Best of The Herd

Tuesday, we’re live in Chicago with plenty to unpack, and I’m framing it like business: you need a clear identity and honest self‑audits, which brings us to the Lakers and the Yankees.

An ESPN report says if LeBron wants back next season, he’s welcome, which screams no firm plan; you can’t promise youth, speed, rim protection, and real shooting while also centering a forty‑something on a massive deal and pretending it’s Luka’s team.

LeBron’s never a background piece, a farewell tour would swallow oxygen, and meanwhile Luka’s window isn’t endless; if he ages more like Carmelo than LeBron, you’ll look up at twenty‑nine and wonder where the time went.

This roster lacks knock‑down shooting and pop, needs three new starters plus depth, and has nobody who’s both a sturdy defender and a catch‑and‑shoot threat; the misses on picks and margins have piled up.

Teams that pick a lane can fix things fast—OKC and San Antonio set a timeline and built to it—so why are the Lakers still hedging?

Quick pivot to the Yankees: they used to be the sport’s aggressor, now they re‑signed almost everyone and doubled down on a lineup that runs poorly, isn’t athletic, commits errors, and lives off the long ball.

When they don’t homer, they’re a different team, the bullpen’s just okay, they’re pinning hopes on Garrett Cole post‑surgery, and their recent October wins skew against weaker Central teams, not elite pitching.

Back to L.A.: this city moves off stars all the time, so what do you do with LeBron if keeping him keeps Luka from truly leading?

My gut says LeBron won’t retire and won’t be a Laker next year, and it’s a basketball sin that they didn’t already stock the exact wings and shooters who fit both an older LeBron and Luka.

They punted two deadlines and an offseason while Luka sits in his prime, and unless Giannis walks through that door, last year’s LeBron might go down as Luka’s best Laker teammate, which is outrageous.

On tanking, I get why teams do it with the hard aprons boxing out quick turnarounds; it’s worked for the Spurs and Pistons, and the Jazz could be next if they hit on another blue‑chipper, so how do you curb it?

I don’t fault teams for following incentives, I fault the league for creating them; trade for the future if you want, but sitting healthy players is bad business and should bring harsh penalties.

Give the bottom ten teams equal lottery odds and threaten to drop tankers out of the lottery entirely to protect competitive integrity.

When smart operators like the Heat and Warriors can’t find a path, the rules might be too tight; did Golden State love its stars too much, or not enough?

They didn’t love Steph enough—the two‑timelines plan was arrogance, 2022 masked it, and instead of going all‑in around Steph and Klay, they tried to thread tomorrow and today and are now stuck while an all‑time great twists in the wind.

NFL quick one: I’d prioritize the Chiefs’ line and run game over a Tyreek reunion; do you even want that swing?

I once thought Tyreek would finish in Kansas City, but the off‑field issues, teammate concerns, and a major knee injury change the calculus; on a cheap deal, maybe, but you don’t build your offseason around him.

Back on Luka, I see more Carmelo than LeBron in how he treats defense and conditioning, and that can age fast; am I too skeptical?

He’s closer to Harden stylistically, but he rises in the playoffs instead of shrinking, and as an offense unto himself he can anchor a contender if you build right, though he’s unlikely to become a stopper.

Don’t be fooled by LeBron and Brady’s aging curves; Luka’s a five‑year MVP‑caliber window, not a decade, and cap space matters less than trade capital in today’s NBA.

One more note on tanking: the NBA still landed a monster media deal and rising ratings, so it’s not killing the bottom line; the real issue is the apron era strangling flexibility, and the league should open more rebuild routes like the NFL and MLB so teams aren’t forced to choose patience or nothing.