Los Angeles Lakers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Lakers, LaVine, Zubac, Suns

September 5th, 2024 at 5:44pm CST by Tristan Tucker

As has been covered at length this summer, the Lakers‘ only outside additions to their standard roster this offseason came in the form of draftees Dalton Knecht and Bronny James.

“They’re stuck,” one Eastern Conference executive said of the Lakers, according to Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times.

A Western Conference executive who spoke to Woike said the Lakers should consider adding Bulls guard Zach LaVine, who has been the subject of trade rumors for quite some time. LaVine’s contract (he’s owed nearly $138MM over the next three seasons, including a 2026/27 player option) has been a holdup in getting a deal done. If the Lakers were to pursue such a trade, Woike points out that it would have to be constructed around D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura and either Jarred Vanderbilt or Gabe Vincent to match salary since L.A. can’t take in more than it sends out.

The downside would be LaVine’s injury concerns and his questionable fit in a role that would require more from him on defense and less on offense. However, Woike doesn’t get the sense the Lakers are all that interested in LaVine, suggesting that they’re more concerned with seeing how a roster with more continuity performs. Additionally, Woike reasons the Bulls could stand to hold LaVine and try to rebuild his value this season.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Clippers center Ivica Zubac received a 5% trade kicker as part of his three-year extension, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto (Twitter link). That means if Zubac is traded, he’d be eligible for a bonus worth 5% of the remaining salary on his contract. The highest percentage allowed on a trade kicker is 15%.
Despite being one of the most efficient three-point shooting teams in the league, the Suns only ranked 25th in attempts, Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports writes. That should change in 2024/25, with Tyus Jones, Monte Morris and a healthy Damion Lee among players who could help in that regard. Bourguet runs through several statistical red flags the Suns should look to address under Mike Budenholzer, including how they attack the rim and playing more in transition.
In a similar article for PHNX Sports (subscriber link), Bourguet outlines one area for improvement for every player on the Suns‘ roster, excluding rookies and two-way players. For my money, it’ll be interesting to see how Bradley Beal continues to adapt to being an off-ball third option. His scoring decreased last season (to 18.2 PPG) as he played fewer than 60 games for the third straight season. If he’s fully healthy, it will be intriguing to see if he can resemble the form of the player who recorded back-to-back 30 PPG seasons from 2019-21.

Lakers Sign, Waive Vincent Valerio-Bodon

September 5th, 2024 at 1:34pm CST by Arthur Hill

September 5: Valerio-Bodon has been waived, the Lakers announced (Twitter link). He’ll likely be heading back to South Bay for the upcoming season.

September 4: Vincent Valerio-Bodon has signed with the Lakers, the team announced (via Twitter). It’s an Exhibit 10 contract, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

The 23-year-old swingman from Hungary was in training camp with L.A. last fall, but was waived before the start of the season. He joined the Lakers’ South Bay affiliate in the G League, where he averaged 5.1 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 10 games.

L.A. has a full complement for training camp already, so it will be difficult for Valerio-Bodon to earn a roster spot. The Lakers have 15 players on standard contracts, and all three two-way spots are filled. In addition, the team signed Kylor Kelley and Quincy Olivari to Exhibit 10 contracts last month, plus it reached an agreement Tuesday with Jordan Goodwin and reportedly plans to sign Sean East II. With a 21-man roster limit for camp, someone will have to be released before all the moves can be completed.

Assuming Valerio-Bodon winds up with South Bay again, he will be eligible for a bonus of up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with the team.

And-Ones: Hines, NBL Blitz, Diamond Sports, Milestones

September 4th, 2024 at 11:00am CST by Luke Adams

Former UNC Greensboro standout and four-time EuroLeague champion Kyle Hines announced on Wednesday that he has decided to retire as a player at age 38 (Instagram link).

Hines, who won a pair of EuroLeague titles with Olympiacos (in 2012 and 2023) and two more with CSKA Moscow (2016 and 2019), also spent time with Veroli (Italy), Brose Bamberg (Germany), and Olimpia Milano (Italy) during his 16-year professional career.

The 6’6″ forward was named to the EuroLeague’s All-Decade team for the 2010s, claimed Best Defender honors in 2016, 2018, and 2022, and will retire as the EuroLeague’s all-time leader in games played (425). He also excelled in domestic competitions, winning three Italian League (LBA) championships to go along with six titles in the Russian League (VTB United) and one in the Greek League (GBL).

