After approximately half of the players on the Lakers‘ 15-man roster were mentioned in rumored trade talks for Anthony Davis within the last week, president of basketball operations Magic Johnson intends to meet with the club this weekend in Philadelphia, reports Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times.
According to Turner, Johnson will talk to the Lakers’ players about the Davis saga and will listen to every player who wants to say something, encouraging an open dialogue so that the Lakers can move forward and focus on the task ahead for the rest of the season. Turner writes that Johnson will emphasize “that the NBA is a business and that this franchise is about winning championships and doing all it can to accomplish that goal.”
Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart, Lance Stephenson, Rajon Rondo, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope were all featured in various Davis-related rumors last week, with reports suggesting that L.A. had offered each of those players in at least one package for the Pelicans’ star.
The ongoing chatter seemed to be affecting the Lakers on the court on Tuesday night, when the team suffered a 42-point loss in Indiana. However, L.A. bounced back on Thursday, winning a dramatic 129-128 contest over the Celtics.
At 28-27, the Lakers remain in the hunt for a playoff spot in the West and currently sit 1.5 games behind the eighth-seeded Clippers. The club opened up a roster spot on Thursday and could add some reinforcements for the stretch run.
While Carmelo Anthony has frequently been linked to the Lakers, the team also has interest in Markieff Morris, assuming he’s healthy, Turner reports. Morris, who is dealing with a neck injury, was waived by the Pelicans on Thursday and is on track to reach free agency this weekend.
Id rather have morris than melo but some how we will wind up with that bum.
Well one healthy and one dealing with a neck injury. So I think I’ll take the healthy player
I’d take half the guys in the league at 50% before I’d take Melo at 100%
What about Kanter?
I’d take tesodic to back up rondo for the moment
I don’t think he be a good fit. I think he isn’t the healthiest player from what I heard
10-day for Milos and evaluate him from there
Why doesn’t he let BRON , BRON speak with them. It is apparent he is the GM not tragic. This is the biggest Train Wreck in the NBA. I guess that is what happens when you sign one of the greatest of all times who has had his way his entire career except in Miami and doesn’t understand he is on the backside of his career. They will NEVER WIN a Title with him on the team and/ or Tragic in the front office.
His numbers show his “backside” is as good as his frontside – and better than 90% of the league in it’s history. Not bad for his backside.
Why is this meeting being played out in the public? That’s the issue with the Lakers, everything is being done via the media. This kind of stuff needs to stay behind closed doors.
Why? It’s LA. Of course it’s going to be a media spectacle.
Sucks that Kenter and LeBron don’t like eachother because Kenter is a beast and I’d love to have him on the Lakers, wouldn’t mind bringing him on for the rest of the year then after signing that max player (if they do) re-signing him. I don’t think Melo will hurt the team, it’s only gonna be like 20 games that he plays.
A beast that gets cut and plays zero defense.
He is no beast he can score but everyone says he terrible on defense
so, what will he say? sorry?
This is so overblown, there are probably 20 or fewer players in the entire league that wouldn’t get traded for AD if the pelicans asked.
Couldn’t agree more. Reality: Anthony Davis its Top 5. In the league. Painting him. With another Top 5 player IS too tempting pass up. The players know that.
Whatever Lebron James wants, he should get it. That’s all I know. It’s the price you pay to have the best player in the game coming to your team.
Didn’t realize Durant was a laker?
James’ comments yesterday a saying basically “he’s done it all” and “everything else is ‘icing on the cake’” one again scream self-indulgent selfishness and egoism. Granted he is a great player but no one should is greater than the game or the team. The headline in the LA Times today asks “Is it too early to call the Lebron decision a disaster?” I would say no it’s not too early and yes it is a disaster.
Calm down kid, everyone knew they were going to be bad this year. The litmus test will come when they get some other real players in there next year. Or they won’t and then it’s a disaster.
It is rather amusing when someone refers to a 68 year old as “kid” and as far as your “test”, I believe the fans have been “tested enough” and deserve management who has an actual plan in place similar to that of teams who have been a consistent success over the past 6-10 years (of course Golden State but also in many cases franchises like Dallas, San Antonio to mention a few).
