- Lakers guard Alex Caruso suffered a pelvic bone contusion during the team’s final preseason game on Friday, tweets Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet. X-rays were negative, but Caruso will undergo additional testing.
The Lakers have picked up their fourth-year option on forward Kyle Kuzma, the team announced today in a press release. The move ensures that Kuzma’s $3,562,178 cap hit for the 2020/21 season is now fully guaranteed.
[RELATED: Decisions On 2020/21 Rookie Scale Team Options]
A stress reaction in his left foot has jeopardized Kuzma’s potential availability for opening night, but he’s expected to be a key contributor for the Lakers this season once he returns to action. Although the 24-year-old averaged 18.7 PPG and 5.5 RPG in 70 games (33.1 MPG) last season, he struggled with his efficiency, knocking down just 30.3% of his three-point attempts.
With Anthony Davis and LeBron James drawing significant attention from opposing defenses, Kuzma will have to make open looks at a higher rate in 2019/20, and he sounds confident he can do just that. He suggested in August that he believes he’s capable of becoming the Lakers’ third star.
With his fourth-year option locked in, Kuzma will now be eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2020 offseason. If he doesn’t sign a new deal at that time, he’d remain on track for restricted free agency in the summer of 2021.
Marcus Allen has signed a contract with the Lakers, the team announced in a press release. Reggie Hearn, who signed with the team on Tuesday, was waived to make room on the 20-man roster.
Allen spent last season with the G League’s South Bay Lakers, averaging 8.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 43 games. The former Stanford guard also joined the Lakers for Summer League play.
Allen appears ticketed for the G League again. L.A.’s roster for the start of the season is virtually set with 14 players on guaranteed contracts and both two-way slots already filled.
It doesn’t appear that Anthony Davis‘ right thumb injury will keep him sidelined into the regular season. Lakers head coach Frank Vogel said today that Davis has been cleared to return for Wednesday night’s preseason game against the Warriors (link via ESPN.com).
Davis injured the thumb in the first quarter of the Lakers’ game in Shenzhen vs. the Nets on Saturday. The injury was initially diagnosed as a sprain, which was confirmed after the team returned to Los Angeles and conducted further tests. An MRI on Monday came back clean, showing no ligament damage.
Although Davis is set to return to action, the Lakers are still without another key player. Kyle Kuzma, who is recovering from a stress reaction in his left foot, has been cleared for non-contact activity, but his status for opening night next Tuesday remains up in the air.
After making some eyebrow-raising comments about Rockets GM Daryl Morey and the NBA/China controversy on Monday, LeBron James briefly addressed the subject again on Tuesday, telling reporters that he hopes tension between the two sides dies down. However, as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com details, James made it clear that he doesn’t want to continue discussing the situation going forward, preferring to focus on the Lakers‘ quest for a championship.
“I’d be cheating my teammates by continuing to harp on something that won’t benefit us,” James said. “We’re trying to win a championship. That’s what we’re here for. We’re not politicians. It’s a huge political thing. But we are leaders and we can step up at times. I’m not saying at this particular time, but if you don’t feel like you should speak on things, you shouldn’t have to.”
James’ critical comments of Morey didn’t go over well in Hong Kong, where protestors chanted support for the Rockets’ GM on Tuesday, per an ESPN report. At that protest, LeBron jerseys were trampled and even burnt.
Here’s more on the ongoing NBA/China situation:
- Commissioner Adam Silver never did meet with Chinese Basketball Association chairman Yao Ming while he was in China, but they were speaking at least 10 times per day, a person with knowledge of the situation tells Tania Ganguli of The Los Angeles Times.
- Ganguli also writes that the NBA’s Chinese streaming partner Tencent, which suspended its broadcasts of preseason games in the wake of Morey’s tweet, resumed those broadcasts on Monday without explanation.
- Dave McMenamin of ESPN shares an engaging deep dive into the Lakers‘ and Nets‘ meeting last week with Silver in Shanghai, providing details on how LeBron and Kyrie Irving spoke up during that session. Among McMenamin’s interesting tidbits: James, Anthony Davis, Kyle Kuzma, and Rajon Rondo all had promotional appearances in China canceled, with one unnamed Lakers player losing a $1MM endorsement deal with a Chinese company due to the controversy. Based on a separate report from Bill Oram of The Athletic, that player may have been Kuzma.
- In a column on the China controversy, Sam Amick of The Athletic notes that Morey’s initial tweet supporting Hong Kong protestors was sparked by a specific development. Sources tell Amick that Morey’s message came in response to a new law enacted in Hong Kong banning face masks during public gatherings. The law is “widely seen as a tactic to identify dissidents,” Amick adds.
The Lakers have made a minor change to their roster, announcing in a press release that they’ve signed guard Reggie Hearn and waived guard David Stockton.
