criteria about who is good or not. It seems strange that Pelinka would just let literally all of the guys he brought to the team go. Last season was quite decent and one would expect to build on that, not to completely overhaul it.