Kings head coach Mike Brown has indicated that 6’8″ rookie forward Keegan Murray, the No. 4 pick out of Iowa, could be moved into the team’s starting lineup soon, per Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.
“Yeah, he started the second half [of the team’s Sunday loss against the Warriors], so there’s a chance he could start going forward,” Brown said.
The 0-3 Kings will next have the opportunity to start Murray against the 2-1 Grizzlies on Thursday. As Anderson writes, current starting power forward KZ Okpala seems most likely to be moved to the bench in such a scenario.
There’s more out of the Pacific Division:
- Clippers reserve guard John Wall is hoping for a larger role with Los Angeles, per Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. The 6’4″ vet has been limited by his team to 25 or fewer minutes a night as a backup. Across 23 MPG in two contests thus far, Wall is averaging 16 PPG on .519/.250/.250 shooting splits, plus 3.5 APG, 2.0 RPG and 1.0 SPG. “There’s no recovery process for me,” Wall said. “It’s just a program, a plan [the Clippers have] for me… I was fully healthy last year; I just didn’t play because of the situation [with the Rockets]. So, I’m not on like on a recovery process.”
- The 0-3 Lakers are struggling to start the season, and still seem to be considering offloading the expiring $47.1MM contract of current starting point guard Russell Westbrook. Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report identifies six potential outcomes for the team’s future with Westbrook, including standing pat and not executing a trade.
- Estranged Suns power forward Jae Crowder remains in limbo as both he and Phoenix hope to work out a deal to send Crowder away from the Suns for a hopefully larger role elsewhere, per Chris Haynes of Turner Sports (Twitter video link). “Both sides, his agent and the Suns, they though they were going to come to an agreement on a trade before the season started, and things have been prolonged,” Haynes said. “He’s in the best shape possible of his career and he’s just ready to get back out there on the court.”
Russ & JTA to Miami for Lowry & Duncan… Lakers become a much more balanced team (esp once Schröder & TBryant return). They also get to keep their future 1sts that they’d have to trade to a team that intends to buy Russ out… Miami cuts $40somethin mil off their books for next season & get off Duncan’s contract entirely. Also Russ is a perfect fit for this Heat squad.
No thanks
Lowry would just be RWII next year. (* I absolutely love Lowry’s career btw, but spades a spade today). No appetite for Duncan’s contract either
Just bite down on the stick this year. 2024 can be promising . Always good to give a coach (Ham) a year in the system anyways.
Agreed — I’ll add … why would Miami ever do that? Even if picks were involved I don’t think they would.
The only team Russ is a perfect fit for at this point is probably the Shanghai Sharks.
I would personally love to see Wussell Westbook play in Shanghai
I explained why Mia would do it. Russ is a perfect fit for their team & they’d save enough to go pay Kyrie/Draymond/Harden/KP or someone like that this summer
You fail to elaborate on how Russ is a perfect fit tho. How is a player who can’t shoot and isn’t a good defender and has a bad attitude if he’s not getting his way an ideal fit for the Heat and their culture? Jimmy and Bam need shooters around them. I would agree that the Heat and their strong locker room and culture would be best for Russ but Russ would not be good for them. If he doesn’t fit with lebron and AD, how will he fit with Jimmy and Bam
Russ would be a worse fit in MIA than in LA. At least LeBron has become a respectable 3 pt shooter in his 30s – both Butler and Bam are essentially non-3 pt shooters.
Lowry, even though he’s post-prime, is still just, not only a better fit, but a much better player than Russ at this point in their careers, and if Miami is going to make a run he needs to be that and more.
To swap him for Russ is essentially punting on the season.
I’m sure you’ve seen Russ Westbrook play basketball before. The same reasons why he’s 1 of the greatest pgs of all time are the reasons why he’d be a great fit in Mia. The only reason he’s struggling in LA is bc he’s a horrible fit for their team. He was 1 of the best pgs in the league literally every other season of his career minus his rookie season. As I already explained his explosiveness with the ball & ability to find shooters & the way his game pairs extremely well with guys like Jimmy/Bam/Herro are reasons why he’d upgrade Mia. Lakers lack shooting. Miami doesn’t. This seems like obv stuff smh. Jimmy & Bam have shooters around them lol. Bron & AD don’t. Bron is a ball dominant pg, Jimmy & Herro aren’t. This stuff truly isn’t that hard to comprehend I promise
Simple questions (w/ answers)
1) How many players can play on the court for one team at a time?
Answer: 5
2) If Jimmy, Bam, and Russ can’t shoot, how many non-shooters does that make?
Answer: 3
3) If 3 of 5 players can’t shoot in a lineup what percentage is that?
Answer: 60%
4) Does a lineup with 60% of non-shooters “have a lot of shooting”?
Answer: “This stuff truly isn’t that hard to comprehend I promsie”
You can’t just say something and it magically becomes true. How does Russ’ explosiveness help Bam and Jimmy? If his explosiveness is a plus, then why isn’t it working in LA? By taking away two shooters from Miami, what is left? If your pg, sf, and pf/c are nonshooters, who is he going to pass to for these shots?
