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Latest On Donovan Mitchell

August 23rd, 2022 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

A report last month identified the Heat, Kings, and Hawks as a few of the teams with interest in Donovan Mitchell, but John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (via Twitter) disputes the notion that those three clubs are actually pursuing the Jazz guard.

Gambadoro’s report doesn’t come as a major surprise. Shams Charania of The Athletic, who first said those teams were among Mitchell’s possible suitors, hasn’t mentioned them since. When Charania and Tony Jones reported last week that the Knicks had re-engaged with the Jazz about Mitchell, The Athletic named the Wizards and Hornets as some other teams with interest. Gambadoro confirmed today that Washington and Charlotte remain in play for Mitchell.

Here’s more on Mitchell, who is now the biggest star available with Kevin Durant off the trade market:

The Cavaliers, Lakers, and Nets are among the other teams with interest in Mitchell, according to Gambadoro. While that may be true, it’s hard to envision any of those clubs putting together a viable package for the Jazz star. The Lakers only have two first-round picks available to trade (2027 and 2029), while Brooklyn can’t acquire Mitchell as long as Ben Simmons remains on the roster, and Utah seems unlikely to be interested in Simmons as a centerpiece. The Cavs, meanwhile, just signed Darius Garland to a five-year, maximum-salary extension, so it’d be surprising if they gave up a ton of assets for another 6’1″ lead guard.
Addressing a New York Post report, Gambadoro says the Jazz never asked for seven first-round picks in a package for Mitchell. The Knicks are one of the few teams with the ability to give up that many first-rounders in a trade, since they’ve acquired a few picks from other teams in addition to hanging onto their own.
Tony Jones of The Athletic weighs how the Jazz would benefit from trading Mitchell and how they’d benefit from hanging onto him.

Lakers Eyeing Dennis Schröder

August 23rd, 2022 at 9:43am CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers are giving “legit consideration” to the idea of bringing back free agent point guard Dennis Schröder, league sources tell veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein (Twitter link).

Schröder, who will turn 29 next month, was traded from the Thunder to the Lakers in exchange for Danny Green and a first-round pick during the 2020 offseason and spent one season in Los Angeles. The veteran guard averaged 15.4 PPG, 5.8 APG, and 3.5 RPG on .437/.335/.848 shooting in 61 games (32.1 MPG) in his first and only season as a Laker.

Schröder reportedly turned down a four-year extension offer worth approximately $80MM from the Lakers midway through the 2020/21 season, then had to settle for a one-year, $5.9MM contract in free agency a year ago. Following an up-and-down year in Boston and Houston, the German now seems likely to sign a minimum-salary contract in 2022/23 — that’s all the Lakers can offer, since they’ve already used their full taxpayer mid-level exception.

According to Stein, the odds of Schröder joining the Lakers will depend on “how the rest of their roster develops.” That’s a little vague, but Stein may be referencing the fact that Russell Westbrook‘s future in L.A. remains up in the air following a disappointing 2021/22 season. If Westbrook shows in the preseason that he still isn’t meshing with the Lakers’ starting lineup, the team could become more inclined to take a shot on Schröder.

A Westbrook trade may also open the door for a Schröder signing, but the Lakers would probably have to acquire multiple players in any deal involving the former MVP in order to match his $47MM+ salary. That would complicate the club’s ability to add another free agent after trading Westbrook.

Currently, the Lakers have 12 players on fully guaranteed contracts, with Austin Reaves and Wenyen Gabriel on non-guaranteed deals. Given that team salary is far above the luxury tax line, Los Angeles may open the season with its 15th roster spot open.

Arena Undergoing Major Upgrades

August 22nd, 2022 at 10:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The home arena for the Lakers and Clippers in undergoing major renovations over the next three summers, according to David Wharton of the Los Angeles Times. Upgrades are being made at every level of Crypto.com Arena, formerly known as the Staples Center. The upgrades include new jumbo screens, updated concession stands, a better sound system and an enhanced “fan experience.” The Clippers are scheduled to leave for their new arena in 2024.

Nets Reportedly Intend To Keep Kyrie Irving

August 22nd, 2022 at 1:39pm CST by Rory Maher

The Nets are making it clear to rival teams that they intend to keep Kyrie Irving, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who writes that Irving has been “working out with teammates and holding constructive dialogue with the organization” this summer.

