Los Angeles Lakers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Free Agency Rumors: D. Green, Hart, Cavs, Caruso, DeRozan

August 3rd, 2021 at 10:13pm CST by Eli Cohen

Free agent swingman Danny Green has been in contact with the Sixers multiple times over the past two days, according to Harrison Sanford, co-host of Green’s The Green Room podcast (Twitter link).

Sandford said that as of this afternoon, the two sides were nowhere close to a deal, and that the Bucks, Celtics, Bulls and Pelicans have all reached out as well. He adds in a separate tweet that Green has pre-existing relationships with both Ime Udoka of the Celtics and Mike Budenholzer of the Bucks from his time with the Spurs.

We have more free agency rumors:

The Cavaliers have had some discussions about the possibility of a sign-and-trade for Pelicans restricted free agent forward Josh Hart, sources tell Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link). Without a sign-and-trade agreement, Cleveland would be limited to offering Hart the full mid-level exception, which New Orleans would presumably match.
Alex Caruso agreed to sign with the Bulls for four years, $37MM, and according to Zach Lowe of ESPN (hat tip to RealGM), the Lakers‘ offer to keep him was nowhere close to what was offered by Chicago. Ramona Shelburne added that – before Caruso agreed to his deal with the Bulls – the Timberwolves inquired about acquiring him in a sign-and-trade that would have included Marc Gasol, but didn’t have any luck.
According to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link), Bulls general manager Marc Eversley was crucial in securing a commitment from DeMar DeRozan, as the two had a long-standing relationship from when Eversley was the assistant general manager for the Raptors. The Bulls’ GM flew to Los Angeles to meet with DeRozan in person and had a “fruitful” two-hour meeting, per Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link).

Lakers Sign Kendrick Nunn

August 3rd, 2021 at 4:15pm CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 6: The Lakers have made it official with Nunn, announcing his new deal in a press release.

AUGUST 3: The Lakers and point guard Kendrick Nunn are in agreement on a two-year contract with a player option in year two, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Agent Adam Pensack tells Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link) that the two-year deal will be worth $10MM, an indication that the Lakers are using the taxpayer mid-level exception to complete the signing.

Nunn turned down more money from the Knicks and other suitors in order to join the Lakers, according to Charania (Twitter link). He should get the opportunity to be Russell Westbrook‘s primary backup at the point on the new-look Lakers in 2021/22.

After beginning the free agency period as a restricted free agent, Nunn had his $4.7MM qualifying offer rescinded by the Heat once it became clear that there wouldn’t be room under the team’s hard cap to fit in a new deal for the 6’2″ guard. That made him unrestricted, opening the door for him to complete a contract agreement with the Lakers.

Nunn, who is celebrating his 26th birthday today, was out of Miami’s rotation at times in 2020/21, but played well when he saw regular minutes, averaging 14.6 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 2.6 APG on .485/.381/.933 shooting in 56 games (29.5 MPG).

Having committed to using their taxpayer MLE, the Lakers now have a projected tax bill of $42.3MM, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (via Twitter).

Lakers Re-Sign Talen Horton-Tucker To Three-Year Deal

August 3rd, 2021 at 4:04pm CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 6: The Lakers have officially re-signed Horton-Tucker, the team confirmed today in a press release.

AUGUST 3: Restricted free agent guard Talen Horton-Tucker has agreed to a three-year, $32MM deal to return to the Lakers, agents Rich Paul and Lucas Newton tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The deal includes a third-year player option, according to Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).

Horton-Tucker, a second-round pick in the 2019 draft, averaged 9.0 PPG, 2.8 APG, and 2.6 RPG on .458/.282/.775 shooting in 65 games (20.1 MPG) for the Lakers in 2020/21.

Those numbers don’t exactly jump off the page, but Horton-Tucker is being paid more for his potential than his past performance. He won’t turn 21 until November, making him one of the youngest free agents on the market this summer. The Lakers expect him to take a big step forward in 2021/22, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

The Lakers had Early Bird rights on Horton-Tucker and will take full advantage of those rights to re-sign him. The Early Bird exception allowed the team to go up to about $10.4MM for the first year in the 20-year-old’s new contract, and it appears his salary will be something close to that.

