Los Angeles Lakers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Free Agent Stock Watch: Playoff Edition

September 25th, 2020 at 8:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Throughout the season, Hoops Rumors takes a closer look at players who will be free agents or could become free agents this off-season. With the playoffs ongoing at the Orlando campus, it’s time to examine if their stock is rising or falling due to performance and other factors.

Jerami Grant, Nuggets, 26, PF (Up) – Signed to a three-year, $27.3MM deal in 2018

The Nuggets are on the verge of elimination again despite the increased offensive production of Grant. He scored a playoff-high 26 points in Denver’s lone win against the Lakers in Game 3, then added 17 points in Game 4. The trust that coach Michael Malone has in Grant defensively against the Lakers’ jumbo lineups was apparent – he played a total of 77 minutes in those two games. Grant has a $9.35MM option on his contract for next season. Prior to the restart, Grant said he was likely to decline it and test the free agent waters. It’s doubtful he’s changed his mind.

Dwight Howard, Lakers, 34, C (Up) – Signed to a one-year, $2.56MM deal in 2019

Howard piled up more fouls than points in Games 2 and 3 against Denver. Instead of Howard losing playing time, coach Frank Vogel surprisingly decided to start him in Game 4. The former Defensive Player of the Year delivered a double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds) in 23 minutes. He’s a dinosaur by current NBA standards – an aging center who can’t stretch defenses. But every once awhile, Howard reminds everyone he can still be a factor. It’s easy to see the Lakers signing him to another short-term deal.

Dion Waiters, Lakers 28, SG (Down) – Signed to a one-year, $500K deal in 2020

Waiters got a chance to revive his career when the Lakers signed him to a rest-of-the season contract in March. The opportunity was there for Waiters to crack the rotation in the postseason but ineffectiveness and a groin injury have rendered him a non-factor. He’s only appeared in five playoff games, totaling 10 points (no threes) in 38 minutes. Given his controversial history, the fourth overall pick of the 2012 draft will probably be scrounging for a veteran’s minimum deal.

Derrick Jones, Heat, 23, SF (Down) – Signed to a two-year, $3.16MM deal in 2018

It’s been a rough restart for Jones. He had a bout with the coronavirus, then suffered a neck strain during a collision in the seeding games. He also dealt with an ankle injury during the opening round of the playoffs. His biggest problem now is he’s out of the rotation. The emergence of Tyler Herro and the presence of veterans Jae Crowder and Andre Iguodala has limited him to a total of 30 unspectacular minutes against Boston. Jones will be an unrestricted free agent and he’ll draw some interest, but his price tag may have dropped this summer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Davis Urged Rondo To Re-Sign

September 25th, 2020 at 7:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Lakers guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who has a decision to make regarding free agency after the season, has displayed his value during the Western Conference Finals, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times notes.

Caldwell-Pope has been one of several defenders assigned to slow down Jamal Murray. He’s also contributed on offense, including 13 points in the Lakers’ pivotal Game 4 victory on Thursday. Caldwell-Pope holds an $8.54MM option on his contract for next season.

Anthony Davis‘ first order of business after being acquired by the Lakers was to encourage guard Rajon Rondo to re-sign, he told ESPN’s Rachel Nichols (hat tip to Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register). “He was the first person I called,” Davis said. “I told him that I wanted him to come back because I knew how much I excel with him and how much of a leader he is and his mindset on the floor and will to win.” Rondo holds a $2.62MM player option on his contract for next season after signing a two-year deal last summer.

Howard To Start For Lakers Over McGee

September 24th, 2020 at 7:40pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

For the first time in the 2020 playoffs, Lakers center Dwight Howard will start tonight in a pivotal Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, per Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic (Twitter link). This also marks only Howard’s third start for the Lakers in the 2019/20 season overall. Los Angeles leads Denver 2-1. The official game broadcast is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. CST.

Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register tweets that Lakers coach Frank Vogel still wants Howard to minimize fouling as he guards All-Star Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. Howard is averaging 4.3 fouls in just 14.4 minutes per game for the series. The more athletic Howard’s ability to pester Jokic and impede his passing likely earned him the nod over normal starting center JaVale McGee.

Howard started at center over McGee in the second half of Game 3 on Tuesday, a 114-106 loss for the Lakers. Goon noted in an article yesterday that the Lakers are scoring at a +20 plus-minus pace over Denver across Howard’s 43 minutes in the series, compared to -11 during McGee’s 31 minutes.

The last time McGee was benched in these playoffs, forward Markieff Morris started at center in his stead during the final two games of the Lakers’ second-round matchup with the Rockets. Howard played for just two games of that five-game series.

The 34-year-old Howard, a former three-time Defensive Player of the Year and eight-time All-Star, is in his second stint with the Lakers on a one-year, veteran’s minimum contract. He last played in the purple and gold during a tumultuous 2012/13 season, alongside fellow All-Stars Pau Gasol, Kobe Bryant, and Steve Nash.

Caruso, Green Listed As Probable For Thursday's Game 4

September 23rd, 2020 at 7:35pm CST by Jovan Alford

Lakers head coach Frank Vogel told reporters on Wednesday that Alex Caruso and Danny Green are listed as probable for Thursday’s Western Conference Finals Game 4 against the Nuggets, per Tania Ganguli of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).

According to Vogel, Caruso is dealing with soreness in his right wrist and is getting a precautionary MRI. Green has an injured left ring finger. The 26-year-old Caruso only scored two points in 25 minutes off the bench in the Lakers’ Game 3 loss, while Green had four points in 20 minutes.

If Caruso or Green cannot play on Thursday, the Lakers may need to increase point guard Rajon Rondo‘s minutes.

California Notes: Clippers Offseason, Fox, Dwight, McNair

September 23rd, 2020 at 4:16pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

After blowing a 3-1 lead to the Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals, the star-studded Clippers face an uncertain offseason, Danny Leroux of The Athletic writes. Leroux unpacks the potential fates of three Clipper big men worth tracking during Los Angeles’s offseason.

The team can re-sign unrestricted free agent forward Marcus Morris at a 20% annual raise using his Non-Bird Rights. However, Sixth Man of the Year Montrezl Harrell, also an unrestricted free agent, may command more money than Los Angeles is comfortable paying him after a lackluster postseason performance, while JaMychal Green will most likely opt out of his $5MM player option for the 2020/21 season in search of a more lucrative payday. In Leroux’s view, the Clippers may look elsewhere for centers than small-ball options like Green and Harrell.

There are more notes from the NBA’s California teams:

Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox is eligible for a maximum extension of his rookie contract this offseason. Jason Jones of The Athletic assesses the pros and cons of such a deal being completed sooner rather than later, one of the big decisions facing new Sacramento general manager Monte McNair.
34-year-old Lakers reserve center Dwight Howard has emerged as a legitimate antagonist against All-Star Nuggets center Nikola Jokic during the two teams’ Western Conference Finals series, writes Sam Amick of The Athletic. Howard was able to use his strength and length to impede Jokic’s passing ability in a Game 2 win. “As soon as I step onto the court, I’m gonna let him know that I’m there,” Howard said after the first game of the series, also a Lakers win.
During his introductory team press conference today, new Kings GM Monte McNair asserted that head coach Luke Walton will remain on the sidelines for the 2020/21 season, Jason Jones of The Athletic tweets.

Pacific Notes: Howard, Warriors, Kings, Kawhi

September 22nd, 2020 at 12:46pm CST by Luke Adams

A year after Dwight Howard‘s NBA career appeared to be on life support, the veteran center is once again healthy and making an impact for a Lakers team that has become the strong favorite to win the 2020 championship, writes Chris Mannix of SI.com.

As Mannix details, Howard wore out his welcome at several of his other recent NBA stops, including in Charlotte. The Hornets believed the big man “didn’t impact winning,” according to one team official, and were worried about the influence he might have on the team’s young players, including Malik Monk.

