Lakers guard Danny Green is confident the team is capable of repeating as NBA champions during the 2020/21 season, Adam Zagoria of Forbes.com writes.
Los Angeles is coming off its first championship since 2010 with superstar performances from LeBron James and Anthony Davis, plus noteworthy production from rotation players such as Green, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Rajon Rondo, Dwight Howard, Kyle Kuzma and Alex Caruso.
“For sure, I think we can definitely get one more for sure,” Green said. “It’s going to be tough because we have so many free agents, with 10 guys that are free agents. Trying to bring everybody back and reconstruct the contracts, it’s going to be difficult, but when you have the nucleus of LeBron and AD — if they bring back AD — that’s pretty much what you need. You don’t need much else around them.”
Among the players set to enter unrestricted free agency are Howard and Markieff Morris, with Rondo and Caldwell-Pope expected to decline their player options and do the same. The others include Davis (who’s expected to re-sign), JaVale McGee ($4.2MM player option), Dion Waiters, J.R. Smith and Jared Dudley. Avery Bradley holds a $5MM player option for next season.
There’s more out of the Pacific Division tonight:
- Suns center Deandre Ayton could prove to be the ultimate difference-maker for the team next season and beyond, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic writes. Ayton, who turned 22 in July, averaged 18.2 points, 11.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 38 games last season. He was the team’s No. 1 pick in the 2018 NBA draft.
- Rankin examines five potential trade destinations for Kelly Oubre Jr. in a separate article for The Arizona Republic. Oubre, who’s on an expiring contract for 2020/21, could be used in trade conversations going forward — much like he was around the trade deadline last February. Oubre averaged a career-high 18.7 points per game on 45% shooting this past season.
- Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times examines how the Clippers are relying on Tyronn Lue‘s ‘Midas touch’ going forward. Lue, who is highly respected by players and officials across the league, was recently promoted to head coach with the team after serving as an assistant last season. “I’ve never found anyone that doesn’t just rave about Ty Lue the person,” one league executive told Greif.
Markieff Morris shoot 42% from the three for the Lakers last year. That would be worth 2 years deal at 12M itself, but Lakers can only offer him $2.8M max.
Kelly Oubre has little trade value. Lets say Cavs offer 5th pick for him and then he walks for nothing next summer.
Must not have found David Blatt
Ayton is a stat-stuffer. Nothing more, nothing less. He’s not a “go-to guy” and he never will be. He lacks the drive and the desire.
Weird things to say about someone you don’t know and have never interacted with.
The Arizona writer is worse.
Actually Ayton should be compared only to other huge bodies, which mechanically cannot move as well as smaller bodies. But you could be right. The writer used many factoids & angles but did not illuminate him much. Maybe that was intentional, his opinion. Early on Ayton was awful at being defensively aware, but some writers said he improved. Ending up with 8 straight is his best stat!
The Ty Lue Great Coach charade will be over after next season
Deandre Ayton is 22 years old and has played less than two full NBA seasons, averaging a paltry 17 ppg and 10.7 rpg. So he’s no good and it’s a lock that he’ll never get any better, right?