Brooklyn reportedly granted Irving permission to explore trade scenarios at the end of June, but only the Lakers were said to be seriously interested in the point guard, who ultimately chose to pick up his $36.9MM player option for 2022/23.

Recent reports from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein indicated that the Lakers are willing to include both their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks to acquire Irving, but that would involve Russell Westbrook heading to Brooklyn, and the Nets are said to be uninterested in that scenario.

Assuming Kevin Durant remains on the roster into the season, a reunion between Irving and the Nets always made the most sense, as the 30-year-old’s value is at an all-time low and the only realistic pathway to rebuilding it is to have a good season with less off-court drama. The seven-time All-Star only appeared in 29 of Brooklyn’s 82 games last season due to his refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19, but that seems unlikely to be an issue next season, as the New York City mandate was lifted in the spring and there are no plans for a league-wide mandate.

Despite his inconsistent availability and unpredictable personality, Irving has been undeniably effective and productive when on the court, averaging 27.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 5.8 APG and 1.4 SPG on .469/.418/.915 shooting during the ’21/22 regular season (37.6 MPG). Matching that level of production for a team that hopes to contend for a title would be nearly impossible for the Nets, given the relative lack of interest in Irving’s services.

As Stein wrote last week, it’s possible Brooklyn’s stance regarding Irving could change if Durant ends up being dealt, but considering Irving is said to be the primary reason Durant joined the Nets, trading his friend away would seemingly only embolden Durant to make further demands.

LeBron James, Udonis Haslem Set To Join NBA’s 20-Season Club

August 22nd, 2022 at 7:52am CST by Luke Adams

The list of NBA veterans who have played 20 or more seasons in the league will grow by at least two this year, as Lakers star LeBron James and Heat big man Udonis Haslem are set to become the ninth and 10th players to spend at least two decades on NBA rosters.

The players already in the NBA’s 20-season club are as follows:

Vince Carter (22 seasons)
Kevin Garnett (21)
Dirk Nowitzki (21)
Robert Parish (21)
Kevin Willis (21)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (20)
Kobe Bryant (20)
Jamal Crawford (20)

While James and the majority of the other players on the above list spent time with multiple teams over the course of their lengthy NBA careers, Haslem is on track to join an even more exclusive club, having only played for the Heat during his 20 years in the league.

Nowitzki (21 seasons with the Mavericks) and Bryant (20 with the Lakers) are the only two other players to spend at least two decades with a single team. Prior to deciding on Sunday to return for one final season in Miami, Haslem had been tied on that list with Tim Duncan, who spent 19 years with the Spurs, and John Stockton, who spent 19 with the Jazz.

Haslem will also become the first member of the 20-season club who began his NBA career as an undrafted player. In fact, James and the other eight players with 20 seasons under their belts were all lottery picks. Bryant, the No. 13 selection in 1996, was the lowest draft pick of any of those nine players, making Haslem’s accomplishment all the more remarkable.

Although Haslem defied the odds to spend 20 years with a single team after going undrafted, he confirmed on Sunday that he intends to retire after the 2022/23 season, so he won’t move any higher on the list of the NBA’s seasons played leaders. James, on the other hand, has a good chance to match or surpass Carter’s record of 22 years in the league — LeBron is already under contract through 2024/25, which would be his 22nd NBA season.

Finally, it’s worth noting that a third player is in position to join James and Haslem and become the 11th player in the 20-season club in 2022/23. Carmelo Anthony, who also entered the NBA in 2003 and has played for 19 years, remains unsigned as an unrestricted free agent, but seems likely to catch on with an NBA team either before opening night or at some point during the season.

Latest On Kyrie Irving, Lakers

August 19th, 2022 at 9:06am CST by Luke Adams

Echoing an Adrian Wojnarowski report from earlier this week, Marc Stein confirms in his latest Substack article that the Lakers have assured LeBron James they’re willing to give up their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks in a trade that can help make the team a legitimate contender again.

Because they traded their 2024 first-round pick to New Orleans and gave the Pelicans the option to defer that pick to 2025, the Lakers are ineligible to trade a first-rounder earlier than 2027 due to the Stepien rule, which prohibits teams from leaving themselves without a first-round pick in consecutive future drafts.

However, L.A. could move its 2027 and 2029 picks without violating that rule, and Stein is the second reporter this week to suggest the club would be willing to surrender both those first-rounders in a trade for Nets guard Kyrie Irving. The seven-time All-Star is believed to be at or near the top of James’ wish list, with one report indicating that LeBron was “privately adamant” prior to signing his extension about wanting the Lakers to trade for his former teammate.

