- The Lakers haven’t announced a decision yet on center Damian Jones, whose second 10-day contract expires today, tweets Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Players are limited to two 10-day deals with the same team in one season, so L.A. would have to sign Jones for the rest of the season to keep him on the roster. “No decision has been made on that,” coach Frank Vogel said, “but he’s played well and we’ll see where that goes.” Jones has started five of the seven games he has played for the Lakers and is averaging 5.6 points and 2.4 rebounds per night.
Dennis Schröder wants to stay with the Lakers but there’s still a good chance he’ll test the free agent market this summer, according to Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register. Schroder likes his current situation, stating, “I want to be a part of this organization for a long time.”
However, Schroder has yet to sign an extension, even though he’s eligible for one. Schroder admits he’s conflicted, knowing the Lakers’ salary situation and the fact they can go over the cap to retain him in unrestricted free agency.
- Lakers center Marc Gasol remains under the league’s health and safety protocols but he’s out of isolation, Goon writes in a separate story. He still has a “few steps to clear” before he’s allowed to play, coach Frank Vogel said. Gasol hasn’t played since February 28.
Several key Lakers contributors, including Dennis Schröder, Alex Caruso, and Talen Horton-Tucker are up for new deals this offseason, and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN said in the latest episode of The Woj Pod that he has the sense the team would like to move some long-term money off its books to create more flexibility to re-sign those players.
“I do think they would like to free up some of that money they owe down the line to put themselves in position to keep the guys they have there,” Wojnarowski said, per RealGM. “I think that’s kind of at the center of some of their talks here around the trade deadline.”
While Woj didn’t specifically name Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as players the Lakers are discussing in trades, he observed that they’re the non-stars on the roster who have multiyear contracts. Kuzma would be tricky to move this year because he has a contract extension going into effect in 2021/22, so if L.A. wants to move some long-term money, KCP could be the team’s top trade candidate by default.
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- Jovan Buha of The Athletic breaks down the defensive performance of Marc Gasol and Montrezl Harrell, weighing whether the Lakers need to pursue a center upgrade via trade or on the buyout market. Buha contends that the concerns about the club’s interior defense have been overblown and that the return of Anthony Davis could sufficiently address the issue.
- Lakers guard Alex Caruso, who has missed the team’s last two games, has been cleared from the NBA’s concussion protocol and will be available vs. Charlotte on Thursday night, as ESPN’s Dave McMenamin relays (via Twitter).
- In case you missed it, the Lakers are reportedly among the teams to watch if free agent Isaiah Thomas gets another NBA opportunity.
The NBA and NBPA announced on Wednesday that three of the 490 players tested for the coronavirus since March 10 returned confirmed positive tests. That’s relatively good news for the league, since there was some concern about players moving all over the country during the All-Star break before returning to their teams. It appears there hasn’t been a spike in COVID-19 cases following the break.
Meanwhile, as players and staffers around the league begin to receive vaccinations for the coronavirus, the NBA and the NBPA have agreed to relax certain protocols and restrictions related to the virus, as Baxter Holmes of ESPN details.
Fully vaccinated individuals no longer have to quarantine following exposure to COVID-19, while fully vaccinated teams won’t have to wear masks at their practice facilities, Holmes writes. Additionally, restrictions related to home visitors and in-restaurant dining are being loosened for those individuals and teams.
A player is considered to be fully vaccinated two weeks after his final dose, while a team meets the criteria once 85% of its players and 85% of its staff members have been vaccinated, Holmes adds.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link) has heard that the Lakers and Bucks are among the teams to watch if Isaiah Thomas gets another NBA opportunity. While Thomas continues to pursue an NBA comeback, he may have to wait until after teams see who’s available at the trade deadline and on the buyout market.
- John Hollinger of The Athletic shares eight creative, hypothetical trades he’d like to see happen at the deadline, including a Hornets/Hawks swap that involves John Collins, Devonte’ Graham, and P.J. Washington, and a four-team trade that sends Gorgui Dieng to the Nets.
