Los Angeles Lakers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Scotto’s Latest: VanVleet, Anunoby, Middleton, DiVincenzo, G. Williams

June 18th, 2023 at 11:01am CST by Arthur Hill

New head coach Ime Udoka’s desire to land a veteran point guard makes the Rockets a strong contender for Fred VanVleet in free agency, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Houston will be part of a large group of teams expected to pursue VanVleet, who remains open to re-signing with the Raptors, Scotto adds.

The Suns expressed interest in VanVleet the last time he was a free agent, Scotto notes. Chris Paul appears to be on the way out of Phoenix, as Scotto’s sources say the team has discussed a number of trade scenarios, including a proposed deal reported Saturday that would send him to Washington as part of a package for Bradley Beal.

The Lakers would also like to add VanVleet, according to Scotto, but would probably need to work out a sign-and-trade with the Raptors to make it happen. That would require Toronto to have interest in D’Angelo Russell, who is also a free agent.

VanVleet has also been linked to the Magic because president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman previously worked in Toronto, but Scotto cites skepticism that Orlando is ready to make a big free agent move while the core of the team is still young.

Scotto passes along more inside information:

The Grizzlies are a team to watch if the Raptors decide to part with OG Anunoby, Scotto states. Memphis is offering future first-round draft picks to add a wing player, according to Scotto’s sources, and Anunoby would be an attractive target if he becomes available. Scotto notes that the Grizzlies were willing to give four first-round picks to Brooklyn in February for Mikal Bridges, and the need for wing help has increased with Dillon Brooks not expected back next season.
League executives tell Scotto that they expect Khris Middleton to re-sign with the Bucks for about $130MM over four years if he turns down his $40.4MM player option. Milwaukee is hoping to re-sign Brook Lopez as well, Scotto adds, but the veteran center will likely get an offer from the Rockets.
Donte DiVincenzo is expected to turn down his $4.7MM player option and receive better offers than the Warriors can match. One executive told Scotto that DiVincenzo is likely to be offered the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which is well above the four-year, $23.2MM deal that Golden State can give him due to cap restrictions. Scotto hears that the Warriors have also received interest in Jonathan Kuminga from several teams that believe he can be more successful with an increased role.
The Mavericks have expressed interest in Celtics free agent forward Grant Williams, who has the same agent as Luka Doncic, sources tell Scotto. Dallas has also considered bringing back former Maverick Harrison Barnes, Scotto adds.
League executives expect the Bulls to re-sign center Nikola Vucevic, likely for about $65MM over three years, according to Scotto.

Andre Jackson Jr. Among Players At Saturday's Workout

June 17th, 2023 at 9:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

Miles Simon and John Lucas III are the latest additions to Frank Vogel‘s coaching staff with the Suns, tweets Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report. Simon was the head coach of the South Bay Lakers in the G League, and they both worked under Vogel in L.A.
The Lakers hosted six players for a pre-draft workout on Saturday, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN. On hand were UConn’s Andre Jackson Jr., Stetson’s Sam Peek, Chattanooga’s Jake Stephens, Overtime Elite’s Jazian Gortman, Texas’ Timmy Allen and Arizona’s Azuolas Tubelis. L.A. has the 17th and 47th picks in this year’s draft.

Jon Pastorek Leaving Lakers For Suns

June 17th, 2023 at 10:35am CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA point guard Jarrett Jack is joining the Pistons‘ coaching staff under new head coach Monty Williams, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Jack, who played in the NBA from 2005-18, recently transitioned into coaching and spent the last two years in Phoenix as an assistant on Williams’ staff. According to Wojnarowski, the Pistons’ newest assistant has “established himself as a fast-rising future head coaching candidate” since his playing career ended.

Here are a few more coaching-related notes from around the NBA:

Pat Delany and Jama Mahlalela will be the top assistants on Darko Rajakovic‘s new staff with the Raptors, reports Wojnarowski (via Twitter). Delany is an experienced assistant who has worked for Charlotte, Orlando, and – most recently – the Wizards. Mahlalela is returning to Toronto after spending eight seasons with the Raptors from 2013-21 (six as an assistant and two as the Raptors 905 head coach). He was an assistant with the Warriors from 2021-23.
Michael Grange and Sportsnet.ca and Eric Koreen of The Athletic shared their key takeaways from Rajakovic’s introductory press conference this week, with Grange noting that the Raptors‘ new head coach made a strong impression in his first interview with the team despite it occurring less than 24 hours after Memphis was eliminated from the postseason. Rajakovic’s belief in forming close relationships with players may have helped win him the job, Koreen writes. “I want to be very invested in them as human beings,” Rajakovic said. “… I really want to connect with those guys on a personal level. When they know how much I love them and care about them, I have a strong belief that we’re gonna come together as a group and be ready to take it to another level.”
Jon Pastorek is leaving the Lakers to join Frank Vogel‘s Suns coaching staff, according to Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). Pastorek worked for the Lakers from 2017-23, serving under both Luke Walton and Darvin Ham in addition to Vogel.