With a player option in the third year of his new deal, Horton-Tucker will have the opportunity to hit the open market again at age 22 as an unrestricted free agent. If he takes a major step forward in the next two years, he’ll be in line for a substantial payday at that point.

Lakers Sign Malik Monk

August 3rd, 2021 at 2:11pm CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 6: The Lakers have officially signed Monk, per a team release.

AUGUST 3: The Lakers are poised to add another sharpshooter to their roster, having agreed to a deal with free agent guard Malik Monk, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). It’s believed to be a minimum-salary contract, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac.

Monk, a former 11th overall pick, struggled in his first three NBA seasons, making just 32.2% of his three-point attempts and serving a drug-related suspension in 2020. However, he emerged as a reliable role player in 2020/21, averaging 11.7 PPG on .434/.401/.819 shooting in 42 games (20.9 MPG).

The Hornets opted not to tender Monk a $7MM+ qualifying offer over the weekend, making him an unrestricted free agent and ensuring that a team like the Lakers can sign him outright without having to worry about an offer being matched.

After nearly acquiring Buddy Hield in a trade with Sacramento last week, the Lakers pivoted and agreed to acquire Russell Westbrook instead, creating a major need for shooting on the wing.

The team began to address that need by agreeing to minimum-salary deals with Wayne Ellington, Kent Bazemore, and Trevor Ariza on day one of free agency. Monk will give the Lakers another option for spacing the floor around their stars.

Lakers Sign Carmelo Anthony To One-Year Deal

August 3rd, 2021 at 2:09pm CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 6: Anthony’s deal with the Lakers is now official, according to a press release from the team.

AUGUST 3: Carmelo Anthony will be teaming up with Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis, and LeBron James in Los Angeles, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link), who hears from Anthony’s manager Bay Frazier that the veteran forward has agreed to sign a one-year contract with the Lakers.

Anthony has confirmed the news in a video announcement on Twitter. He’ll get a minimum-salary contract.

Anthony was said to be weighing interest from both the Lakers and Knicks on the first day of free agency and ultimately opted to team up with his close friend James for the first time rather than pursuing a second stint in New York.

After consistently averaging 20+ points per game earlier in his NBA career, the 37-year-old forward has transitioned into a complementary role in Portland over the last two seasons.

He averaged 13.4 PPG and 3.1 RPG on .421/.409/.890 shooting in 69 games (24.5 MPG) for the Blazers in 2020/21, accepting a full-time role off the bench for the first time in his career.

The Lakers have been busy filling out their rotation around their stars since free agency began less than 24 hours ago. So far the team has come to terms with Anthony, Malik Monk, Kent Bazemore, Trevor Ariza, Wayne Ellington, and Dwight Howard.

Trade Rumors: Dinwiddie, Hornets, Ingles, T. Young

August 3rd, 2021 at 1:10pm CST by Arthur Hill

Spencer Dinwiddie is close to a deal with the Wizards, but it may take some complex maneuvering to get him there, Fred Katz writes in The Athletic’s free agency recap. The two sides are reportedly hammering out a three-year contract worth $60MM, but Washington is over the cap, so a sign-and-trade will have to be arranged involving the Nets and maybe more teams.

Katz points out that Brooklyn is already over the luxury tax threshold for next season and isn’t interested in adding salary. He suggests the teams may try to tie this deal to the trade sending Russell Westbrook to the Lakers. Katz is confident that Dinwiddie will eventually join the Wizards, but it won’t be easy to work through the details.

In the same piece, Alex Schiffer notes that Brooklyn has been trying to unload DeAndre Jordan‘s contract, which is worth nearly $20MM over the next two years. John Hollinger says the Lakers could send Kyle Kuzma directly to the Nets instead of the Wizards, which would enable Brooklyn to include Jordan and avoid a huge rise in its tax bill.