- The Mavericks shared an extremely sad piece of news this week, announcing on their website that former NBA center Shawn Bradley was struck by a car in January while riding his bicycle, resulting in a traumatic spinal cord injury that has left him paralyzed. Bradley has spent the last eight weeks hospitalized and undergoing rehab, but is said to be “in good spirits” and aims to use his platform to bring greater public awareness to the importance of bike safety.
As our friends at MLB Trade Rumors relayed on Tuesday, Lakers star LeBron James is now a part-owner of baseball’s Boston Red Sox, having become a partner in Fenway Sports Group, the company that controls the franchise. While this represents his first foray into ownership of a major North American sports team, James ultimately wants to own a franchise in his own sport.
“My goal is to own an NBA franchise,” James said on Tuesday, per Mark Medina of USA Today. “It’ll be sooner than later.
“… I have so much to give to the game. I know what it takes to win at this level,” LeBron continued. “I know talent. I also know how to run a business as well.”
As Brian Windhorst of ESPN details, James has put himself in a strong position to make that goal a reality. Forbes recently projected the four-time MVP to surpass $1 billion in career salary and endorsement earnings this year, and that estimate doesn’t take into account the return on his various investments, Windhorst notes. Even that amount of money wouldn’t necessarily give him enough to assume a controlling share of an NBA team, but it likely wouldn’t be hard for him to compile a group.
“If LeBron retired tomorrow, he probably could put together a group with enough capital to buy an NBA team in a short period of time,” an investment banker who has advised on past NBA team sales told Windhorst. “The trick is finding a group that would put up that kind of money and allow him to be the controlling partner if he’s not putting in the most money. That’s a harder deal to strike. But he is the type of athlete and businessman who might be able to do it.”
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- Sources tell Wes Goldberg of The Bay Area Sports Group that the Warriors are committed to center James Wiseman and would only move him if they could land a “perennial All-Star”-type player. I noted in our Trade Candidate series on Tuesday that Wiseman is among a group of promising young players who could conceivably be dealt, but only for a star.
- Despite Marvin Bagley III‘s hand injury and Nemanja Bjelica‘s recent return to the Kings‘ rotation, Bjelica remains likely to be traded before next Thursday’s deadline, sources tell Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.
- Malika Andrews and Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN explore why the Clippers prioritized signing Serge Ibaka last offseason, as well as Ibaka’s relationship with star forward Kawhi Leonard.
Lakers reserve forward Jared Dudley will not have surgery on his torn MCL because he hopes to contribute in the postseason, Dave McMenamin of ESPN tweets. Dudley, who has appeared in 11 games this season, suffered the right MCL tear earlier this month. Surgery would sideline Dudley for about four to six months, so he’ll continue to rehab around the team and remain a veteran presence in the locker room.
We have more injury-related news:
- Pistons lottery pick Killian Hayes has shown significant improvement from his right hip subluxation but he won’t return for at least three more weeks, Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press tweets. Hayes has been cleared for on-court basketball activities and will begin a phased progression toward his return to full-contact practice and game action, according to a team press release. Hayes suffered the injury during Detroit’s seventh game this season.
- Knicks center Mitchell Robinson has been cleared for practice and will be able to take contact, Ian Begley of SNY TV tweets. Robinson underwent surgery on February 16 to repair a fracture in his right hand.
- Magic starters Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier — two players prominently mentioned in trade rumors — practiced on Tuesday and could return for Thursday’s game against the Knicks, according to Roy Parry of the Orlando Sentinel. Fournier has missed the past four games with a groin strain, while Gordon hasn’t dressed the past two games due to a left ankle injury. Gordon initially sprained the ankle on January 31 and missed 15 consecutive games.