Hearn, who appeared in three games for Detroit during the 2017/18 season, has spent much of his professional career in the G League, appearing in 227 total regular season games at that level. Last season, the 28-year-old played 40 games (29 starts) for the Stockton Kings, averaging 11.4 PPG and 4.5 RPG with a .429/.408/.873 shooting line.
The South Bay Lakers, L.A.’s G League affiliate, acquired the NBAGL returning rights to both Hearn and Stockton in a trade with the Kings’ G League affiliate last month, so it’s a safe bet that both players will suit up for South Bay this season.
Assuming Hearn and Stockton remain with the Lakers’ G League team for at least 60 days, they’ll be in line for Exhibit 10 bonuses worth up to $50K.
The Lakers provided some injury news on two of their key players on Monday, issuing updates on Anthony Davis and Kyle Kuzma.
As we noted on Monday afternoon, an ESPN report indicated that an MRI on Davis’ sprained right thumb came back clean, which the Lakers essentially confirmed late last night. According to the team (via Twitter), AD is being listed as day-to-day after undergoing tests on his thumb, which suggests he still has a decent chance of playing in the team’s regular-season opener a week from tonight.
Meanwhile, Kuzma, who was diagnosed last month with a stress reaction in his left foot, has been cleared for non-contact activity, per head coach Frank Vogel (Twitter links via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN). Asked about Kuzma’s status for next Tuesday’s opener, Vogel responded, “We’ll see,” adding that the forward will also be considered day-to-day.
As we wait to find out whether Davis and Kuzma are ready to go for opening night, here’s more on the Lakers:
- In his first public comments on the NBA/China controversy on Monday night, LeBron James was critical of Rockets GM Daryl Morey, as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN details. James speculated that Morey was “misinformed” and “wasn’t educated” about the situation in China when he sent his now-infamous tweet supporting Hong Kong protestors.
- James later sought to clarify his comments in a pair of tweets, suggesting that he meant Morey didn’t understand the ramifications his message would have. James also said the tweet was poorly timed, since the Lakers and Nets showed up in China just a few days later and had a “difficult week.” However, LeBron was still widely criticized for his stance, with Dan Wolken of USA Today calling it “the most disgraceful moment” of the superstar’s career.
- Mark Medina of USA Today takes a look back at the Lakers’ “difficult” week in China, exploring how they coped with being placed in the middle of an international incident. As Medina writes, Vogel referred to the team’s time in China as a “really productive trip” despite the unexpected drama.
- Dwight Howard‘s presence on the Lakers’ roster this season is a reminder of what’s at stake for the franchise with Anthony Davis this season, according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. Howard’s previous one-and-done stint with the Lakers in 2012/13 is, of course, exactly what the team wants to avoid with Davis.
While a debate raged stateside last week over the NBA’s handling of a controversy fueled by a Daryl Morey tweet expressing support for Hong Kong protestors, Lakers and Nets players found themselves in the eye of the storm as they prepared to play a pair of exhibition games in China. As Shams Charania of The Athletic and ESPN’s Rachel Nichols report, those players met with commissioner Adam Silver to discuss potential next steps when he arrived in Shanghai last Wednesday.
Charania describes Silver as being “extremely thoughtful and transparent” in talks with Lakers and Nets players, coaches, and executives, while Nichols refers to the meeting as “tense.” Multiple sources tell Charania that LeBron James said he believed Silver and the NBA had a responsibility to talk to the media about the situation in more depth before asking the players to do so. Players also spoke about wanting to feel safe and protected during the China trip without being put into unfair positions, Charania notes.
“Being in China, where there was no way of knowing what the Chinese government was thinking or going to do next and the high stakes between the U.S. and China politically, it was almost impossible for these young players to manage through that situation,” a source with knowledge of the meeting told Charania. “Obviously, if they were in the United States or somewhere else, it would have been totally different and handled differently.”
The exhibition games in Shanghai and Shenzhen took place as scheduled, though there was some skepticism earlier in the week that they would happen at all. According to Charania, a “sizeable amount” of players on the Lakers and Nets felt as if it would be best to cancel those games due to the ongoing chaos.
With both teams now back in America, here’s the last on the NBA/China saga:
- Sources told Charania that some Lakers and Nets players lost money over broken deals in Shanghai, since they ended up not making planned sponsorship appearances. Charania also reports that at least two Rockets players had sponsorship negotiations with Chinese companies hit an impasse in the wake of Morey’s tweet.
- Several executive and ownership sources who spoke to Charania believe Silver will “regain a foothold” in the league’s relationship with China, but fear “irreparable losses” for the Rockets going forward. China’s response to Morey’s tweet may end up costing the Rockets approximately $25MM in sponsorship money this season, one source estimates to Marc Stein of The New York Times.
- During last week’s meeting with Lakers and Nets players in Shanghai, Silver was asked directly whether anything would happen to Morey, per ESPN’s report. According to ESPN, multiple players said they thought that if a player cost the league millions of dollars with a tweet, there would be repercussions. Morey won’t face any discipline from the league, which seems like the right call, since his message ostensibly showed support for human rights and democracy.