“When I didn’t get drafted (in 2008), what I thought would be one of the biggest disappointments in my life turned out to be my biggest blessing,” Hines wrote within a longer statement. “Coming to Europe gave me the opportunity to grow as a person. It allowed me to compete at the highest level. It allowed me to become a competitor, a leader, and champion. Off the court it has given me the opportunity to travel the world, meet so many great people, and share in some amazing memories that will last a lifetime.”

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Australia’s National Basketball League is expecting 25 NBA scouts and executives – representing 22 separate teams – to visit the Gold Coast to attend the league’s preseason tournament, the NBL Blitz, reports Olgun Uluc of ESPN. The eight teams not sending representatives are expected to scout NBL talent at a later date — the Trail Blazers, for instance, will instead attend the HoopsFest in Perth later this month, per Uluc. Nets general manager Sean Marks is among the most notable NBA executives expected to be at the NBL Blitz, according to Uluc, who notes that NBA teams will be able to scout draft-eligible prospects for 2025 and 2026 in addition to veterans who could eventually come stateside.
A federal bankruptcy judge signed off on Diamond Sports Group’s new agreements with the NBA and NHL on Tuesday and approved the company’s parting of ways with the Pelicans and Mavericks, reports Anthony Crupi of Sportico. The same judge will preside over a status conference in early October, with a date for a final confirmation hearing expected to be set at that session. Diamond Sports – the owner of the Bally Sports networks that will regionally broadcast 13 NBA teams’ games in 2024/25 – is looking to exit bankruptcy this fall.
An ESPN.com story explores a handful of individual NBA milestones that may be reached during the 2024/25 season, including Lakers star LeBron James potentially passing 50,000 career points (for the regular season and postseason) and becoming the league’s all-time leader in regular season minutes. James needs 1,364 more total points and 850 more regular season minutes to achieve those feats.

Los Angeles Notes: George, Valanciunas, James

September 3rd, 2024 at 7:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Paul George‘s father, Paul George Sr., didn’t hold back his feelings about how his son’s contract negotiations with the Clippers played out. Appearing on his son’s podcast, ‘Podcast P with Paul George,’ George Sr. said he felt betrayed by his son’s former club.

“I felt like they stabbed us in the back because I thought Paul did a whole lot for the team, as far as the fanbase, the fans was there. He was there,” he said, per Tomer Azerly of Clutch Points. “I think he gave them 110% and what he was asking, it wasn’t a whole lot. But they saw something different.”

The younger George detailed earlier that he felt the Clippers’ initial offer was “disrespectful.” That offer was for two years and $60MM.

“I didn’t want him just to take anything,” George Sr. said. “So his whole thing is, he does stand up for what he believes in. And so he felt that that was a bunch of bull that they came at him with. And I wasn’t gonna sugarcoat it either. Yeah, I’m behind you 100%. If you’ve got to leave, we’re gonna leave.”

We have more on the Los Angeles teams:

Jonas Valanciunas, who was signed by the Wizards, was one of the free agents reportedly on LeBron James‘ wish list this offseason. The Athletic’s Jovan Buha believes the Lakers could pursue an in-season trade for the veteran big man but would prefer other centers if they’re on the market, he said on a podcast (hat tip to HoopsHype). “There was some interest obviously and he was on LeBron’s list so I think the Lakers will probably revisit that, but I don’t think there’s as much interest as a guy like a Wendell Carter or some of these other guys that have popped up,” Buha said. “So I view it more as like a mid-to-low tier trade target for the Lakers.”
Speaking of James, he’s not expected to be on Team USA’s roster for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. He claims he could compete for an Olympic medal in other sports, if given enough time to train, he said on ‘The Shop’ podcast (hat tip to BasketNews.com). “If you give me some time, about six months, eight months, or whatever, I think I could do the long jump, maybe, or the high jump,” James said.
In case you missed it, the Lakers agreed to a training camp deal with Jordan Goodwin. Get the details here.

Teams Limited To Minimum Salary Contract Offers

September 3rd, 2024 at 7:57am CST by Luke Adams

There won’t be a ton of free agents who sign for more than the veteran’s minimum between now and the end of the NBA’s regular season. The majority of the players whose markets exceeded the minimum came off the board pretty quickly in July, and teams aren’t looking to spend big on the players who are still available.

Still, that certainly doesn’t mean every signing for the next seven months will be of the minimum-salary variety. In some cases – especially on the buyout market in February – being able to offer a couple million dollars more than the minimum could be the difference between a team landing a free agent and missing out on him.

