Los Angeles Lakers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Lakers Notes: Davis, LeBron, Schröder, Free Agents

June 4th, 2021 at 8:33am CST by Luke Adams

Although Lakers big man Anthony Davis was cleared to return for Game 6 vs. Phoenix, he clearly wasn’t himself on Thursday night, leaving the game for good midway through the first quarter due to his strained groin. According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), Davis’ injury didn’t get any worse on Thursday, but his pain intensified whenever his mobility was tested.

“It never really felt good, but the competitive nature in me wanted to go out there and help the team as best as I could,” Davis said following the loss that ended the Lakers’ season (Twitter link via Mark Medina of USA Today). “My body didn’t agree.”

The Lakers’ loss on Thursday ended a season of “what ifs” for the franchise, according to Bill Oram of The Athletic. After flying out of the gates to a 21-6 start, the team dealt with lengthy injury absences to its two stars (Davis and LeBron James), while other key players were affected by COVID-19 (Marc Gasol and Dennis Schröder). Los Angeles never regained its early-season momentum. After winning 21 of its first 27 games, the club won just 21 of its next 45 to finish the regular season, then was eliminated in short order in the playoffs.

It was the first time in LeBron’s 18-year career that he has been knocked out in the first round of the postseason, and while the four-time MVP was disappointed with the loss, he’s looking forward to taking full advantage of a longer offseason. According to Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link), James suggested after Thursday’s game that he won’t participate in the Tokyo Olympics this summer.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

Dennis Schröder reportedly turned down a four-year extension worth over $80MM earlier this year, but he said on Thursday that his desire to remain with the Lakers remains strong and is “not even a question,” as Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times details. “It wasn’t about money, because everybody who knows me, it’s not about money either,” he said. “Of course, you want to be fair. But at the end of the day, not everything is about money — for me and my family. At the end of the day, if everything is good, we gonna come back and win a championship next year.”
Sources tell Ramona Shelburne of ESPN that some people in the organization were frustrated by Schröder’s play on the court this season, prompting the team to include him in trade talks for Kyle Lowry at March’s deadline.
The Lakers will have to determine which players are their top priorities in free agency, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link), who notes that Schröder is just one of several rotation players up for a new contract. Alex Caruso, Talen Horton-Tucker, Andre Drummond, and Markieff Morris are among those headed for unrestricted free agency, and Montrezl Harrell could join them by declining his $9.7MM player option.
The Lakers need to upgrade their supporting cast around LeBron James and Anthony Davis this offseason, but don’t have a ton of tools at their disposal to do so, says John Hollinger of The Athletic. The club projects to be over the cap and has already traded multiple future first-round picks.
Asked after Thursday’s loss about his history of injuries, Davis replied, “I don’t need to prove anything to anyone that’s outside this Lakers organization,” per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. However, Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times argues that Davis’ health and James’ age are growing concerns for the franchise.

Anthony Davis To Return For Game 6

June 3rd, 2021 at 8:33pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

8:33pm: Lakers team doctors have medically cleared Davis ahead of the team’s must-win Game 6 against the Suns this evening, tweets Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

7:54pm: Lakers head coach Frank Vogel has clarified that Davis wants to play through his groin strain if given the green light by team doctors ahead of Game 6, tweets Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register.

7:37pm: All-Star Lakers big man Anthony Davis hopes to return to the floor for LA ahead of the club’s must-win Game 6 in its first-round playoff series tonight against the Suns, per John Gambardo of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register cautions (via Twitter) that Davis’ return has yet to be medically cleared by a team doctor.

Davis hopes to start tonight should he complete his warm-ups without any issue, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Davis did not play in Game 5 after suffering a groin strain in Game 4. The Lakers lost both contests, and are now down 3-2 in the best-of-seven series.

Power forward Markieff Morris started in Davis’s stead for Game 5, a 115-85 Lakers loss. Across 10 minutes of game action, Morris notched four points, a rebound and an assist. Morris, a valuable floor-spacing reserve during L.A.’s title run last season, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

In comments made on Wednesday, Davis indicated that his groin injury was in part a result of a hyperextended knee he incurred in Game 3. “[Team doctors] told me everything is connected and that’s exactly what happened,” Davis said. “The groin happened because of the tightness in the knee from the hyperextension.”

