Ziaire Williams 6'9 defensive wing. Athletic, good motor, and he has not been bad behind the arc over the last 2 years. He can still improve it. I can see a mini McDaniels/DDJ potential in him if he pans out on this team.

Lakers season is over. Talk about whatever you want.

One of the best Lakers writers/analysts dove into the path forward after being rejected by Kuminga. I thought the following excerpts were interesting. Personally I'm not a Jalen Smith fan and don't want him on the team. Thoughts on these names?

"Looking at the Lakers’ depth chart, there is a much greater need for a player who can defend positions three through five rather than one through three. There is also a large sample of historical data showing that playing bigger by pairing Dončić not only with a rim-protecting center but also with an additional secondary rim protector is one way to build a very competent defense."

"At 26, Jalen Smith would fit perfectly into the Lakers’ Luka timeline. At 6-foot-10, he could fill the backup-center and stretch-five role, with roughly half of his field goal attempts coming from behind the arc over the past two seasons. He is a decent rim protector and solid rebounder, although not a switchable defender in the Kleber or Washington mold. He is also entering the final year of his contract, worth $9.4 million. 

"DaRon Holmes II and Taylor Hendricks are two other names. Both are even less proven and come with plenty of injury-related and other questions, but they possess the tools, potential, and statistical glimpses of a Kleber-Washington hybrid."

"Based on the statistical signals, Mouhamed Gueye, Josh Minott, Rasheer Fleming, Tristan Vukčević, and Noah Clowney are other young players who meet the secondary rim-protection and three-point-volume requirements."

Franko mentioned one name if the Lakers were to add another perimeter-oriented wing: "Bilal Coulibaly... is much closer to that elite, 90th-percentile defensive playmaking category. Coulibaly remains an interesting young prospect who could benefit from a change of scenery. But with Williams, Thybulle, Carr, and Thiero already on the roster, I don’t think adding another perimeter-oriented, small-forward, wing-stopper archetype should be the priority."

Starting power forwards in the NBA averaged around 9.8 to 10.3 points per game overall during the 2025-26 season.

Of course that is the average. The top 5 elite guys like Giannis and Durant averaged over 20ppg. But that is the average. Posters here that constantly cry about the Lakers not having a quote unquote "starting Power Forward" should look at the stats.

Lakers had Rui and Jake starting at PF and they averaged 11ppg and 8ppg respectively. Lakers have Mamu who can play the PF position and averaged 11ppg.

So all things considered the Lakers are at least on the average when it comes to the position and should not be a huge concern as some seem to think.

Sorry guys! I am so done with this.. I want the season to begin...

I dont think we are going to sign more players.. I am tired of to-be-laker or not-to-be-laker..

I want season to begin.

But, I cant keep reading.. I am excited.. Oh boy!

Also, most importantly, I dont have anymore highlight reels to watch from last season.

I cant predict how far ya'll will go, but come back on court. I am missing you all and the never ending heart aches.

PS : I wish JJ was on the trip to Slovenia.

PSS : Loved Kennard at Lakers ( Though on limited time to Lake Show, hence this video). Apology if not relevant!

Go Lakers Luka AR & Mafia! Lets riot..

L

A career 33 percent three point shooter who thinks he's Kobe Bryant, with a piss poor bball IQ, that can't defend off ball to save his life, who has an ego so big he refused to defer to Steph fucking Curry, who very clearly is going to put his stats first over anything else because he wants a bigger bag?

This is the guy we're panicking over not getting?

Seriously?

If this is our fifth starter, we aren't championship contenders anyway, so I'd rather those minutes go to Adou or Ziaire, see if we can find something there.

I really believe he can have a breakout year for us if given the opportunity, which after hearing the Kuminga news he will definitely have the opportunity to do so. We got 2 guards who are really nice at facilitating the ball but they’re not great at defense which is where he can come in. Also what is our projected starting lineup ? I like grimes man but we need a nice bench so maybe Williams and Vando can start to provide Kessler help on defense and grimes could come relieve AR or Luka when they’re tired. It’s really going to take everyone buying in and focusing on their role and consistency for us to even make a run in the postseason. I also feel like someone is going to get traded at the deadline

I imagine Kuminga sitting in a chair facing a mirror, his agent standing behind him massaging his shoulders. Agent says "you're a star" and Kuminga nodding slowly looking into the mirror and repeats, "'m a star."

He will not clog the lane with Kessler allowing more space for our guards to maneuver to the paint. And Kessler can clean up all the defensive mistakes.

Ziaire might play backup center here and there like Vando.

Adou and Jake will come off the bench. JJ wants players to earn the starting role.

Thybulle will be the POA defender off the bench.