Lakers Would Have “Strong” Interest In Chris Paul If He’s Waived

June 16th, 2023 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

If the Suns ultimately decide to waive Chris Paul on or before June 28, when his full $30.8MM salary for the 2023/24 season becomes guaranteed, the Lakers would have “strong” interest in signing the veteran point guard as a free agent, reports Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

The Lakers have been linked to Paul since a report last week stated that he’ll likely be waived unless the Suns find a suitable trade. Buha takes Los Angeles’ interest a step further in his latest report, suggesting that CP3 looks like the team’s top target at point guard in the event that D’Angelo Russell and/or Dennis Schröder aren’t re-signed.

As Buha explains, re-signing both Russell and Schröder is the simplest, cleanest, and perhaps most likely way for the Lakers to address their point guard position this summer. However, if they decide to go in another direction, Paul is a far more realistic option than free agents like Fred VanVleet or Kyrie Irving or potential trade targets like Damian Lillard and Trae Young.

Paul’s family in based in Los Angeles and he has a long-standing friendship with Lakers star LeBron James, Buha writes, pointing out that the two future Hall-of-Famers have envisioned playing together in the past. The 38-year-old would provide the Lakers with the type of “traditional floor general” they’ve lacked in recent years, Buha adds.

Since Paul is owed $15.8MM by the Suns even if he’s waived, Los Angeles could potentially bring him in on a minimum-salary contract or something close to it, creating cap flexibility for other moves. The veteran would also represent a low-risk addition, since his deal likely wouldn’t cover more than one season.

Of course, given that the Suns haven’t yet made a decision on Paul, the Lakers are preparing for other scenarios, starting with re-signing Russell. Team sources tell Buha that one possibility the club has discussed internally is bringing back D-Lo on a front-loaded two-year deal that would put him on the same timeline as James and Anthony Davis. Buha says such a contract could include a second-year option, but an option can’t have a lower cap hit than the prior season, so if they intend to front-load their offer, the Lakers couldn’t go that route.

The Lakers have also discussed the idea of re-signing Russell and adding Paul in free agency, per Buha, who says CP3 would be the favorite to become the starting point guard in that scenario.

Re-signing Schröder and bringing in Paul is considered less likely, since L.A. doesn’t want to lose Russell for nothing and only holds Schröder’s Non-Bird rights, but it’s another possibility. As Buha writes, the team knows Paul and Schröder can coexist, since they thrived together in Oklahoma City in 2019/20. The Lakers may have to dip into their mid-level exception in order to make a competitive offer for Schröder.

Pacific Notes: Paul, St. Jean, Lakers, Warriors

June 15th, 2023 at 8:43pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Suns point guard Chris Paul, a 12-time All-Star, is hoping to stick around in Phoenix for the 2023/24 season, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic .

Paul is owed $30.8MM for the 2023/24 season, but only $15.8MM of that money is fully guaranteed, and the club is reportedly weighing its various options with regard to his future. A decision will likely have to be made by June 28, which is when the rest of the 38-year-old’s salary will become guaranteed.

“Absolutely (I want to stay in Phoenix),” Paul said. “I’ve talked with my family, we’ve had conversations about what could be, what might be… I’ve talked with my agent. Talked to my brother.”

There’s more out of the Pacific Division:

New Suns head coach Frank Vogel will be adding another familiar face as he continues to round out his bench in Phoenix. Sources inform Marc Stein (Twitter link) that former Mavericks assistant coach Greg St. Jean is set to join the team. St. Jean also served under Vogel with the Lakers.
The Lakers, who possess two picks in this year’s draft, held another pre-draft workout on Wednesday. Dave McMenamin of ESPN (via Twitter) reveals that San Diego State guard Adam Seiko, Miami combo guard Isaiah Wong, Florida forward Alex Fudge, Akron guard Xavier Castaneda, G League Ignite shooting guard Mojave King, and Memphis small forward Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu auditioned for L.A. brass yesterday.
The PR team of the Warriors has been honored with the Professional Basketball Writers Association’s 2022/23 Brian McIntyre Media Relations Award, the PBWA announced in a press statement (Twitter link). The PBWA notes that the media relations staffs of the Hawks, Heat, Mavericks and Pistons comprised the other finalists under consideration this year.