Crucially, Stein notes that it’s unclear whether or not the Lakers would insist on protecting those two first-round picks — that’s an important factor, since obviously a pair of lottery-protected first-rounders wouldn’t be nearly as valuable as two unprotected selections.

In any case, the Nets have thus far “steadfastly rejected” the concept of an Irving/Russell Westbrook swap that involves them acquire those two Lakers’ first-rounders, according to Stein, who says that Brooklyn apparently remains focused on acquiring win-now assets in any Kyrie trade.

While it’s possible that position eventually changes, especially if the Nets end up moving Kevin Durant, it appears for now that any trade sending Irving to L.A. would require a third team to take Westbrook and those draft picks and send win-now pieces to Brooklyn, Stein writes.

The Nets’ aversion to a Westbrook/Irving deal may also be linked to their desire to simply keep their current roster intact, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst suggested during an appearance on Get Up on Thursday (video link). Even though Kyrie seriously explored finding a new home before exercising his player option and Durant has demanded a trade, Brooklyn hasn’t shown any urgency to break up its core.

“I think Kyrie is invested in being a Brooklyn Net next year,” Windhorst said. “Obviously there was some turmoil with his contract extension not happening. He realizes his best path going forward to get the contract he wants in Brooklyn or elsewhere is to have a very good season. From what I can gather, it appears that he and the Nets are looking forward to meeting up in training camp.

“Now, whether Kevin Durant is there and his level of buy-in, that’s the big question,” Windhorst continued. “But right now, I think the Nets want to run this team back, and they’re hoping that Kevin Durant agrees. The way that they’re conducting trade talks and the prices that they are asking has teams out there thinking they don’t really want to trade Kevin Durant anyway, they want to bring this team back. We’ll see if Durant goes along with that, come training camp.”

Pacific Notes: Wiggins, Westbrook, Kyrie, LeBron

August 18th, 2022 at 5:52pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Fresh off his first NBA title and All-Star selection in 2021/22, Warriors starting small forward Andrew Wiggins is hoping to prove his mettle as one of the NBA’s best defensive players, as he told Vince Carter on the retired eight-time All-Star’s podcast, The VC Show with Vince Carter (h/t to Andrei de Guzman of TalkBasket).

“One thing I’m really gonna strive for this upcoming season is being on the [All-]Defensive Team,” Wiggins said. “That’s a big goal of mine, and hopefully I opened some eyes in the playoffs and I can be on the radar. I ain’t get not one vote this year! I took it personal in the playoffs!”

There’s more out of the Pacific Division:

With Lakers All-Star forward LeBron James newly signed to a lucrative extension that will at least keep him in Los Angeles through 2024, it’s possible that L.A. will be more receptive to including draft capital in a trade to get off the contract of embattled point guard Russell Westbrook, opines Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. Pincus suspects that Westbrook could be moved to the Nets, Pacers or Spurs, should the Lakers indeed be willing to part with their 2027 and 2029 first-round draft picks. Pincus notes that the Jazz also have the assets to possibly pique the interest of the Lakers’ front office in a deal. During his first season with his hometown team, the 33-year-old veteran proved to be an awkward on-court fit alongside James as a ball-dominant guard without a jump shot or much defensive effort.
Prior to his inking the aforementioned extension with the Lakers, James was “privately adamant” about wanting the Lakers trade for his former Cavaliers teammate Kyrie Irving, writes Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Whether such a transaction for the seven-time All-Star, currently with the Nets, comes to pass remains to be seen.
The new two-year, $97.1MM contract extension James signed with the Lakers can benefit both James and Los Angeles, opines Dave McMenamin of ESPN (YouTube video link). By opting to commit to the Lakers at this juncture (the extension could have been signed as late as next summer), James has given the team the green light to make moves around him in order to hopefully resume deep playoff runs. In turn, the 17-time championship-winning Lakers want to showcase themselves as a desirable landing place for marquee free agents in the years to come. McMenamin adds that, should L.A. prove unable to compete at a championship level within the next two seasons, James is able to retain some of his future flexibility to an extent by making the second year of the deal, the 2024/25 season, a player option.

LeBron James Signs Extension With Lakers

August 18th, 2022 at 3:10pm CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 18: The Lakers have officially signed James to an extension, the team announced (Twitter link via Marc Stein).

