Knicks:
they address the biggest issue of last season: The missing secondary creator
After losing Robinson, there is a hole at the backup 5 that needs to be filled because I don’t think Hukporti is ready jet
Losing two key players for a LeBron rental seems questionable at first but the Knicks are in a win now situation and the ceiling of the team is way higher with LeBron than OG/Mitch
it also allows for flexibility after 2026-27 (KAT PO, Josh Hart TO) and opens up two and a half max contracts in a stacked FA class + the Knicks have bird rights on all FAs
LeBron covers a lot of the holes from last year and helps lean in more into the offensive identity that Coach Brown/their star duo embody
Lakers:
Their front office decides to be aggressive after securing Luka’s signature and proceed to built a fitting team around him
even though the team isn’t completely
AD is a couple of years younger than LeBron and his skillset perfectly covers Luka’s weaknesses
adding Robinson is a great pickup because if healthy they immediately become a top 5 defense with two top 15 players leading the way
he’s also ideal for center depth because it allows them to play AD in his best position
AD also works perfectly as a filler co-star for the next 2-3 years until they can find the next big superstar free agent (Jokic?) to pair with a prime 28/29 year old Luka
lakers dodge to pay AR a borderline max contract next season and retain the flexibility to put a couple of elite and better fitting role players next to AD/Luka
Dallas:
With Kyrie out for the season I feel like Dallas should use the year to develop Cooper as much as possible, especially since there is no pressure because they own their own FRP in the upcoming draft
AD is still a borderline top 10 player, but his fit with the current squad/Cooper is questionable and him being on the wrong side of 30 and injury prone is not ideal for the team
Dallas gets a couple of elite vets back for AD that are just shy of their prime years and FRPs that give Dallas more control and leverage back at the trade market
the new roster reminds me a lot of the late 10s Tatum Celtics rosters which work as the perfect guide on how to build a strong contender around your young star player(s)
Thoughts?