- In an interesting piece for ESPN.com, Kevin Arnovitz explores how the perception of Lakers head coach Frank Vogel has changed over the last several months. When Vogel was hired in the spring, he was viewed as a Plan C whose hiring was proof of the franchise’s dysfunction. However, he has helped right the ship in L.A., leading the team to a 33-8 first-half record.
The Lakers haven’t missed a beat with Anthony Davis out of their lineup for the last three games, beating Dallas, Oklahoma City, and Cleveland by an average margin of nearly 20 points per contest as the star big man recovers from a lower back injury. As Tania Ganguli of The Los Angeles Times writes, the team’s success prompted Davis to joke today that the Lakers don’t actually need him, but head coach Frank Vogel wasn’t quite ready to make light of the situation.
“This is L.A., you know everything I say will be quoted out of context,” Vogel said. “So I was gonna make a joke, but I’m not gonna joke because we definitely need Anthony Davis.”
As for when Davis might return to the Lakers’ lineup, the team isn’t ready to offer a specific timeline, once again listing AD as questionable for Wednesday’s game vs. Orlando. For his part, Davis said he feels much better, but hasn’t yet taken any contact or sprinted, per Ganguli.
“When I feel like I’m able to get back to my old self and do the moves I’ve always done and be successful at it, that’s when I’ll be able to get back on the floor,” Davis said.
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- Rajon Rondo missed Monday’s game due to a fracture in his right ring finger and is expected to be sidelined for a few more days, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. The veteran point guard has been ruled out for Wednesday, while his status for Saturday’s game in Houston remains up in the air.
- Despite Kyle Kuzma‘s strong recent play, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report makes the case that newly-promoted head of basketball operations Rob Pelinka has to do his due diligence to see if the Lakers can upgrade their roster by moving the third-year forward, since the team doesn’t have many other draft assets or prospects to offer.
- He wasn’t one of the Lakers’ most noteworthy offseason signees, but Jared Dudley has proven his value to the franchise. As Mike Bresnahan of Spectrum SportsNet relays (via Twitter), LeBron James referred to the veteran forward as “one of the best teammates I’ve ever had.”
- In contrast to the first go-round, Dwight Howard‘s second stint with the Lakers has been “pure joy” for both sides, Helene Elliott writes in a column for The Los Angeles Times.
- Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma is aware his name has been bandied about in trade rumors but he’s trying to block it out, according to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. Kuzma averaged 31 points in two games this weekend with Anthony Davis sidelined. “Nah, that’s for y’all to talk about,” Kuzma said. “I’ve been through it multiple times and obviously I see it. But it don’t even matter at this point.”
- Lakers star LeBron James passed Michael Jordan for fourth in career field goals made, converting a layup in the first quarter of Friday’s game to reach 12,192 total makes, Dave McMenamin of ESPN details. James passed Jordan in makes on 324 fewer attempts, McMenamin notes. “Any time you’re in a marathon and you’re able to have feats throughout that marathon, I think it’s just pretty cool to be linked with the greats,” James said postgame. “You said the name Michael Jordan; it just means so much to me. Any time I’m linked with his name, with his greatness and what he was able to do with the game. Hopefully, I continue to make him and all the other greats proud. Any time I’m linked with them. Hopefully, I can continue to make my family and my fans proud, as well.”
- The Lakers are willing to trade virtually anyone to construct a championship-caliber roster this season, Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times writes. With an emphasis on “willing,” Los Angeles is unlikely to make any earth-shattering trades before the Feb. 6 trade deadline, as the team has started the season with an impressive 32-7 record.
The Lakers have agreed to a contract extension with GM Rob Pelinka and promoted him to Vice President of Basketball Operations, Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN report (via Twitter).
Pelinka, 50, received a five-year contract when the former player agent was originally hired by the Lakers in 2017. By signing LeBron James as a free agent in 2018 and trading for another superstar, Anthony Davis, this offseason, the Lakers have turned into a serious championship contender under Pelinka’s watch.
The length of the extension isn’t clear but it is for multiple seasons, Wojnarowski adds.
The Lakers confirmed the promotion in a press release.
“I’m extremely pleased with the work Rob has done in order to put this franchise in a position for success, “ Lakers owner Jeanie Buss said. “His strong leadership skills, as well as his commitment to building a winning culture, both on and off the court, have brought us one step closer to being a championship-caliber team and I look forward to our continued work together.”
Pelinka said shortly after the Davis deal was completed that anything but a championship wouldn’t be considered a successful season.