Celtics Will Start Coaching Search With Internal Interviews

June 2nd, 2021 at 8:51pm CST by Arthur Hill

The first step in the Celtics‘ search for a new head coach to replace Brad Stevens will begin with several internal candidates, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Chris Mannix of SI.com suggested as much earlier today.

Boston’s head coaching position opened up this morning when Danny Ainge resigned as president of basketball operations and Stevens was chosen to replace him.

Weiss notes that Stevens’ staff has several strong candidates. Jay Larranaga interviewed for the Hornets’ head coaching spot before James Borrego was hired, and Scott Morrison and Brandon Bailey both coached at the team’s G League affiliate in Maine. Jerome Allen is a former NBA player with college head coaching experience at the University of Pennsylvania, while Jamie Young has been with the team since 2008.

Among external candidates, the most interesting name is Kara Lawson, who would become the first female NBA head coach if she gets the job. Lawson spent a year as an assistant in Boston before leaving in 2020 to become head coach of the women’s team at Duke. Others to watch, sources tell Weiss, include former Celtics players Sam Cassell, currently an assistant with the Sixers, and Chauncey Billups, who is on the Clippers‘ staff.

Weiss also expects interest in former Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce, Timberwolves assistant David Vanterpool, Lakers assistant Jason Kidd, Nets assistant Ime Udoka, Spurs assistant Becky Hammon and Bucks assistants Darvin Ham and Charles Lee. According to Weiss, another potential outsider is Juwan Howard if he’s willing to leave Michigan.

Lakers Notes: Davis, LeBron, Caldwell-Pope, Drummond

June 2nd, 2021 at 7:33pm CST by Arthur Hill

Anthony Davis told reporters he’s feeling better today, but the decision on whether he plays in Thursday’s Game 6 will be made by the Lakers‘ medical staff, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Davis was held out of Game 5 with a left groin strain, and L.A. wasn’t able to stay close without him, falling behind by 30 points at halftime.

Davis said the groin injury was a result of overcompensating for a hyperextended left knee that he suffered in Game 3. He is averaging 21.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in four games, but L.A. has been ineffective when he hasn’t been on the court.

Davis had been hoping to play in Game 5, but determined during a second warm-up session that he wasn’t able to go, tweets Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Davis said he went through 20 minutes of shooting and the injury still felt the same.

Lakers coach Frank Vogel replied, “We’ll see,” when asked about Davis’ chances of returning for Game 6, saying it will be a game-time decision (Twitter link from McMenamin). “He’s doing everything he can to get back out there,” Vogel said.

There’s more on the Lakers:

LeBron James cautioned Davis against trying to return too soon, according to Chris Haynes of The Athletic. James had a similar injury during the 2018/19 season that kept him out for several weeks.
Vogel also expects Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to be a game-time decision on Thursday night, Rankin adds (via Twitter). Caldwell-Pope returned in Game 5 after missing Game 4 with a sore left knee, but he played just 15 minutes in the lopsided loss. He said the knee tightened up in the second half and affected his ability to move.
The Lakers appear determined to keep Andre Drummond beyond this season, McMenamin said this week on Zach Lowe’s podcast (hat tip to Brad Sullivan of Lakers Daily). Drummond was widely considered to be a rental when he signed with L.A. in late March after a buyout with the Cavaliers, but L.A. reportedly believes the 27-year-old center is worth a long-term investment. He’s rumored to be seeking a max deal in free agency this summer, so he would have to significantly scale back those demands for a deal with the Lakers to be realistic. Marc Gasol is the only center L.A. has under contract for next season, although Montrezl Harrell has a $9.72MM player option.

Brad Stevens Named Celtics’ Head Of Basketball Operations, Will Lead Search For New Coach

June 2nd, 2021 at 10:06am CST by Luke Adams

10:06am: The Celtics have officially announced that Stevens is the new president of basketball operations. Despite at least one report suggesting that Ainge isn’t expected to retire from basketball (as noted below), the club’s statement says the veteran executive is “retiring” from his role as president of basketball ops. Ainge will continue to work with the team through its offseason transition, per the C’s.

“Helping guide this organization has been the thrill of a lifetime, and having worked side-by-side with him since he’s been here, I know we couldn’t be in better hands than with Brad guiding the team going forward,” Ainge said in a statement. “I’m grateful to ownership, all of my Celtics colleagues, and the best fans in basketball for being part of the journey.”