With that in mind, it’s worth checking in on which teams don’t currently have the ability to offer more than the minimum. By our count, a third of the NBA is in this boat, though some of those clubs could generate some spending flexibility by making cost-cutting trades.

Here’s a breakdown of the teams currently limited to minimum-salary contract offers for free agents:

Teams above the second tax apron:

Boston Celtics
Milwaukee Bucks
Minnesota Timberwolves
Phoenix Suns

Teams operating above the second tax apron, which comes in at $188,931,000 in 2024/25, face a series of roster-building restrictions, including being prohibited from using any form of the mid-level exception, as well as the bi-annual exception.

The Celtics, Bucks, Timberwolves, and Suns all fall into that group of teams above the second apron and therefore don’t have any cap exceptions available to use on free agents besides the minimum salary exception.

Teams very close to the second tax apron:

Los Angeles Lakers
Miami Heat

Because their team salaries are below the second apron, the Lakers and Heat each technically have the ability to use their taxpayer mid-level exception, which is worth $5,168,000 this season.

However, both clubs are operating so close to the second apron that using any portion of the taxpayer MLE would push team salary above that threshold, which isn’t permitted — a team that uses the taxpayer MLE can’t have a salary above the second apron upon the completion of the signing (or at any time after that).

Therefore, unless they make a move to shed salary, the Lakers and Heat will be limited to minimum-salary signings from here on out.

Over-the-cap teams that have used all their cap exceptions:

Denver Nuggets
Philadelphia 76ers

The Nuggets are currently operating between the first and second tax aprons and have already used their taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Dario Saric. Because the bi-annual exception isn’t available to teams above the first apron, Denver can no longer offer more than the veteran’s minimum.

The Sixers, meanwhile, used their entire room exception to re-sign Kelly Oubre after spending all their cap space. They’re now well over the cap and only have the minimum salary exception left to sign a free agent outright.

It’s worth noting that acquiring a player via sign-and-trade is technically a possibility prior to opening night for teams who have used up all their cap exceptions and want to add a free agent for more than the minimum. However, that’s not currently a practical option for either Denver or Philadelphia, who are both above the first tax apron.

Teams right up against their hard caps:

Dallas Mavericks
Golden State Warriors

The Mavericks have about $4.25MM of their mid-level exception still available after using a portion of it to sign Naji Marshall, and both Dallas and Golden State still have their full bi-annual exceptions on hand.

Based on the roster moves they’ve made so far this summer though, both the Mavs and Warriors are hard-capped at the first apron of $178,132,000 and are less than $1MM away from that hard cap. In other words, unless they shed salary by trading or waiving one or more of their current players, those two teams aren’t just prohibited from using their remaining exceptions — they’re also unable to add another minimum-salary player on a standard contract.

Dallas and Golden State are each carrying at least one player with a non-guaranteed salary, so it would technically be possible for, say, the Mavs to cut A.J. Lawson and then use a portion of their mid-level exception to sign a free agent. However, their breathing room below the hard cap is so limited that any signings above the minimum are unlikely, unless a cost-cutting trade generates more flexibility — the same goes for the Warriors.

Bronny Can't Call LeBron "Dad" On The Court

August 31st, 2024 at 10:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Since they’re teammates, Lakers rookie Bronny James can’t refer to LeBron James as “dad” when they’re on the court together, according to Chuck Schilken of The Los Angeles Times (subscriber only).

LeBron Failed By Team's Lack Of Upgrades

August 26th, 2024 at 8:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Lakers re-signed LeBron James on a two-year deal this summer but the franchise seems poised to waste the future Hall of Famer’s remaining years, Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times opines. The team needs another star to compete with the other Western Conference contenders and the front office has done very little to upgrade the roster this offseason, Plaschke adds.

Pacific Notes: Redick, Buss, Lakers, Warriors, I. Jones

August 23rd, 2024 at 2:54pm CST by Rory Maher

Appearing on the Petros and Money radio show on AM 570 Los Angeles, Lakers governor Jeanie Buss explained the team’s decision to hire J.J. Redick as its new head coach. While he was a longtime NBA sharpshooter, Redick lacks high-level coaching experience.

“We wanted to kind of think a different way,” Buss said, per HoopsHype. “Really, he’s got a vision. I’m not comfortable talking about the basketball stuff, but we were looking for a candidate that would bring something different and really invest in developing young players.

“J.J. is the right person for us. Again, I just want to work to really speak for itself, so I don’t want to hype it and say it’s gonna be a home run. We have to give him time to establish what he wants to establish.