There’s more on potential trades to watch for:

The Hornets are one of the few teams that still has flexibility after an active first night of free agency, Hollinger adds. A sign-and-trade of Devonte’ Graham allows Charlotte to have $15MM in cap room or to expand the deal and bring another player, possibly Lauri Markkanen. Hollinger states that the Hornets still need one more guard and another big man.
The Warriors would be interested in trading for Joe Ingles if the Jazz make him available, sources tell Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. Ingles will turn 34 soon, but his passing and shooting would be valuable in Golden State’s system, though Thompson cautions that actually acquiring him would be tricky from a cap perspective. The Warriors still have hope of signing longtime Spurs guard Patty Mills, Thompson adds.
Several contending teams and younger teams are interested in getting Thaddeus Young from the Bulls, tweets Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Chicago is hoping to resolve the situation with Markkanen before making a decision on Young.
There’s still a chance the Raptors could keep Goran Dragic– who is being acquired from the Heat in the Kyle Lowry sign-and-trade – rather than flipping him to another team, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet (Twitter link).

Western Notes: J. Jackson, Gasol, Blazers, Kings, Christie

August 3rd, 2021 at 8:33am CST by Luke Adams

A total of 56 free agents reached contract agreements with teams around the NBA on Monday, but not a single one of those players is signing with the Grizzlies. That’s by design though, according to Evan Barnes of The Memphis Commercial Appeal, who writes that Memphis’ plan was always to have a quiet free agent period and focus on negotiating a potential contract extension with Jaren Jackson Jr.

One of 24 players eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason, Jackson won’t get a maximum-salary deal like Luka Doncic, Trae Young, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. But Grizzlies head of basketball operations Zach Kleiman has suggested that the former fourth overall pick remains very much in the franchise’s long-term plans.

“I think we’re going to be our best selves over time with Jaren,” Kleiman said after the draft, per Barnes. “Spacing the floor, attacking, creating, defensively taking advantage of the versatility he brings to the table.”

Here’s more from around the West as we wait for day two of free agency to start heating up:

When Marc Gasol signed a two-year, minimum-salary contract with the Lakers last summer, there was some speculation that he might decide to retire after the 2020/21 season. That’s not his plan though. As Brian Windhorst of ESPN tweets, Gasol told reporters following Spain’s elimination from the Olympics on Tuesday that he intends to continue his NBA career and finish his contract with L.A.
The Trail Blazers formally announced Chauncey Billups‘ coaching staff in a press release on Monday, confirming that previously-reported assistant coaching hires such as Scott Brooks, Roy Rogers, Steve Hetzel, and Edniesha Curry are now official. Former Long Island Nets assistant Milt Palacio will also be part of Billups’ staff, according to the team.
Doug Christie is moving from the broadcast booth to the sidelines, as the Kings officially announced the former NBA player and veteran TV analyst will be joining Luke Walton‘s staff as an assistant coach. Christie, who played for Sacramento from 2000-05, said in a statement that coaching for the Kings has been a “dream of mine.”

Free Agency Rumors: Oubre, Mills, Dinwiddie, Carmelo, More

August 2nd, 2021 at 10:38pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Free agent swingman Kelly Oubre received interest from the Heat after free agency began, but didn’t set a meeting with Miami because he is hoping to net a contract “well above” the mid-level exception, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (via Twitter).

Now that Miami has committed to using most of its mid-level exception on P.J. Tucker, Oubre is almost certainly off the table for the Heat, even if his asking price drops.

Here are more free agency rumors from around the NBA world:

Free agent sharpshooting combo guard Patty Mills has received interest from the Lakers and Nets, per Marc Stein of Substack (via Twitter). Anthony Slater of The Athletic adds (Twitter link) that the Warriors could also pursue Mills and posits that he may fetch a deal that within range of the taxpayer mid-level. Jordan Schultz of ESPN tweets that the Nets are apparently a distant third in the sweepstakes to sign Mills.
Jordan Schultz of ESPN reports (Twitter link) that free agent point guard Spencer Dinwiddie appears unlikely to sign with the Mavericks.
37-year-old free agent forward Carmelo Anthony continues to weigh interest from the Lakers and Knicks, according to Marc Stein (Twitter link).
Before Alex Caruso finalized his four-year agreement with the Bulls, Caruso’s camp checked back in with the Lakers and was told L.A. wouldn’t be putting a counter-offer on the table, a source with knowledge of the situation tells Sam Amick of The Athletic.
Newly re-signed Nuggets reserve power forward JaMychal Green fielded richer offers in free agency than the two-year, $17MM contract he ultimately signed to remain in Denver, according to Mike Singer of the Denver Post. Singer says the Pelicans, Timberwolves, and Spurs were the other teams most interested in Green.