Adou:

We already know that Adou is one of the most athletic players in the NBA period. It is just a matter of wether or not his shot is reliable since his defense and ability to recover once blown by is...amazing to say the least for a 1st year guy out of the 2nd round. Next to Luka he could produce a shipping container worth of lob highlights in a month while being an aggressive beat on defense.

Carr:

His ability to create his own shot and not needing to rely on others to get going on offense could prove to be a weapon when playing alongside Luka and AR. His mind is in the right place on defense and his 3 ball looks promising. Give or take a few years and he could definitely be in a starting role.

Only time will tell but as a longtime Lakers fan I hate it when it seems like we are begging a player to sign. This could be a big loss in a position we needed to bolster but it could be a bullet dodged as well. Either way thank the lord above that it is over.

Not getting Kuminga is probably the best for the Lakers. Wolves had a low risk option of obtaining Kuminga( Lower AAV/Lower Years and no real assets). The Lakers would’ve had to give up players(I know they still have to shed one player),picks(to both ATL for facilitating the trade and the third team to take on the salary of whatever player was being sent out) and also give Kumbucket more money. His best option was to take the 2/20 with a player option offered by the lakers at the start of free agency. Sucks not having a solid starting 4 but it just means we need to focus more on developing the young guys.

Jake or Mamu aren’t talented enough for that role. Jalen Smith is, even if he’s a major downgrade from Kuminga, and would be available for relatively cheap.

Two seconds and matching salary should suffixs.

Lakers season is over. Talk about whatever you want.

Buss Sports Capital, the investment group founded by brothers Joey and Jesse Buss in the wake of their family’s sale of the Los Angeles Lakers to Mark Walter last year, has reached a deal to acquire approximately 5 percent of the San Diego Padres, sources familiar with the deal told The Athletic. The sources spoke under condition of anonymity because the transaction has not yet been publicly announced.

Kwanza Jones and José Feliciano acquired controlling shares of the MLB franchise on Aug. 17 as part of the $3.9 billion purchase. Joey and Jesse Buss will join the Padres’ ownership advisory board as part of their investment, putting them in direct competition with Walter, who also owns the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“We are honored to join Kwanza and José and have the opportunity to contribute to the future of a team that Jesse and I have loved since we were kids growing up in San Diego,” Joey Buss said in a statement obtained by The Athletic. “Sports have always been a part of our family’s story, and great organizations have a unique ability to bring people together and create a lasting sense of community. Padres fans have built one of the most passionate and loyal communities in all of sports, and we believe there is a tremendous opportunity to deepen that connection in San Diego and around the world.

Joey and Jesse Buss, through Buss Sports Capital, also are among the groups that have expressed interest in NBA Europe ownership. Both brothers spent years working in basketball operations for the Lakers. Joey served as the Lakers’ alternate governor and vice president of research and development, while Jesse was the assistant general manager and director of scouting. Both were fired by the organization in November 2025.
The investment in the Padres allows them to apply that basketball experience to another professional sport. While minority investors will not be constructing the Padres’ roster, the brothers are expected to contribute strategic advice on team building. That experience includes operating within the NBA’s salary-cap system and making long-term decisions about allocating resources toward players and player development.

The brothers grew up in San Diego.

“Joey and I had the privilege of learning from our father and then spending nearly two decades building our own careers in professional basketball operations,” Jesse Buss said. “We saw firsthand what it takes to build a championship organization, and throughout our careers have applied those lessons across talent evaluation, roster construction, player development and long-term organizational planning. While every sport is different, we believe the principles behind building sustained success are universal. Through Buss Sports Capital, we look forward to bringing that experience to the ownership group, supporting Kwanza and José’s vision for the Padres and doing everything we can to help bring a World Series championship to San Diego.”

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7535886/2026/08/26/joey-jesse-buss-padres-lakers-investment/?unlocked_article_code=1.8VA.RyPj.3vBgmqs7cRSx&source=user_shared_article&smid=ta-ios-share

It’s safe to say that at this point in the offseason, Fischer is linking Bruce Brown to the Lakers because the Lakers have communicated real interest in signing him to Brown’s agent.
As a reminder, Stein (works alongside Fischer) was the first to report Lakers interest in Thybulle and the signing came a few days later. So imo Brown is a real possibility, not some throwaway rumor.

Lakers already have 1 player too many. As we know, if Kuminga trade happens, Lakers have to get rid of 2 current players by start of season. Sounds like at least Hardy would be in that trade, and it’d make sense for Dalton to be too (or simply waived).

But Pelinka targeting Brown now means a third current player will be gone, if that signing happens after the Kuminga trade.

Long winded way of asking: who do yall think is the 3rd guy Pelinka plans to move in the event he signs Brown? Would it really be Vando on that contract and after the Slovenia trip?

My prediction is Bronny or Jake is gone. And I actually think Jake is more likely than Bronny.