“I’m really impressed with his staff. Right now, it’s not mandatory for the players to come in and practice but players are coming in and working out. The coaching staff with Nate McMillan and Scotty Brooks, there’s a lot of experience that will be there for him to make that adjustment to being a head coach. … He knows what this league is about and I think he’ll be a great leader.”

Here’s more from the Pacific:

The Lakers have hired Dr. Leroy Sims to be their new director of player performance and health, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link via Jovan Buha of The Athletic). Sims, who was most recently the NBA’s senior vice president, head of medical operations, was also Golden State’s medical director and team physician from 2011-14.
The Warriors will hold their training camp this fall in Hawaii instead of their home arena, the Chase Center, writes Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. As Poole explains, while holding the camp in Honolulu will be costly, the team views it as a necessary expense to “promote healthy bonding” amid major changes to the roster and coaching staff.
Theo Lawson of The Spokesman-Review details Isaac Jones‘ unusual NBA journey, which included playing for a junior college in Washington for multiple seasons before he received a Division I offer. Jones signed a two-way contract with the Kings after going undrafted out of Washington State in June. “I wasn’t supposed to be here, but kept my head down and grinded and now I’m here,” he said. “It can all change in like two days. It happened so fast, so don’t take anything for granted and just work hard.”

NBA 2024 Offseason Check-In: Los Angeles Lakers

August 22nd, 2024 at 8:19am CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is checking in on the 2024 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, recapping the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll take a look at each team’s offseason moves and consider what might still be coming before the regular season begins. Today, we’re focusing on the Los Angeles Lakers.

Free agent signings

LeBron James: Two years, $101,355,998. Second-year player option. Includes no-trade clause and 15% trade kicker. Re-signed using Bird rights.
Max Christie: Four years, $32,000,000. Fourth-year player option. Re-signed using Early Bird rights.
Kylor Kelley: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
Quincy Olivari: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.

Trades

None

Draft picks

1-17: Dalton Knecht
- Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $18,483,219).
2-55: Bronny James
- Signed to four-year, minimum-salary contract ($7,895,796). First two years guaranteed. Third year partially guaranteed ($1,258,873). Fourth-year team option.

Two-way signings

Colin Castleton
Blake Hinson
- Note: Hinson’s deal is for two years.
Armel Traore

Departed/unsigned free agents

Spencer Dinwiddie (Mavericks)
Harry Giles (unsigned)
Skylar Mays (unsigned)
Taurean Prince (Bucks)

Salary cap situation

Operating over the cap ($140.6MM), over the luxury tax line ($170.8MM), and between the first tax apron ($178.1MM) and second tax apron ($188.9MM).
Carrying approximately $188.2MM in salary.
No hard cap.
Taxpayer mid-level exception ($5.2MM) available, but can’t be used due to proximity to second apron.

The offseason so far

Lakers forwards LeBron James and Anthony Davis have repeatedly shown, most recently at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, that they remain capable of performing at a superstar level and anchoring a contending team. But the Lakers’ front office wasn’t able to do much this summer to further fortify the supporting cast around James and Davis.

The Lakers’ cap limitations were a factor in the team’s relative inactivity. After re-signing James to a new two-year deal a little below the max and locking up restricted free agent Max Christie to a four-year, $32MM contract, the team’s salary is hovering just below the second tax apron. That means Los Angeles can’t offer more than the veteran’s minimum to any outside free agents.

The Lakers explored potential upgrades on the trade market, but they don’t really have the assets necessary to make any significant upgrades via that route either.

The team has reportedly been unwilling to seriously consider moving Austin Reaves, the best trade chip on the roster outside of James and Davis. Most of the other vets – Rui Hachimura, D’Angelo Russell, Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt, and a series of minimum-salary players (Christian Wood, Jaxson Hayes, and Cam Reddish) – have neutral trade value at best, and L.A. can’t take back more salary than it sends out.

Ultimately, the Lakers appear likely to enter the 2024/25 season with a relatively similar roster to the one that finished the ’23/24 campaign. They’ll bet on internal improvement and will hope to get some contributions from their newly drafted rookies.

Christie’s new $32MM deal may have surprised some, but it could turn out to be a bargain if the 2022 second-round pick continues to develop into a reliable rotation piece. He’s a 37.8% career three-point shooter (in a limited sample) and has the tools to be a good defender. Jalen Hood-Schifino is another candidate to take a step forward following an underwhelming rookie year, though he doesn’t look quite as ready for an increased role as Christie.

