Derick White is the ultimate dream target wing defender. But the Lakers are never prying him from Boston. Smart is a must retain, but he is much more defense oriented. As is Dunn who I like. Wiggins & Eason are probably my top realistic wing targets (hard to see here).

walker kessler seems to shutdown rumors of his unhappiness in utah via instagram ?

Having to pay big for Kessler is also supply and demand He’s young, good upside and how many other 99%ile rebounders and rim protectors are there available? Began shooting and making threes last season, if he keeps that up 35m is good value

I’d like to see the Lakers bring Marcus Smart back. He brings toughness, defense, leadership, and just that edge every team needs. He guards multiple positions, plays hard every possession, and does all the little things that don’t always show up on the stat sheet but matter in winning.

The Lakers have chased Walker Kessler for years. He might finally be gettable. Rejected $140M from Utah, reportedly at odds with the front office, and is the perfect fit next to Luka. How far would you go to get him? Large offer sheet? Sign & trade? Player breakdown below👇

How much longer can Adam Silver and the NBA delay the Clippers/Aspiration resolution?

i rated every prospect in my 2026 draft top 100 on a scale of 1-100 relative to NBA players to provide a crude overview of a player's profile. here are my top-20 defenders in the class by this rating, which averages scores in athl/feel/on-ball/off-ball/rebounding/motor:

Lakers Receive Trade Path to $145 Million Nuggets Duo After Major Report heavy.com/sports/nba/los-ang… via @heavysan

REPORT: Kevin Love is expected to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason, per @MarcJSpears

Only one thing makes Michael Porter Jr. a viable Lakers trade target lakeshowlife.com/only-one-th…

The Lakers are in active contract discussions with LeBron James, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura. Los Angeles figures to be active in the trade market as they prioritize re-signing this trio ahead of free agency.

The Utah Jazz are NOT expected to reach an agreement on a rookie contract extension with Keyonte George, per @BannedMacMahon “In order to be comfortable paying George at a number approaching the rookie extension maximum, Utah's front office needs to see him build on his breakout campaign next season.” (espn.com/nba/story/_/id/4909…)

REPORT: Los Angeles Lakers have internally discussed offering a lucrative free-agent deal to Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler, according to Ringer. Kessler has reportedly rejected a five-year, nearly $140 million offer ($28 Million per year) from the Utah Jazz, as his camp is seeking ‘significantly more,’ according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Kessler, 24, averaged 14.4 PPG, 10.& RPG, & 1.8 BPG on 70 FG% before undergoing surgery on a torn labrum in his left shoulder. How would Kessler fit with the Lakers? 🤔

The Lakers have internally considered making a move for Walker Kessler, per @ringer (h/t @LakersSBN )

They will have a major logjam at foward/big men positions if they go in this direction. Lauri/Jackson/Kessler are locked in starters and Boozer will want to start. Just not enough room to fit eveyone in.

Kristaps Porzingis ~ $12M Robert Williams ~ $9M Jaxson Hayes ~ $6M Drew Timme ~ $3M $30M spent on 4 centers -Shot-blocking, legit floor-spacing and shot creating big -Defensive-minded offensive rebound machine -Reliable-familiar hyper-athlete -Emergency-fill skill center

JUST FABULOUS ANALYSIS OF LAKERS DRAFT OPTIONS By two of my favorite Lakers analysts: Iztok Franko and Mike Garcia! Key Points: 1. Great options in this draft for bigs for Lakers’ #25 pick. 2. Multi-dimensional, high-IQ forwards like Joshua Jefferson and Allen Graves. 3. High-motor big men like Tarris Reed Jr. and Zuby Ejiofor. 4. Two athletic projects and a different look at center like Henri Veesaar, Chris Cenac Jr., and Jayden Quaintance. 5. One more thing: shooters like Isaiah Evans. What I loved is Iztok included great long detailed comprehensive scouting videos of each of these prospects. Great job by Iztok and Mike.

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Walker Kessler or Kel’el Ware I need one of them on my team next season, Pelinka

If you were to convert Walker Kessler’s (negative) optimization value to a 0.00 2 years ago, the resulting impact boost translates to $25M in 2025-26 money. Utah’s $28M offer expects minimal growth, which should bother him. They deflated his value and now are trying to cash in.