AUGUST 17: Superstar forward LeBron James has agreed to a contract extension with the Lakers, agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

It’ll be a new two-year, maximum-salary deal that includes a second-year player option, per Wojnarowski. That means James is now under contract with the Lakers through at least the 2023/24 season, with an option on ’24/25. The agreement also includes a 15% trade kicker, Woj adds.

James is earning $44,474,988 in 2022/23, which exceeds the standard maximum of $43,279,250 for a player with 10-plus years of NBA experience. Because he’s still eligible for a 5% raise on a new extension, LeBron’s 2023/24 salary will likely be $46,698,737. His ’24/25 player option will be worth $50,434,636, an 8% raise on the first year of his extension, for a total two-year value of $97,133,373.

The value of James’ extension could increase further if the NBA salary cap for ’23/24 comes in higher than anticipated. The cap is currently projected to be $133MM, but if it ends up exceeding $133,425,000, LeBron’s starting salary on the extension would instead be worth 35% of the cap.

James became eligible for a new two-year extension on August 4. He was ineligible to sign a deal longer than that due to the NBA’s Over-38 rule.

Despite his new eligibility, there was a sense that James wouldn’t rush into a new deal right away. The four-time MVP would have been able to retain leverage and perhaps wield more influence on the Lakers’ roster moves by holding off on that commitment. Taking that route would also have given LeBron a chance to assess the team’s roster additions – and new head coach Darvin Ham – during the 2022/23 season.

However, it appears that James was comfortable renewing his commitment to the Lakers despite last season’s disappointing 33-49 showing and lingering questions about the roster. The new deal will give LeBron the opportunity to become an unrestricted free agent at age 39, at which point he’s expected to try to team up with his son Bronny James, who would be draft-eligible no earlier than 2024.

While the Lakers almost certainly wouldn’t have considered moving him anyway, James’ extension will make him ineligible to be traded during the 2022/23 season — he can’t be dealt for six months after signing the contract, since it exceeds the NBA’s “extend-and-trade” restrictions.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN (Insider link) previously noted, the Lakers’ potential 2023 cap room won’t be affected in any real way by James’ new extension, since his free agent cap hold would have been equivalent to his extension salary. Los Angeles projects to have over $20MM in room next summer when several contracts – including Russell Westbrook‘s – expire, which will open up some options for the team but won’t be enough for another maximum-salary player.

James’ new deal makes him the highest-paid player in NBA history in terms of total earnings, at least for the time being, Marks tweets. Assuming LeBron’s deal ends up being worth $97.1MM, he’ll be at $532MM in career earnings, surpassing Kevin Durant‘s $508MM.

Lakers Plot Next Moves After James Extension

August 17th, 2022 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Now that LeBron James has agreed to an extension, the Lakers‘ best strategy may be to commit to trying to win a championship this season instead of targeting 2024 or 2025, contends Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Buha believes James’ decision on the extension was tied to a promise from management to be aggressive about improving the roster. Sources around the team had been confident that James would eventually commit to a longer stay with the Lakers, Buha adds.
The Lakers may have doomed themselves to more years of mediocrity with the James extension, writes Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times. He argues that James isn’t good enough to carry a team to a title anymore, while Anthony Davis is too injury-prone and James’ deal ensures that the franchise won’t have enough cap room to add another star while he’s still around.

Woj: Lakers Willing To Trade Two First-Round Picks

August 17th, 2022 at 8:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers remain active in trade talks and would part with their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks in the right deal, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said in an appearance on Sports Center (video link).

Those picks “have a lot of value in the marketplace” if they’re unprotected, Wojnarowski states. He adds that L.A. would be willing to give them up in a trade for Kyrie Irving, but the Nets haven’t been interested.

The Lakers have also engaged in “on and off again” talks with the Pacers about Myles Turner and Buddy Hield, sources tell Wojnarowski, but L.A. wouldn’t trade both future first-rounders in that deal.

Russell Westbrook would have to be included in either trade with Brooklyn or Indiana to help match salaries.

The Lakers are hoping to add outside shooting and size before the regular season begins in October, per Wojnarowski. However, holding on to their draft picks gives them the ability to do something later in the season if a better opportunity arises.

Woj also addresses LeBron James‘ decision to accept a contract extension, saying it eases the pressure on the front office to make a trade right away. He adds that James decided to take the extension after examining the free agent market in 2023 and not seeing a scenario he prefers to staying with the Lakers.