Draft Rumors: Trades, Hornets, Blazers, Whitmore, Pistons, Mavs, More

June 14th, 2023 at 9:22am CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers, Warriors, Nets, Grizzlies, and Pacers are among the teams with draft picks in the back half of the first round who are believed to be exploring trade scenarios, Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo report within their latest mock draft for ESPN.com (Insider link).

According to Givony, the Lakers are especially interested in talking to teams that hold multiple picks, which suggests they may be open to trading down from No. 17 in order to acquire an extra selection or two. The Warriors are looking into the possibility of moving up from No. 19 by moving a young player like Jonathan Kuminga, sources tell ESPN.

The Nets, who hold the Nos. 21 and 22 picks, are investigating whether they might be able to move into the lottery or the middle of the first round by packaging those two selections, according to Givony, who says Memphis (No. 25) is another team seeking opportunities to move into the late lottery or mid-first round.

As for the Pacers, they have a lottery pick at No. 7 and are thought to be interested in adding an “explosive, defensive-minded power forward,” so Givony has them selecting Jarace Walker in that spot, noting that Ausar Thompson and Taylor Hendricks are also very much on their radar. Indiana also controls the 26th, 29th, and 32nd overall picks and has been engaged in trade discussions about those selections. It seems unlikely the club will use all of them, per Woo.

Here’s more from ESPN’s two draft experts:

Scoot Henderson had a “highly impressive” workout with the Hornets over the weekend, but Brandon Miller still looks like the favorite to be the pick at No. 2, says Givony. If a team like the Pelicans were willing to include an impact player such as Brandon Ingram in an offer for the second overall pick, that could shake up the top of the draft, but it’s still too early to say whether that’s a realistic possibility, according to Givony.
While the Trail Blazers continue to explore trade opportunities at No. 3 and have done due diligence by working out prospects outside of the consensus top three, they seem content to select either Henderson or Miller if they hang onto the pick, Givony reports.
Villanova forward Cam Whitmore is receiving consideration from the Rockets at No. 4 and is viewed as one of the leading candidates to be drafted there, along with Amen Thompson, says Woo. If he’s not picked fourth overall, Whitmore seems like a good bet to go fifth, Givony writes, given the makeup of the Pistons‘ roster.
Givony suggests that a trade of Pistons forward Bojan Bogdanovic for Mavericks wing Tim Hardaway Jr. and the No. 10 pick is one scenario that could be “in play.” Based on Givony’s wording, it’s unclear whether that offer has been put on the table by either team or if it has even been seriously considered. But the specific terms suggest it has at least been discussed.
Arkansas guard Anthony Black has worked out – or will work out – for several lottery teams, including the Magic (Nos. 6 and 11), Jazz (Nos. 9 and 16), and Mavericks (No. 10), says Woo. The ESPN mock has Black being drafted at No. 8 by the Wizards, who are said to be focused primarily on backcourt players.
The Raptors are believed to be a “strong suitor” for Kansas wing Gradey Dick, according to Givony, though there’s also speculation that Toronto could be major movers on the trade market and might not end up picking at No. 13.
The Jazz (Nos. 9 and 16) and Thunder (No. 12) sent decision-makers to Europe this week to watch French wing Bilal Coulibaly in the LNB Pro A playoffs, according to Woo, who has Coulibaly coming off the board at No. 14 to the Pelicans in ESPN’s mock.

UConn's Sanogo Works Out For Lakers

June 13th, 2023 at 4:41pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Big man Adama Sanogo of national champion UConn was among the draft prospects who worked out for the Lakers on Tuesday, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin tweets. Taevion Kinsey (Marshall), Taylor Funk (Utah St), Tosan Evbuomwan (Princeton) and Nathan Mensah (San Diego State) were among the other visitors.

Rockets Rumors: Harden, FA Targets, Thompson, Martin, Splitter

June 13th, 2023 at 3:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Although there have been several reports in recent weeks and months linking free agent guard James Harden to Houston, there have also been rumblings that the Rockets aren’t interested in giving the former MVP a maximum-salary contract, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype said on the HoopsHype podcast.

Scotto’s guest on the podcast, Kelly Iko of The Athletic, agrees with that statement, noting that Houston would like to add three or four veterans this offseason and doesn’t want to be using $45MM of its $60MM in cap room on a single player.

According to Iko, people within the Rockets’ organization – including players – and people close to Harden are fairly split on whether or not the 10-time All-Star will return to Houston, with some confident about the odds of a reunion and others skeptical. Skepticism is the dominant view among rival executives who have spoken to Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com — many of those execs expressed confusion about the fit, though some did suggest that a short-term deal might make some sense.

If the Rockets don’t land Harden and look elsewhere on the free agent market for a point guard, Iko views Fred VanVleet as a more likely target than Kyrie Irving. Both Iko and Scotto have also heard that Austin Reaves is a player Houston likes, though Reaves will be a restricted free agent and the Lakers are considered likely to match any offer sheets he signs.