Stevens issued a statement of his own, as follows:

“I’m grateful to ownership and to Danny for trusting me with this opportunity. I’m excited to tackle this new role, starting with a wide ranging and comprehensive search for our next head coach. I love the Celtics, and know the great honor and responsibility that comes with this job. I will give it everything I have to help us be in position to consistently compete for championships.”

9:24am: A major shakeup is taking place in Boston, as Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge will indeed step down from his current role, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Wojnarowski had reported earlier in the morning that Ainge was seriously considering such a move.

The Celtics won’t go outside the organization for Ainge’s replacement, however. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links), head coach Brad Stevens will be making the move from the sidelines to the front office and will become the club’s new president of basketball operations.

Rather than holding a dual role, Stevens will become a full-time front office executive and is expected to lead the search for the Celtics’ new head coach, Charania reports.

Celtics players were informed of this potential change late on Tuesday night after the team was eliminated from the playoffs, says Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

Ainge had been contemplating leaving his job as the Celtics’ president of basketball operations for the last several months, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link), who adds that Ainge had discussed possible succession plans with ownership.

While Stevens is a surprising choice as Ainge’s successor, Wojnarowski points out that Ainge made a similar move early in his post-playing career, having coached the Suns from 1996-99 before later transitioning into a front office role. According to Woj (Twitter link), Stevens has been described as feeling “worn down” with coaching since last summer and welcome the opportunity to shift into an executive position.

This major basketball operations overhaul comes on the heels of the Celtics’ early exit from the postseason. After making the Eastern Conference Finals in three of the last four years, Boston entered the season with aspirations of competing for a title.

However, due to COVID-19 issues, injuries, and inconsistent play, the team never built any real momentum toward legit contention, finishing seventh in the East. Although the C’s earned a postseason berth via the play-in tournament, they were eliminated swiftly in the first round by the Nets.

Despite the Celtics’ disappointing season, Stevens and Ainge – one of the longest-tenured coach/executive duos in the NBA – weren’t thought to be in any real danger of being fired. It appears Ainge’s exit is of his own volition after he spent the last 18 years calling the shots in the team’s front office.

Even though his time with the Celtics is ending, Ainge isn’t believed to be leaning toward retirement, according to Chris Mannix of SI.com, who tweets that the Jazz have been rumored as a possible landing spot for the veteran exec.

Meanwhile, Lakers assistant Jason Kidd and former Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce are expected to be among the candidates to fill Boston’s newly-created head coaching vacancy, according to Haynes (Twitter link).

In his eight seasons as the Celtics’ head coach, Stevens led the team to a 354-282 (.557) regular season record, with a 38-40 (.487) mark in the playoffs, including those three Eastern Finals appearances. As for Ainge, the C’s made the postseason in all but three of his 18 seasons running the front office, taking home a title in 2008.

Ainge’s trades for Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen helped lead the Celtics to a title in 2008. Additionally, the blockbuster deal that sent an aging Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Nets for a boatload of draft picks in 2013 is considered one of the biggest NBA heists of the century, putting Boston in position to land Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in subsequent drafts.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Anthony Davis Won’t Play In Game 5

June 1st, 2021 at 8:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Lakers star Anthony Davis has been officially ruled out for Game 5 of the team’s first-round series against the Suns, Mark Medina of USA Today tweets. Markieff Morris will start in his place.

Davis suffered a left groin strain in Game 4 on Sunday and was considered doubtful. He did come out onto the court on two occasions to test the injury but the club’s medical staff ultimately decided he wasn’t ready to go.

The Lakers and Suns are tied at 2-2 in their first-round series, and Davis averaged 34.0 points and 10.5 rebounds in the team’s two wins in Game 2 and 3.

Morris has only played 12 minutes in the series and hasn’t made a field goal. He averaged 5.9 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 21 postseason games, including two starts, for the Lakers during their championship run last season.

Injury Updates: Walker, Williams, KCP, Doncic, Kleber, T. Antetokounmpo

June 1st, 2021 at 5:27pm CST by Dana Gauruder

With the Celtics facing elimination, Kemba Walker and Robert Williams have been declared out for Game 5 against the Nets on Tuesday, Malika Andrews of ESPN tweets. Walker (left knee bone bruise) and Williams (left ankle sprain) had previously been listed as doubtful. Neither played in Game 4 after exiting Game 3 in the early going.

