oberon

[NBA on ESPN @ESPNNBA]

Every player from the Lakers' Game 1 starting lineup vs. the Rockets will be gone next season 😳

[oberon @Seceterio]

FUCKKKKKKKKKK 💔💔💔💔💔💔💔

[Shams Charania @ShamsCharania]

Just in: Free agent Rui Hachimura has agreed to a two-year, $28 million deal to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers, sources tell ESPN.

[💛 Nei 💛 @N3I631X]

Cabo verde hubiera eliminado a portugal

[Dexerto @Dexerto]

A Ford worker was fired after being accused of stealing a cookie, only for the company to later confirm he had paid for it

The employee declined an offer to return after losing his job of 11 years

[Fabrizio Romano @FabrizioRomano]

🚨🚨 BREAKING: Neymar announces his RETIREMENT FROM INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL. 👋🏼🇧🇷

“I tried. I tried. It started here at Met Life stadium and I finished here. It is now over”, Ney said after the game.

His story with the Brazilian national team is over.

[oberon @Seceterio]

@8bdrssss Smear campaign from CR7

[carø 3/3 @jjkdday]

los jugadores de cabo verde estaban esperando que messi termine de dar notas para sacarse fotos con el 🥹🥹

[Patrick Williams @EFCxGoat]

Disallowed goals for the opponents:

🇦🇷 Argentina in WC 2022: 0

🇵🇹 Portugal in WC 2026 (4 games): 5

But it’s rigged for Argentina 👍🏻

[oberon @Seceterio]

I could understand that the reason they’re trading him was because he “went off script” and wasn’t a team player but calling him not a Top-50 player is disingenuous as hell.

[Underdog NBA @UnderdogNBA]

Additional details on Jaylen Brown trade, per @sam_amick, @byjayking:

- Trade "not driven by finances"
- Blazers' analytics view Brown as a "negative player"
- One current GM doesn't view Brown as a top-50 player in the league
- Celtics believe all four picks received will be valuable whether kept or used in trades
- Boston questioned whether Brown would buy in to re-accepting a smaller role alongside Jayson Tatum
- Celtics thought Brown went "off script" too often during playoff series loss to Sixers

[J. 🇭🇷 @JosipFCB93]

Its gonna be the biggest hatewatch of my life. Lamine please I beg you.

[Alaa (in 🇯🇵) @lebantineala]

lamine KILL that washed rapist

[🦭✪ @levantinemarx]

Muslim men be like: omg my rapist role model said Bismallah 😭😭🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼💗💗💗

[hana 🇧🇦🇫🇷🇪🇸 @may_equinox]

the world cup is really babying a 40 year old rapist

[Spider-Man News @SpiderMan_Newz]

New look at Spider-Man Brand New Day

[your cousin Vinny @muddaub]

this response could shut down 90% of discourse on this app

[JNav @jnavla]

Interesting note from Marc Spears: New Lakers ownership has pushed Rob Pelinka to be “more diligent and deeper” in his decision making.

It’s a positive that this was identified by new ownership.

[Jovan Buha @jovanbuha]

My extended thoughts on the Lakers’ moves today (for those who didn’t catch my stream):

— I think the primary goal should’ve been to land a long-term piece next to Luka and Austin. There was no scenario in which the Lakers built a team as good as OKC's or SAS's in one offseason (especially after losing LeBron). They landed that foundational player in Walker Kessler, my top offseason target (at any position) and clear top C. Perfect fit. Franchise cornerstone who can be top 5 in FG%, rebounds, and blocks next season. Monster on both ends. Love the signing. Think the AAV is fair and in line with market value, especially re: poaching him in restricted free agency. From that perspective, the offseason is an unequivocal success. I give the Kessler trade an A (would’ve liked to have kept one pick and/or one swap out of it -- trade price was high). Add in Deandre Ayton and Mamu, and I think the Lakers have one of the strongest center cores in the league.

-- I also think the FO deserves credit for emptying the clip and going all-in for Kessler. The price was high, but I've criticized them for years for refusing to trade picks and meet some of the asking prices for young starters. It's only right to commend them when they actually do it. They went three transactional cycles with Luka without adding a high-level young starter. They finally did that.

— As for the other three moves, I like all three players individually, particularly on the offensive end. I see the vision there. Collectively, they check a ton of boxes: youth, speed, shooting, dynamism, ball-handling/playmaking, rebounding (Mamu). This can be a top-five, if not even top-three, offense.

-- At the same time, I view all three players as largely bench-level guys on a true contender. I view Grimes as a fringe starter/6MOY type, and Mamu and Sexton as high-level bench players. As of right now, two of those three project to start. It's similar to last season, when multiple guys were slotted into higher roles than they should've been (Smart, Rui, and Ayton).

-- I think LA overpaid each player by roughly $1M-$2M in AAV, based on the market and similar signings. Not the worst thing in the world, but I also don’t understand why those contracts also came with player options. Should’ve only been POs with lower AAV deals (or fewer years). Or the agreed-to AAV with no POs. Feels like they paid max market value on each player + gave the PO on top. Perhaps that had to do with waiting on Kessler S&T, but I think they needed to negotiate the AAV or PO down.

— I’m probably lower than consensus on Grimes. But I’ve come more around to the signing. I just think that, for now, they’re asking him to be: 1) the No. 3 option on a title contender, and 2) the defensive stopper on a title contender. I’m not sure either one of those is an appropriate ask of him. I think a proper slotting would be him as the fourth-best offensive player and the No. 2, or even 3, defender in a starting group. Offensively, he's an amazing fit, and the Lakers haven't had a role player with that skill set in years. Defensively, he'll need to channel his best stretches of defense far more consistently. Even then, I don't think he can be the best POA or wing defender on a title team (which he currently is among LA's top 7 players).