Here’s more on the Rockets:

Iko views Brook Lopez as a bit of a “pipe dream” for Houston, since the veteran center seems likely to remain with the Bucks. Iko names Clint Capela, Kristaps Porzingis, Myles Turner, Josh Hart, Dillon Brooks, as Kelly Oubre as possible targets for the Rockets in free agency or via trades, though he again acknowledges that some of those options are more viable than others. Hart, for instance, is considered a strong bet to remain with the Knicks, as Scotto points out.
New head coach Ime Udoka will have “a huge say in who he coaches,” according to Iko, which could be an important factor as the Rockets consider which players to pursue most aggressively this offseason.
Iko believes Overtime Elite guard Amen Thompson will be the top prospect on Houston’s board if there are no surprises in the top three picks in the draft. Iko has heard the Rockets believe the gap between Thompson and Brandon Miller and Scoot Henderson isn’t as big as the consensus suggests.
Coming off a strong season, Kenyon Martin Jr. would “prefer to get paid now,” either as a restricted free agent or on an extension, says Iko. However, it remains to be seen whether Martin is in the Rockets’ long-term plans or if he might end up back on the trade block in the coming weeks. It’s possible Houston could postpone its decision on Martin, simply exercising his minimum-salary team option and determining during the season whether to try to extend or trade him.
According to Iko, Tiago Splitter, who worked with Udoka in Brooklyn and played with him in San Antonio, may be a candidate to join the Rockets’ coaching staff — especially if the team’s pursuit of Aaron Miles doesn’t pan out.

And-Ones: Irving, VanVleet, Lakers’ Arena, Jackson, Crawford, Gelfand

June 12th, 2023 at 8:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kyrie Irving and Fred VanVleet — who is declining his player option — are the top free agent point guards, John Hollinger of The Athletic opines. According to Hollinger, they’re the only max or near-max point guards on the market. Hollinger rates D’Angelo Russell and Tre Jones as the only other free agent floor leaders worth more than the mid-level exception, with Russell Westbrook and Dennis Schröder warranting a mid-level investment.

We have more from the around the basketball world:

Crypto.com is closing part of its business but it won’t impact its naming rights deal for Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reports. AEG, which owns and operates the home arena for the Lakers and Clippers, entered into a 20-year, $700MM naming rights agreement with Singapore-based Crypto.com in November 2021.
ABC and ESPN analyst Mark Jackson deserves another shot at coaching, an unnamed general manager told Marc Berman in a Casino.org story. Jackson, the Warriors’ head coach before going into broadcasting, interviewed for the Bucks’ head coaching job that went to Adrian Griffin. He has also been passed over for a number of other head coaching jobs in recent years. “He needs to be open to be an associate head coach,” the GM said. “If he was on the bench in Memphis or New Orleans, he’d be perfect for Ja Morant or Zion Williamson.’’
The Suns are looking to hire Mavericks assistant Quinton Crawford as an assistant on Frank Vogel‘s staff, Marc Stein of The Stein Line tweets. In another coaching note, the Wizards are close to hiring Pelicans analytics expert Sammy Gelfand.

Draft Notes: Ivisic, Djurisic, Traore, Klintman, Burton

June 12th, 2023 at 5:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Zvonimir Ivisic is withdrawing from the draft, Jonathan Givony of ESPN tweets. The 7’2” big man from Croatia was a potential second-round selection. He’s ranked No. 59 on ESPN’s Best Available list. The 19-year-old will look to improve his draft stock for 2024.

We have draft-related news:

Another potential second-rounder, Serbian wing Nikola Djurisic, is also pulling out of the draft, Givony reports in another tweet. The 6’8” Djurisic was ranked No. 53 on ESPN’s board.
Ousmane N’Diaye (No. 60 on ESPN’s list), Michael Caicedo (No. 75), Musa Sagnia (No. 85) and Quinn Ellis (NR) are among the other international players who pulled out of the draft prior to Monday’s deadline, Givony tweets.
Forward Armel Traore, who plays for French club Metropolitans, is withdrawing from the draft, Global Scouting tweets.
Wake Forest’s Bobi Klintman is withdrawing his name, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. Ranked No. 48 on ESPN’s board, Klintman has forfeited his remaining college eligibility by missing the NCAA’s withdrawal deadline and has signed with the Cairns Taipans as part of Australia’s NBL Next Stars program as he looks to improve his draft stock for next season, Givony reports (Twitter link).
Pittsburgh guard Jamarius Burton will work out for the Lakers this week, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin tweets. An All-ACC First Team selection, Burton has already worked out for the Bucks and Grizzlies. The five-year college player averaged 15.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.3 rebounds last season.