In Los Angeles, Howard has accepted a complementary role that suits him and is part of a locker room whose veteran leaders are capable of quelling any chemistry issues that may arise, according to Mannix, who suggests that the eight-time All-Star should be able to extend his NBA career by a few years if he’s willing to play a similar role going forward.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area explores Isaac Okoro‘s potential fit with the Warriors, suggesting that the young forward has the chance to develop into an Andre Iguodala-type player.
In a separate story for NBC Sports California, James Ham identifies some of the key questions facing new Kings head of basketball operations Monte McNair, who will have big decisions to make on De’Aaron Fox, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Buddy Hield, among others.
Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee takes a look at the analytics background that McNair brings to Sacramento and how his expertise in that field may affect the Kings‘ basketball decisions going forward.
The Clippers‘ second-round loss this summer was a disappointing one, but it will help two-time Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard learn the role that failure plays in superstardom, contends Michael Lee of The Athletic.

Caruso Has Proven His Value On Defense

September 21st, 2020 at 6:17pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Guard Alex Caruso has become an essential role player for the Lakers and the stats prove it, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times notes. In Caruso’s 18.4 MPG during the regular season, the Lakers were 9.8 points per 100 possessions better than their opponents. During the postseason, the Lakers’ best defensive lineups have often been with Caruso on the court. He can become an unrestricted free agent after next season.

Poll: Will Lakers Win 2020 NBA Title?

September 21st, 2020 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

When the NBA’s postseason began just over a month ago, the Lakers were coming off a shaky 3-5 showing in the summer seeding games, and had roughly the same odds as the Clippers and Bucks to win the 2020 NBA championship, according to most sportsbooks.

Five weeks later, the Clippers and Bucks have been eliminated from title contention, as have many of the teams viewed as second-tier title threats, such as Toronto, Philadelphia, and Houston. The Lakers hold a commanding 2-0 lead over the Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals, while neither the Heat nor the Celtics have looked especially dominant in the Eastern Finals.

In other words, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the rest of the Lakers find themselves in a great position to finish off an impressive playoff run and bring home the franchise’s first championship since 2010. The oddsmakers at BetOnline.ag currently list the Lakers as -350 favorites, meaning you’d have to risk $350 in order to win just $100 for an L.A. title.

While the Lakers may be the overwhelming favorites for now, it’s a little early to pencil them in as the NBA’s 2020 champions. After all, the Nuggets were just a Davis buzzer-beater away from pulling even at one game apiece in the Western Finals — and even down 2-0, Denver is hardly about to roll over, having already overcome a pair of 3-1 deficits in these playoffs.

If the Lakers can put away the Nuggets, they’ll enter the NBA Finals as heavy favorites, but the Celtics and Heat shouldn’t be overlooked either. Boston dominated Joel Embiid and the Sixers before eliminating the defending-champion Raptors – who had the league’s second-best record this season – in perhaps the most hard-fought series of the postseason.

As for the Heat, Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s ankle injury helped them finish off Milwaukee, but they’d played better than the 56-17 Bucks even before Antetokounmpo got hurt. Knocking off the Pacers, Bucks, and Celtics would represent an impressive path to the Finals for Miami.

Either Eastern team will also benefit from playing in the Disney World bubble, where home-court advantage is essentially nonexistent and the Lakers’ regular-season edge wouldn’t give them an extra Finals game at Staples Center. Still, L.A. has shown so far that it doesn’t need the help that home-court advantage provides.

What do you think? Are you confident the Lakers will win the Finals and get LeBron his fourth ring, or will one of the other three teams still alive play spoiler and take this year’s crown?

Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!

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Western Notes: Jazz, Howard, Pelicans, LeBron

September 20th, 2020 at 5:03pm CST by JD Shaw

The Jazz could greatly benefit from bolstering their bench next season following a seven-game defeat to Denver this postseason, Ryan McDonald of The Deseret News writes.

Utah has a core of Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, Bojan Bogdanovic and others under contract for next season, though several bench players such as Jordan Clarkson and Emmanuel Mudiay are set to enter unrestricted free agency.