- LaMarcus Aldridge would be a better fit with the Suns than the Lakers or Trail Blazers, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic opines. The Spurs are sitting the veteran power forward while seeking to trade him or buy him out. Aldridge would benefit from the Suns’ superior ball movement, Rankin argues, as he will not only get more shot attempts with them but also quality looks from up top and in the lane.
- The Lakers have a number of major decisions upcoming, beginning with their approach to the trade deadline and buyout market. The Athletic’s Jovan Buha and Danny Leroux explore those issues, as well as a look at free agency this summer and whether to re-sign Dennis Schröder.
The Knicks, Lakers, Clippers, Hornets, and Pelicans are among the teams to explore whether the Pacers are willing to trade big man Myles Turner, league sources tell J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star.
The Pacers were willing to discuss Turner in trade talks during the 2020 offseason and have lost 17 of their last 26 games after an 8-4 start this season, so it’s no surprise that teams are inquiring on the NBA’s leading shot-blocker.
However, Michael says that if Indiana does look to make a move at the trade deadline, it’s unlikely to involve Turner, who has developed into a crucial part of the team’s success. The Pacers have been better both offensively and defensively when he’s on the court.
Here’s more from around the Central:
- Within his look at some hypothetical trades for the Pistons, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic reports that the team is seriously discussing trades involving Delon Wright, Wayne Ellington, and Mason Plumlee, adding that there have been some “whispers” about the Nets potentially being interested in Plumlee.
- Hamidou Diallo‘s Pistons debut will be delayed a little longer due to his groin strain, head coach Dwane Casey said on Monday (Twitter link via Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press). Diallo missed his last several games with Oklahoma City as a result of the injury, which he suffered on February 24.
- The Bulls‘ new-look rotation got off to a good start on Sunday, as the team comfortably defeated Toronto with Tomas Satoransky and Thaddeus Young replacing Coby White and Wendell Carter in the starting lineup. Head coach Billy Donovan cautioned after the game that the new starting five isn’t “set in stone” (Twitter link via Eric Woodyard of ESPN). However, the affected players sounded fully on board with the changes, with Carter stating that he would’ve benched himself too, as K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago writes.
- Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic explores what the lineup changes might say about the Bulls‘ approach to the trade deadline, suggesting that the team seems unlikely to be a seller.
The Lakers announced on Friday that Anthony Davis would miss at least the next two weeks as he continues to recover from his right calf strain and tendinosis. However, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Davis is unlikely to return immediately after the end of that two-week timeline.
Sources tell Haynes that the Lakers’ star forward/center is expected to be out for the next three weeks, and potentially longer than that. Even if Los Angeles slips a little more in the standings without Davis in its lineup, the team wants to be cautious in its handling of one of its two superstars, Haynes writes.
Including the game in which Davis went down, the Lakers have lost seven of their last 11, but they’re still comfortably holding a playoff spot in the West — they’re the No. 3 seed, at 25-13.
Here’s more from Haynes:
- Injured Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic (wrist) plans on making his return in about two weeks, sources tell Yahoo Sports. CJ McCollum (foot) said over the weekend that he’s aiming to return this week, so Portland could get two key starters back in its lineup before the end of the month.
- According to Haynes, Celtics center Tristan Thompson is a candidate to be moved prior to next Thursday’s trade deadline, with the Raptors among his possible landing spots. The Toronto native has long been linked to his hometown team, and while nothing has ever come of those rumors, a union would make more sense now that the Raptors are in the market for an upgrade at center.
- Cavaliers center JaVale McGee – who has drawn interest from contenders, including the Nets – isn’t entertaining a buyout, so if he changes teams, it will be via trade, says Haynes. While Brooklyn may prefer his teammate Andre Drummond, McGee’s modest $4.2MM salary will make him easier to move in a deal.
- We passed along a few more items from Haynes earlier today, including notes on DeMar DeRozan, John Wall, and Hassan Whiteside.
- The Lakers continue to monitor Kings center Hassan Whiteside, reports Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. Whiteside has been previously identified as a possible Lakers target via trade or buyout.