We have more injury updates:

Lakers guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is expected to return to the lineup for Game 5 against Phoenix on Tuesday, Dave McMenamin of ESPN tweets. He missed Game 4 with a sore left knee.
The Mavericks’ Luka Doncic (neck strain) and Maxi Kleber (right Achilles soreness) are listed as probable to play Game 5 on Wednesday, Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News tweets.
Thanasis Antetokounmpo isn’t doing any contact work yet but “he did most, if not all of the non-contact portion of (Tuesday’s) practice,” according to Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer, as Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets. He suffered an avulsion fracture to his right patella tendon suffered on May 16.

Lakers Notes: Davis, LeBron, Schröder, Kuzma, Caruso

May 31st, 2021 at 2:43pm CST by Luke Adams

Lakers star Anthony Davis is reportedly considered unlikely to play in a pivotal Game 5 on Tuesday due to a strained groin. But even if they’re missing their second-leading scorer and frontcourt anchor, the Lakers remain confident in their ability to hang with the No. 2 Suns, writes Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times.

“There is plenty of confidence that we have now without AD. That’s not even a question for anybody in the locker room,” center Marc Gasol said on Sunday.

“It’s just gonna be more opportunity for (LeBron James) and obviously we need more guys to step up,” head coach Frank Vogel said. “Not one other guy, but everybody. It’s gotta be a group effort. We need contributions from everyone, and we did have a stretch like this where we played without AD that we’ll draw on to take us into Game 5 if AD’s not available.”

As Jovan Buha of The Athletic writes, the Lakers had a winning record (19-17) without Davis this season, including an 11-7 mark in games that James played and Davis didn’t. The club may have also discovered an effective Davis-less lineup in Game 4, as LeBron, Gasol, Wesley Matthews, Alex Caruso, and Dennis Schröder were a plus-six in seven minutes. All five of those players can make outside shots and are solid defenders, Buha observes.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

James is prepared to shoulder a heavier workload and more responsibilities if the team is missing Davis for the next game or two, as Mark Medina of USA Today relays. “These shoulders were built for a reason,” LeBron said on Sunday. “If it takes for me to put some more on top of it, then so be it. Win, lose or draw. I’m ready for the challenge.”
Rival executives expect the Lakers to shake up their roster a little if they don’t make it past the first round of the playoffs, says Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report. Dennis Schröder will be perhaps the most important free agent worth monitoring — L.A. probably can’t afford to lose him for nothing, so re-signing him or working out a sign-and-trade will be a priority.
Within the same Bleacher Report story, Fischer cites sources who say that the Lakers discussed potential Kyle Kuzma trades with teams at the deadline in March. Prior to Spencer Dinwiddie‘s ACL injury, Los Angeles inquired about a swap involving the Nets guard and Kuzma, according to Fischer.
There’s a sense among Lakers officials that Alex Caruso has enjoyed playing alongside LeBron and will be interested in re-signing with the team in free agency this summer, reports Fischer.

Anthony Davis Unlikely To Play In Game 5

May 31st, 2021 at 12:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Lakers big man Anthony Davis is unlikely to be available for Game 5 on Tuesday, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

As Charania explains, although Davis – who suffered a left groin strain on Sunday – may not be ready to go on Tuesday, there’s optimism that he won’t have to be ruled out for the series. He’ll continue to be evaluated on a daily basis this week. If Davis misses Game 5, his next opportunity to suit up would be on Thursday for Game 6.

The Lakers and Suns are tied at 2-2 in their first-round series, and L.A. has been at its best when Davis has been at his best. He averaged 34.0 points and 10.5 rebounds in the team’s two wins in Game 2 and 3. In a Game 1 loss, he put up just 13 points and seven rebounds. Prior to his early exit in Game 4, he had recorded six points and four rebounds in 19 minutes.

If Davis is sidelined for Game 5, frontcourt players like Markieff Morris, Kyle Kuzma, and Montrezl Harrell could see increased roles, while LeBron James and Dennis Schröder will have to take on added scoring and play-making responsibilities.

Kostas Antetokounmpo Attending To Personal Matter In Greece

May 30th, 2021 at 8:54pm CST by JD Shaw

Lakers forward Kostas Antetokounmpo has been attending to a personal matter in Greece, explaining his recent absence from the team, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Antetokoumpo is currently on a two-way contract with the club. There’s optimism that he could return if the Lakers advance past the Suns in the first round, the duo notes.