“I can’t tell the future,” Clarkson said. “I know I had a great experience here, great time here. I love my teammates here, so definitely see what happens. You know, it’s kind of my first time actually going into a free agency. Definitely a whole new experience for me.”

The Jazz hold Clarkson’s Bird rights and can offer him more money than other interested teams, with the 27-year-old averaging 15.2 points per game off the bench this season. It’s clear Utah will sport an impressive starting group next season, but the team’s ability to maintain (or improve) its depth will be vital toward achieving success.

“We’ll see how they come back once they get away and hopefully improve and reflect,” executive vice president of basketball operations Dennis Lindsey said when the team’s season ended. “We had a very successful G League season and we think a lot of those guys can provide internal solutions.”

Here are some other notes from the Western Conference tonight:

Lakers center Dwight Howard demonstrated his “dark side” in Game 1 against the Nuggets, Sam Amick of The Athletic writes. Howard finished with 13 points, three rebounds and two blocks in his 16 minutes of play, controlling the game on both ends. “As soon as I step onto the court, I’m gonna let him know that I’m there,” Howard said as part of a larger quote, referring to his solid defense on Nuggets star Nikola Jokic.
William Guillory of The Athletic addresses a number of topics related to the Pelicans in his latest mailbag, including which free-agent veterans could help the team and whether the franchise should trade Jrue Holiday. New Orleans finished with just a 30-42 record and failed to qualify for the playoffs this season. The team hopes to reload next season with a core consisting of Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson and others.
Jackie MacMullan of ESPN.com explores how to “stop” Lakers star LeBron James, discussing the subject with players and coaches who have eliminated him from the postseason in the past, such as Tayshaun Prince, Bruce Bowen, Stan Van Gundy and Jason Terry. “He’s an all-world playmaker — one of the best I’ve seen,” former Warriors guard Shaun Livingston said. “That’s his separator. By that point of his career [against Golden State], he almost always made the right play at the right time with the right efficiency.”

Lakers Notes: Howard, James, Rondo, Davis

September 19th, 2020 at 4:54pm CST by Arthur Hill

Dwight Howard barely played against the small-ball Rockets in the Lakers‘ last series, but he may be in the starting lineup for Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Howard’s impact in Game 1 has coach Frank Vogel considering a change. During seven minutes in the second quarter, the veteran center had two blocks, two steals, and drew five fouls. He also boosted L.A.’s energy and physicality, Slater notes.

Howard started the second half in place of JaVale McGee and got Nuggets center Nikola Jokic to commit an important fourth foul, stifling Denver’s comeback hopes. Howard finished with 13 points in 16 minutes and was plus-14 for the game. Vogel won’t announce his Game 2 starters until the league requirement of 30 minutes before tipoff, tweets Mike Trudell of Spectrum.

“I had a chance to get there once and always promised myself if I had a chance to get back there, I’d give my teammates everything I got and lay it all out on the line,” Howard told Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, referring to his loss with the Magic in 2009 in his only NBA Finals appearance.

There’s more on the Lakers:

Vogel said LeBron James should be ready for Game 2 despite hurting his ankle Friday night, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN. James rolled the ankle when he stepped on Jerami Grant‘s foot.
Rajon Rondo put up seven points, nine assists and two steals in 22 minutes in Game 1, but the attitude he brings to the court is more important than his numbers, observes Helene Elliott of The Los Angeles Times. “His impact’s always measured in swag with our team,” Vogel said. “He elevates the group’s confidence every time he’s on the floor.” Rondo, who has a reputation for raising his game in the postseason, passed Michael Jordan on the career playoff assists list Friday night and is closing in on Kobe Bryant. He has been a difference maker since returning from a fractured right thumb that caused him to miss all the Lakers’ seeding games and the first-round series with Portland.
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report talks to several anonymous team executives about whether Anthony Davis is the best teammate James has ever had. Davis is in his prime at age 27 and has been a perfect complement to James since being acquired from the Pelicans last summer.