Russ is an all time great boxscore filler, but his value to playoff teams has never been proven. Your trade does not improve Miami, a clear upper echelon playoff team, it provides no salary relief nor does it improve the on court product.
For someone who constantly touts his watching basketball, you clearly haven’t been watching the heat since the got butler. He is ball dominant forward just like lebron, but not quite as extreme, still sitting at 25% usage rate. Russ would best be suited for a team where he is the main slasher and facilitator. That isn’t Miami.
In what way would Lowry be Westbrook II? He’s always been a very good shooter & very good defender.. he’s exactly the type of starting pg LAL needs. Lakers don’t need an explosive, ball dominant, great rebounding, poor shooting pg. They need shooting
What Lowry are we talking Sank ?
The one today or the one over his career that’s been spectacular… Ida loved Kyle Lowry of yesteryear, today nah, I’d tap the 24′ cap…kinda what your suggesting Mia to do isn’t it?
We’re talking about the Kyle Lowry that plays for the Heat. The 1 shooting around 38-40% from trey over the past few seasons. Obv hes not as great as he was in his prime. Neither is LeBron. Since time machines dont exist the Lakers just gotta keep pushing forward. It feels like it should be pretty obv why he’d be a good option for the Lakers. Lowry & Duncan would clearly improve their team shooting by alot. They’d improve the spacing & probably help the vibe in the locker room also. Lakers best player is like 38yrs old. They can’t afford to chalk up this season & wait for next yr. It would be a crime against basketball to play this season out with this disjointed roster & waste Brons 20th season, especially when they won’t be able to benefit with a high draft pick next summer… also I’m def not suggesting Mia tank or chalk up this season to focus on free agency next summer smh. Them opening up $40+M is obv a big positive for them going forward but as I’ve said already they also improve this season by acquiring Russ & JTA. Russ is clearly far more explosive than Lowry. He puts way more pressure on opposing defenses. He pairs better with Jimmy, Bam, VO & Herro than Lowry does. Plus JTA fits their current needs better than Duncan does.
They aren’t clearing 40 million tho. With herro’s extension, they won’t actually have cap space to sign any meaningful free agents. Bam, herro, and butler account for roughly $105 million on next seasons payroll. If Yurt gets a QO and Dipo opts in, plus add in Martin’s guarantee, you add another $17 million. That’s $122 million for 6 players. The cap is projected to be $134 million.
Miami is one of the few teams that could fit for Westbrook. However, he won’t be finding his way to Miami until the Lakers buy him out and make him a free agent.
Miami’s bench is lacking badly. He could play his game with the Miami bench if they start Max Strus.
Westbrook wont agree coming off the bench because it will hurt his ego
The most likely Russ outcome at this point is being sent home outright or agreeing to publicly blame a BS injury
LA’s leverage to get anything of value back in a trade is decreasing daily and frankly this team just isn’t good enough to waste this amount of energy trying to beat utilize a player who’s MAYBE as good as Dennis Schroeder right now?
The Lakers continue to have a good deal of leverage with Westbrook. His trade value will be at it’s highest as the trade deadline approaches. Not right now.
Next year’s free agent class not good.
If a team like the Bulls falls off, and decides to get rid of contracts, then Westbrook becomes valuable. Bulls could fix a lot of what is wrong with Lakers. DeMar DeRozan? Nikola Vucevic? Westbrook contract can absorb whatever money Bulls want off the books. Bulls take those two future 1st rounders off the Lakers hands. Westbrook becomes a free agent after buyout.
Good post Barry, but still why from the Lakers perspective. Best to just “go the route” Chi would be going by trading for Russ
Agree BS69- That is the most likely course of action. Id put both options right now well above a trade. Doesn’t really matter which of those 2 either in the grand scheme
I don’t know why people have no problem with other teams throw away years but when it comes to LAL its like kryptonite.
Love;N Brunson in the Big Apple so far btw
@cap&crunch – If you look at next year free agent class it ain’t that good. If Kyrie is staying in Brooklyn … Then the Lakers best value for the available cap space in 2023 may be via trade. DeRozan solves mid-range shooting, and can even run the point.
The best value at the best price for Lakers may be at the trade deadline.
Wall is 32. He has been one full (or close to) year without playing. Before that, he had torn both his Achilles and ACL.
He’s now averaging 16 ppg in 23 min on 52% from the field, with TWENTY FIVE PERCENT from three, which is good for 33 points per 48 min (close to league-leading rate).
Russ is only two years older, didn’t have any injury (I love You Russ, You will be always HOF athletic), and had been playing always. In 2021, averaged almost a triple doubles again with a Lot if 14+ assist and 14+ rebound games, while helping the freakin’ Washington Wizards to the playoffs.
I don’t see Any cause why Russ can’t produce close to Wall now at least, other than pressuring him as to scapegoat him for all the Lakers shortcomings.
In a decent fit, he would be producing again as a high-level player, Even if That’s not his HOF career and prime.
Calling him to not play and go to China is plain basketball ignorancia to me, with all due respect
It isn’t ignorance, it’s people being haters.
@ Julian:
Russ is now averaging 10.3 ppg in 28.7 min on 28.9% from the field, WITH 8.3 PERCENT from three.
That speaks for itself as far as his inability to produce “close to Wall”.