Bogdan Bogdanovic‘s name popped up in trade rumors at the start of the week, but the Kings still view the swingman as a key part of their push for the postseason and team sources “swear” they’re comfortable dealing with his restricted free agency this summer, sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic. Interestingly, Amick notes that it was the Lakers, not the Kings, who initiated those reported trade discussions involving Bogdanovic and Kyle Kuzma.
- While Anthony Davis will be eligible to earn a projected $202MM over five years with the Lakers on his next contract, he may be more inclined to sign a three-year deal with a player option, writes Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. That would give Davis the chance to opt out and sign a more lucrative long-term contract in 2022, when he has 10 years of NBA experience.
9:36am: According to the Lakers, Davis’ MRI revealed a gluteus maximus contusion, tweets Medina. He’ll be listed as questionable for Friday’s game, which sounds like a best-case outcome for the team. Even if AD does miss a game or two, the injury doesn’t appear to be serious.
8:46am: Davis’ MRI came back clean and he intends to travel with the team on its upcoming road trip, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. It’s unclear whether or not he’ll actually play on Friday or Saturday, but it’s certainly good news for the Lakers either way.
8:24am: The Lakers got a scare on Tuesday night when star big man Anthony Davis fell awkwardly to the floor during the third quarter of the team’s win over the Knicks. After attempting to block a shot, Davis landed hard on his tailbone, suffering what the team called a sacral contusion (Twitter link). Head coach Frank Vogel referred to the injury after the game as a bruised tailbone (video link via Mark Medina of USA Today).
While X-rays were negative, Davis was scheduled to undergo an MRI late Tuesday night, so we’re still waiting for an official update from the team on the results and a potential recovery timeline. For now, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reports that AD is expected to miss the Lakers’ upcoming road trip to Dallas (Friday) and Oklahoma City (Saturday). It remains to be seen whether he’ll be sidelined beyond the weekend.
According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), Davis was escorted out of the arena on Tuesday laying on the bed of a motor carrier and acknowledged he’d miss some time, but seemed confident that the injury wasn’t a significant one. “I’m fine,” he told Haynes.
Davis suffered his injury just hours after word broke that he had declined a contract extension from the Lakers. As we explained in our story on the subject, the decision doesn’t mean the 26-year-old isn’t committed to the franchise — it just makes more financial sense for him to become a free agent this summer, since his maximum salary will be higher at that time.
People around the NBA don’t expect Davis to leave the Lakers, and Vogel suggested in the wake of Tuesday’s injury that the star forward is at the center of the organization’s long-term plans.
“He’s one of our pillars,” Vogel said of Davis, per McMenamin. “He’s our present, he’s our future and he’s one of the best players in the world. So obviously he means a lot.”
With Davis out for at least the Lakers’ next couple games, Kyle Kuzma – who has been the subject of some trade rumors as of late – figures to get an opportunity to step into the starting lineup, a possibility he acknowledged after Tuesday’s win, as McMenamin relays.
“Coach always talks about ‘next man up,'” Kuzma said. “I just feel like if I have an opportunity, I’ll be fine. … I mean, I’m not Anthony Davis, so I’m just going to be myself. And just do me.”
Over the course of the 2019/20 NBA season, up until February’s trade deadline, we’re keeping an eye on potential trade candidates from around the NBA, monitoring their value and exploring the likelihood that they’ll be moved. Each of these looks at possible trade candidates focuses on a specific division, as we zero in on three players from that division.
The Pacific Division has been the subject of a handful of trade rumors lately, including reports suggesting that the Kings and Lakers have touched base on a possible deal and that the Suns and Clippers might make good trade partners for a swap of big men.
As we wait to see whether any of these whispers actually turn into anything concrete, here are three potential trade candidates from around the Pacific:
Kyle Kuzma, PF
Los Angeles Lakers
$2MM cap hit; $3.6MM guaranteed salary in 2020/21; RFA in 2021
As recently as last Friday, word was that the Lakers still viewed Kuzma as a core long-term piece and were focused more on upgrading their roster around the edges. However, Sam Amick of The Athletic suggested over the weekend that the club was open to listening to inquiries on Kuzma, and Marc Stein of The New York Times reported on Monday that the Kings were among the teams with interest.
This may simply be a case of the Lakers doing due diligence. According to Amick, LeBron James remains supportive of Kuzma and general manager Rob Pelinka is believed to be the young forward’s biggest backer. The Lakers’ reported asking price, relayed by Sean Deveney of Heavy.com, is high and seems unlikely to be met. And moving Kuzma for an impact player would be tricky, given his small $2MM cap hit.