As for the rookies, Bronny James got way more press this summer than first-round pick Dalton Knecht, and that trend figures to continue into the fall as Bronny and LeBron become the first father-son duo to suit up alongside one another in an NBA game. But it’s Knecht who is more likely to make an immediate impact for the Lakers.

The former Tennessee standout is a talented three-point shooter whose ability to spread the floor should be of immediate use to a team that ranked 24th last season in made three-pointers. Knecht’s strong Las Vegas Summer League showing (21.3 PPG, .391 3PT%) generated optimism that his adjustment to the NBA could be a relatively quick one — especially since, at age 23, he’s two years older than Christie and Hood-Schifino.

The most notable new addition the Lakers made this summer may actually have been on the sidelines rather than on the roster. The team parted ways with head coach Darvin Ham and replaced him with first-timer J.J. Redick, following a lengthy search that included a very public flirtation with UConn’s Dan Hurley.

While Redick’s ability to think creatively about the game shone through in his work as an analyst and podcaster, he doesn’t have any coaching experience at the NBA level, so hiring him to lead one of the league’s marquee franchises in one of the country’s largest markets is certainly a big swing. The Lakers reportedly envision Redick as a coach with elite upside who has the potential to stick in the job long-term, but he’ll find himself under the microscope early and often if L.A. doesn’t get off to a strong start this fall.

Up next

With 15 players on guaranteed contracts and three on two-way deals, the Lakers’ roster looks ready for the regular season. I imagine they’ll continue to keep an eye out for possible trades, but those are more likely to materialize during the season than before it.

Literally every player on the Lakers’ roster has signed a new contract since July 2023, so no one will be eligible for an extension ahead of opening night this fall. That means, barring some action on the trade market, the Lakers’ fall could end up being just as quiet from a transaction perspective as their summer has been.

Stein’s Latest: Curry, James, Embiid, Yurtseven, Micic

August 18th, 2024 at 3:51pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Warriors All-NBA point guard Stephen Curry is eligible for a one-season, $62.6MM contract extension prior to October 21. He could also wait until the 2025 offseason to seek a two-year deal worth a projected $130MM, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack story.

Stein notes that, having missed out on Jazz All-Star Lauri Markkanen and Sixers All-Star Paul George, Golden State continues looking for opportunities to upgrade the roster via trade. The Warriors believe they have the current and future assets necessary to do just that.

Last year’s Warriors went 46-36, finishing with just the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference. Golden State failed to make the playoffs after falling to the Kings in the play-in tournament.

Curry, 36, had yet another excellent individual year. The 10-time All-Star averaged 26.4 points on .450/.408/.923 shooting splits, 5.1 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 0.7 steals in 74 games.

Here are some other key notes from Stein’s newest Substack article:

According to Stein, there’s a belief that the Lakers would have “reluctantly” engaged in trade discussions to send All-NBA combo forward LeBron James to the Warriors, so he could join then-future Team USA colleague Curry and friend Draymond Green, if that’s what James had wanted. However, Stein’s sources say that Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, James’ longtime agent, urged both L.A. and Golden State to scrap the idea — in part because Paul didn’t want James to be faced with criticism for jumping teams for a fourth time.
Sixers All-Star center Joel Embiid, fresh off winning his first Olympic gold medal for Team USA this summer, hinted that he might be interested in playing for his native Cameroon during the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. However, as Stein writes, a player over the age of 17 can only change his country affiliation if he receives clearance from FIBA and his previous country (in this case, USA Basketball). Stein is skeptical that Embiid will be permitted to do so.
According to Stein, free agent center Omer Yurtseven was one of several players to recently work out for the Knicks, who opted not to sign him at that time. Greek club Panathinaikos reportedly remains intrigued by the 7-footer. New York lost its 2023/24 starting center, Isaiah Hartenstein, to the Thunder in free agency, and no doubt needs to get creative filling out its frontcourt depth, so Yurtseven would have made sense as a fringe rotation option. Across three NBA seasons with the Heat and Jazz, the big man has appeared in 113 contests (24 starts), averaging 5.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 0.7 steals per night.
Hornets point guard Vasilije Micic is considered a potential down-the-road trade target for the Nuggets, given his close relationship with Nikola Jokic, Stein writes. Micic may not be a practical option for Denver at this point though, given his $7.7MM salary and the team’s proximity to the tax aprons. Acquired midway through his 2023/24 rookie season, the 6’5″ guard averaged 10.8 points and 6.2 assists across 30 games for Charlotte down the stretch.