— Love Mamu’s game and skill set. Just don’t think he’s a starter on a contender -- especially defensively. The Lakers are now set up to have him or Luka defend wings that play at the 4. Not ideal. If the Lakers add a 4 and move him into a third big role, I love the fit and see the vision. He can shoot, pass, drive, and rebound. He’s going to unlock a ton for them offensively in two-big looks or as the single big. I think it’s close between him and Rui, but I understand why they picked him. He has a more well-rounded game. He's the one that I have the most issue with contract-wise. That deal should have been 3 years at $39M, or 4 years at $40M, with no PO (same AAV on the shorter deal or a lower AAV on the 4-year deal).

— Sexton is the signing I have the most reservations about. I think the Lakers would’ve been better served spending less $ — or even the same $ — retaining Marcus Smart or signing Kelly Oubre Jr. Both are much better defenders than Sexton, and could switch between POA and wing stopper roles at a higher level. Sexton is the better offensive player — better scorer/passer/shooter — but the Lakers’ obvious weakness with a Luka/AR/Kessler core is perimeter defense. I get the appeal of a scoring bench guard; I just think that archetype is easier to find than a (playable) wing/POA stopper. You can find the former on min deals every summer. You can't get the latter — most of the min. defenders aren't playoff-level guys. You can’t solve every hole in one transaction cycle, but the Lakers once again prioritized a small, offensive-minded guard over adding wing/perimeter defense. Sexton’s reputation as a defender is far beyond his actual defense. Even in the best-case scenario, he’s a 6-2 guard with switching limitations. The Lakers need good defenders in the 6-6 to 6-9 range. I would feel much better about this roster with Smart or Oubre in Sexton's place.

— The Lakers didn’t address the wing defense for the sixth consecutive offseason (post 2020-21 season). It’s been a real blind spot for them post-KCP/Caruso. Grimes and Sexton are not good enough to be the primary POAs/wing stoppers on a title team. If you consider the Lakers a top 10 team (which I still do), I think they have the worst collection of 1-4 defensive talent among those teams by a decent margin (NYK, SAS, OKC, TOR, PHI, DEN, MIN, HOU & DET). That’s before mentioning CLE, ORL, PHX, POR, etc. DEN is maybe the exception -- depending on their offseason -- but I’d still take Gordon or Watson over any Laker perimeter defender by a good margin.

-- I believe Kessler can be in the non-Wemby/Gobert conversation for best rim-protector in the league. He'll put out some of these fires, and is a massive upgrade over Ayton/Hayes. LA was the second-worst rim-protecting team in the NBA last season. That won't be the case this season. At the same time, he's not Wemby. He's not an elite defensive system in and of himself. He needs support. And the Lakers have built a rotation that is basically, "Let Kessler save us."

-- There are three wild cards in all of this: Adou Thiero, Cameron Carr, and Jake LaRavia. Adou and Carr have the athleticism and defensive upside LA desperately needs. Perhaps one of them pops and quells some of these concerns. I think that's a big ask for a second- and/or first-year player, respectively, but that's the challenge ahead. LaRavia's shot and offensive confidence declined over the second half of last season, and if he can return to shooting like SAC/MEM (high 30s), he can be a bench stopgap.

-- For those mentioning Vando, JJ has never used Vando as anything more than a 9th man when the team has been healthy over the past two seasons. They have clearly not clicked. JJ values shooting above almost all else. Perhaps LA is injured enough for Vando to factor in more, but I believe Jake will be ahead of him (again), and Adou and Carr may even be given opportunities ahead of him as well. This is all before factoring in the possibility that LA might trade him at some point.

-- Overall, I commend LA for going all-in for Kessler. They added their center of the future and a third foundational piece. I think they also added three high-level bench players, albeit on contracts that are far more player-friendly than team-friendly. I think they've probably taken a step back from last season. It's been a successful offseason, but I think they need to start prioritizing perimeter defense more seriously and look beyond players whose primary strength is having a bag.

-- As for comparing this group to last season, I don't think the new starting group or bench is as cohesive as last season's group. I think LA has 7 guys who could play in a series vs. NYK/OKC/SAS. Last season, I believe they also had 7, but they had more top-end talent with LeBron. Maybe Kessler is transformative enough defensively to offset that. I could be wrong. I think this group has a higher floor than last season's but a lower ceiling.

[𝙎 ⁶𓅓 @OVOLakeShow]

It's so funny to me you guys whine about LeBron and now we can win championships since we "moved on"

But when it comes to free agency and the actual moments to get winning players and the right guys with our money it's all this shit in my mentions about "it is what it is" and "oh well" and "wait and see" and this defeatist attitude bullshit while you sit on a throne in any lebron convo talking about "nah we don't settle for any less than championships here!!"

The actual fake Laker fans if you ask me.

If this is the final ballclub, the lakers got worse this summer and nobody can say otherwise

[Brett Siegel @BrettSiegelNBA]

The Lakers now have no tradeable first-round draft picks over the next 7 years after this sign-and-trade for Walker Kessler.

Los Angeles is now also committed to $475 million between Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and Walker Kessler.

[StatMuse @statmuse]

Fun Fact: The Lakers traded away more first round picks for Walker Kessler than Luka Doncic.