- Tom Ziller of SBNation explores the two potential paths the NBA/China controversy could take from here.
The Lakers and their fans can breathe a sigh of relief, as the MRI on Anthony Davis‘ sprained right thumb came back clean today, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
Davis injured the thumb in the first quarter of the Lakers’ Saturday game in Shenzhen vs. the Nets. While the injury was originally diagnosed as a sprain and reports suggested there was no ligament damage, the team wanted to conduct further tests upon returning to Los Angeles to confirm that diagnosis.
There’s still no definitive return timetable for Davis, but a clean MRI bodes well. Even if the Lakers’ star offseason acquisition isn’t ready for opening night next Tuesday, it doesn’t sound like he’d miss much time beyond that.
For what it’s worth, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports tweets that Davis and LeBron James are expected to sit out tonight’s exhibition game against the Warriors. The Lakers will play Golden State in two more preseason contests before opening night, so we’ll see if AD suits up for either of those matchups on Wednesday and Friday.
The 2019/20 NBA regular season will get underway in just eight days, which means it’s time to get serious about predictions for the upcoming campaign.
With the help of the lines from a handful of sports betting sites, including Bovada and BetOnline, we’re running through the predicted win totals for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, by division. In a series of team-by-team polls, you’ll get the chance to weigh in on whether you think those forecasts are too optimistic or too pessimistic.
Having already looked at the Atlantic, Northwest, and Central, we’re moving onto the Pacific today…
Los Angeles Clippers
- 2018/19 record: 48-34
- Over/under for 2019/20: 54.5 wins
- Major offseason moves:
Trade Rumors app users, click here for Clippers poll.
Los Angeles Lakers
- 2018/19 record: 37-45
- Over/under for 2019/20: 51.5 wins
- Major offseason moves:
- Added: Anthony Davis, Danny Green, Avery Bradley, Quinn Cook, Troy Daniels, Jared Dudley, Dwight Howard, Talen Horton-Tucker, DeMarcus Cousins (injured)
- Lost: Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Lance Stephenson, Reggie Bullock, Mike Muscala, Tyson Chandler, Moritz Wagner, Josh Hart, Isaac Bonga, Jemerrio Jones
Trade Rumors app users, click here for Lakers poll.
Golden State Warriors
- 2018/19 record: 57-25
- Over/under for 2019/20: 48.5 wins
- Major offseason moves:
- Added: D’Angelo Russell, Willie Cauley-Stein, Alec Burks, Glenn Robinson III, Jordan Poole, Omari Spellman, Eric Paschall, Alen Smailagic
- Lost: Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, DeMarcus Cousins, Damian Jones, Quinn Cook, Jordan Bell, Andrew Bogut, Jonas Jerebko
- Note: Klay Thompson is expected to be out until at least the All-Star break.
Trade Rumors app users, click here for Warriors poll.
Sacramento Kings
- 2018/19 record: 39-43
- Over/under for 2019/20: 38.5 wins
- Major offseason moves:
- Added: Dewayne Dedmon, Trevor Ariza, Cory Joseph, Richaun Holmes, Justin James
- Lost: Willie Cauley-Stein, Alec Burks, Kosta Koufos, Corey Brewer, Frank Mason
Trade Rumors app users, click here for Kings poll.
Phoenix Suns
- 2018/19 record: 19-63
- Over/under for 2019/20: 29.5 wins
- Major offseason moves:
- Added: Ricky Rubio, Aron Baynes, Dario Saric, Frank Kaminsky, Cameron Johnson, Ty Jerome, Cheick Diallo, Jevon Carter, Jalen Lecque
- Lost: T.J. Warren, Josh Jackson, Troy Daniels, Dragan Bender, Jamal Crawford, Richaun Holmes, De’Anthony Melton, Jimmer Fredette, Ray Spalding
Trade Rumors app users, click here for Suns poll.
Previous voting results:
- Philadelphia 76ers (54.5 wins): Over (54.9%)
- Boston Celtics (49.5 wins): Under (57.0%)
- Toronto Raptors (46.5 wins): Under (59.1%)
- Brooklyn Nets (43.5 wins): Over (58.3%)
- New York Knicks (27.5 wins): Under (54.9%)
- Denver Nuggets (53.5 wins): Over (51.8%)
- Utah Jazz (53.5 wins): Under (50.8%)
- Portland Trail Blazers (46.5 wins): Over (78.7%)
- Minnesota Timberwolves (35.5 wins): Under (57.5%)
- Oklahoma City Thunder (32.5 wins): Under (55.1%)
- Milwaukee Bucks (57.5 wins): Over (63.5%)
- Indiana Pacers (46.5 wins): Over (56.6%)
- Detroit Pistons (37.5 wins): Over (69.8%)
- Chicago Bulls (33.5 wins): Under (56.2%)
- Cleveland Cavaliers (24.5 wins): Under (70.0%)