Luke Adams contributed to this report.

Kent Bazemore Signs With Lakers

August 2nd, 2021 at 9:22pm CST by Dana Gauruder

AUGUST 6: The Lakers have officially signed Bazemore, the team announced today in a press release.

AUGUST 2: Kent Bazemore will remain in the Pacific Division but he isn’t re-signing with the Warriors. Bazemore has agreed to a one-year deal with the Lakers, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. It’ll be worth the veteran’s minimum, per Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).

Bazemore had a good run this past season in his second stint with Golden State. He appeared in 67 games, including 18 starts, and averaged 7.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG and 1.6 APG in 19.9 MPG. Bazemore’s 40.8% success rate from 3-point range was a career best.

The Warriors were interested in re-signing Bazemore. In fact, they were willing to give him more money, but he took Los Angeles’ offer because he sees the Lakers as a title contender and was told he’d have a major role, Mark Medina of USA Today tweets.

Instead, Bazemore will join several other free agents — Wayne Ellington, Trevor Ariza and Dwight Howard — who agreed to contracts with the 2019/20 NBA champions. Bazemore previously played 23 games with the Lakers during the 2013/14 season.

Lakers Sign Dwight Howard, Wayne Ellington, Trevor Ariza

August 2nd, 2021 at 6:58pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

AUGUST 6: The Lakers have officially completed their deal with Howard, the team announced today (via Twitter). The club also confirmed the signings of Ellington and Ariza (Twitter links).

AUGUST 2: The Lakers are set to add three old friends as they prepare to mount another hoped-for deep postseason run for the 2021/22 season.

The team appears to be adding some much-needed perimeter shooting and big man depth after trading away wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, big men Montrezl Harrell and Kyle Kuzma and its No. 22 pick in the 2021 draft to the Wizards in a deal for the max salary of future Hall of Fame point guard Russell Westbrook last week.

The club will add free agent shooting guard Wayne Ellington on a one-year contract, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).

The oft-traveled Ellington, 33, was most recently knocking down jumpers for the bottom-dwelling Pistons during the 2020/21 season. Ellington averaged 9.6 PPG, 1.8 RPG, and 1.5 APG on .441/.422/.800 shooting. He was last with the Lakers during the 2014/15 season.

Los Angeles will also bring back a pair of prior Lakers champions. 2009 champ Trevor Ariza, a two-way forward, is set to re-join L.A. on a one-year deal, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Ariza, 36, was most recently with the Heat following a mid-season trade from Portland during the 2020/21 season. He played in 30 games with Miami, starting in 27, and averaged 9.4 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.0 SPG and 0.6 BPG across 28.0 MPG. He posted a solid shooting line of .411/.350/.773, and is a career 35.2% shooter from deep on an average of 4.1 attempts.

Ellington and Ariza should add reliable bench shooting behind the Lakers’ big three of Westbrook and All-Star forwards LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Ariza remains still a solid defender, though he is no longer at the same level of his prior Lakers days.

2020 champ Dwight Howard will return to the Lakers as well, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).

The Lakers opted not to retain Howard after he and JaVale McGee helped proved rim-rolling and defensive moxie in the post during the team’s 2020 title run, and Howard signed on with the Sixers as All-Star Joel Embiid‘s prime backup for the 2020/21 season.

Howard, 35, has proven he can still be a sneakily-effective reserve center even in his NBA dotage, especially during the regular season. Howard averaged 7.0 PPG, 8.4 RPG, and 0.9 BPG (plus a less-great 2.9 FPG) for Philadelphia in just 17.3 MPG.

Ellington, Ariza, and Howard will all be signing one-year, minimum-salary contracts, according to Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.