It is contradictory to start with a first-year condemnation of James/Lakers then go on about the importance of consistent success. In fact James has consistent success, and the Lakers were on a roll when James & Rondo were injured.
You wouldn’t like some of MJordan’s similar quotes either, or Wilt’s, or Kobe’s. The sport favors self-confidence.
Like Rachel Nicoles says, to James, this was not even supposed to be a big year, and he did not disagree, but said once it got going, then he wanted to win.
Except in those other players case they are correct. LeBron is a whiny little girl, hardly a top player.
You’re obsessed with him. Embarrassing.
Not near as much as you are.
I just want to set the record straight. I am outnumbered by obssessoracists.
Everyone knew? Lakers fans already declared themselves the western conference champs when LeBron signed. As the season drags on you are all now changing your time, oh we never ment that, he needs real players to help him! At seasons start Lonzo and Ingram were (according to laker fans) the top 2 youngsters in the game, now they are not even tradable. Get over it, toddler, the Lakers are garbage and so are their fans.
Way to hate on fans.
I think the players 136-94 was the players way of saying something.
That is the loss to Indiana. That spoke volumes.
Lebron drafting all upcoming free agents for all star game says something too. Id worry about resigning kyrie
I don’t worry about you because I know you know absolutely nothing about the east coast. Paladin and I saw your projections. Wrong. None of the top free agents want to play 2nd fiddle to LeBron. AD is the 1st to say he wanted too. They blew it again.
The Lakers may have had a meeting after the Pacers game. Lance Stephenson invited his friends to meet him at Hooters. They reserved a table in the middle and had a 25 minute wait to get in. Of course he couldn’t make it. I can see him back in Indy down the road.
You might worry about the free agent thing. For the 2020-21 season the Lakers have a payroll of $75,583,924 for 8 players. If you add a max free agent this summer for say $35,000,000, that puts you at $110,583,924 with a projected cap of $118,000,000. So you would have $7,416,078 to sign Ad and 6 players (numbers from Basketball Insiders). Won’t happen. Same if they get AD in trade, they won’t have enough cap space to sign another max free agent.
Lakers game at Boston tells more about chemistry than the one at Indiana, was very enjoyable to see LBJ destroying the Celtics. That proves your chemistry theory & all your others to be unadulterated garbage
What I’m saying is the young kids said to Magic, yes it bothers us when you go public saying you’ll trade all of us. Pacer fans were yelling LeBron will trade you when Ingram was at the line. Ingram had a tough night against Indiana and Boston. It’s been out all year LeBron and Ingram have problems. Magics meeting with the team Sunday is about chemistry. The Lakers didn’t hit the Celtics or destroy them, “they won by 1.” The NBA came out today and said the refs missed an illegal screen by Tyson Chandler that allowed Rondo to get the ball for the final shot. I don’t worry about you either because you are soooo biased because of your allegience to LeBron.
Make that hit the Celtics out of the park. Today’s newspaper headlines said “Lakers win thriller.” Your stuff “really” is garbage.
Make that hit the Celtics out of the park. Today’s newspaper headlines said “Lakers win thriller.” Your stuff “really” is garbage.
P.S. If you can add, you’ll find the figures about free agency are not unadulterated garbage. Luke figured the numbers yesterday and found if the Lakers acquire Davis, they won’t have cap space to sign a max free agent. What Demps did wasn’t unadulterated garbage either.
Ptn- James and Davis would make 2 max FAs and that is all that’s necessary to preserve roster flexibility– and win.
Your claim that the Lakers split apart will be a fail. They already are not. Ingram of course had his position taken, and can get grumpy. Stuff happens.
LeBron will get a Star. The NBA wants it. The Nuggets better watch out in the first round.Rondo is a playoff beast.
Yes Rondo gets done what a PG needs to get done. Other people can do the 3pt shooting.
The NBA can already sell the Lakers. They don’t need to maneuver a big star there. Bledsoe & Vucevic will do fine!
Please Mr. Magic.
About this Melo fellow?
Don’t you freekin dare.