On the other hand, Kuzma’s fit in L.A.’s frontcourt is somewhat uncomfortable, since the club likes to use a traditional center. Playing Kuzma alongside, say, Dwight Howard, LeBron, and Anthony Davis isn’t ideal, so if the Lakers can move him in a deal for an impact wing player like Bogdan Bogdanovic or Robert Covington, it might make sense to do so.
I think Kuzma is probably still more likely than not to remain with the Lakers through the deadline, but a trade in the next month wouldn’t be at all shocking.
Dewayne Dedmon, C
Sacramento Kings
$13.3MM cap hit; $13.3MM guaranteed salary in 2020/21; $13.3MM partially guaranteed salary ($1MM) in 2021/22
The Kings’ offseason commitments to Dedmon ($27.7MM in guaranteed money) and Richaun Holmes ($9.8MM) reflected the club’s belief that Dedmon would be the starting center for the foreseeable future, with Holmes playing a backup role. That view made sense — following two strong seasons in Atlanta, Dedmon was a popular mid-level free agent target for teams around the NBA, and the Kings were willing to go even higher than the mid-level to lock him up.
However, it only took four games for new head coach Luke Walton to move Holmes into the starting lineup, demoting Dedmon to a bench role. As Holmes as emerged as one of Sacramento’s most valuable contributors, Dedmon has fallen out of the rotation altogether, having been listed as inactive for the team’s last three games.
Dedmon has publicly confirmed that he’d like to be traded, receiving a $50K fine for his honesty. But his value is low at this point as a result of his struggles in Sacramento. The Kings are reportedly open to moving the big man, but won’t make a deal just to get rid of him.
A shoulder injury suffered by Holmes on Monday night may open up a path for Dedmon to get back into the rotation, which could be the opportunity he needs to show potential suitors he still has value.
Tyler Johnson, G
Phoenix Suns
$19.2MM cap hit; UFA in 2020
Gina Mizell of The Athletic recently identified Johnson as the Suns’ most likely player to be dealt in the coming weeks. Unfortunately for Johnson, that’s not because contenders will be clamoring to add him to their rotations — it’s because of his $19.2MM contract, which will expire in the summer.
It remains to be seen which direction Phoenix will go at the trade deadline, but as long as the team remains in the playoff hunt, targeting an upgrade such as Danilo Gallinari is a possibility. If the Suns were to make a play for someone like Gallinari, who is earning more than $22MM this season, using Johnson’s $19MM+ expiring deal as a salary-matching chip would be the most logical move.
While Johnson is a trade candidate due to his contract situation, he may welcome a change of scenery. After starting the season as a regular contributor in Phoenix, Johnson has fallen out of the rotation, appearing in just six games since the start of December.
Revisit the rest of our 2019/20 Trade Candidate series right here.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Now that he has officially been a member of the Lakers for six months, Anthony Davis became eligible today to sign a four-year, $145.7MM extension with the team, and L.A. put that offer on the table, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. However, sources tell Haynes that Davis will pass on an in-season extension in favor of reaching unrestricted free agency this summer.
Davis’ decision to decline the Lakers’ offer doesn’t mean he’s thinking about leaving the team. While it’s possible he wants to keep his options open, it makes financial sense for him to turn down an extension now even if he’s 100% committed to the Lakers. As a free agent, he’ll be eligible to sign a five-year contract worth nearly $202MM with the club, based on the NBA’s most recent cap projections.
Although Davis is expected to decline his 2020/21 player option to become a free agent in the offseason, no one in league circles expects him to leave the Lakers, according to Haynes, who says the star big man wants to focus solely on the current season at this time.
Davis, 26, has been an MVP candidate and Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner so far in 2019/20, averaging 27.7 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 3.2 APG, and 2.6 BPG in 34 games (35.4 MPG) for the 29-7 Lakers, who lead the Western Conference by four games. His next contract will certainly be a maximum-salary deal, but in-season extensions are limited to starting salaries worth 120% of a player’s current salary and can only be for five years total, including the current season, so they often aren’t true max contracts.
For Davis, a 20% raise on his current $27.09MM salary would work out to $32.51MM. His maximum 2020/21 salary if he waits until the offseason projects to be $34.8MM. Additionally, his Bird rights would make him eligible for five full years on a new contract if he re-signs with the Lakers at that time. He’d be limited to a four-year deal if he changes teams.
Davis was ineligible for an extension for the last six months because he waived his trade kicker as part of the blockbuster deal that sent him from New Orleans to Los Angeles last July.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.