Los Angeles Lakers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Lakers Notes: Irving, Russell, Horton-Tucker, Adams

June 22nd, 2019 at 5:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kyrie Irving or D’Angelo Russell? The Lakers may wind up chasing whichever free agent point guard doesn’t sign with the Nets, according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. Rumors have had Irving headed to Brooklyn for a few weeks, but there were rumblings recently that the Nets’ front office isn’t sold on Irving without Kevin Durant.

If Brooklyn adds Irving, that means Russell, a restricted free agent, will likely be renounced. If Irving goes elsewhere, the Nets are expected to work out a new deal with Russell. Either way, that puts a talented guard on the market for the Lakers, who are looking for someone to pair in a Big Three with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Russell had a checkered history during the two years he spent in L.A., but Nick Young is gone, along with the other former teammates he feuded with.

Irving has championship experience and has played with LeBron before. However, at 27, he’s four year’s older than Russell and probably much more expensive. He won’t take less than a max deal, while Pincus suggests the Lakers may be able to land Russell for about $80MM over four seasons.

There’s also a sense that Irving is more difficult to handle, with a rival executive telling Pincus, “They’re both divas, but Irving takes it to another level. Russell may be high-maintenance, but he’s no Kyrie.”

There’s more from L.A.:

The Lakers are trying to convince the Hawks to become part of the Davis trade, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin said on Sports Center (video clip tweeted by Lakers Outsider). Lakers GM Rob Pelinka wants to open more cap room by sending Moritz Wagner, Isaac Bonga and Jemerrio Jones to Atlanta in a three-team deal. The Hawks agreed to a trade with New Orleans for the No. 4 pick on draft night, so it’s possible those moves will turn into a single transaction.
L.A. sent $2.2MM to the Magic for the rights to the rights to the 46th pick, McMenamin tweets. They used that selection to take Iowa State’s Talen Horton-Tucker.
The Lakers received permission from the Warriors today to talk to assistant coach Ron Adams, according to Ohm Youngmisuk and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. There’s no indication that Adams is interested in leaving Golden State, but L.A. could change his mind by making a large offer.

Lakers To Pursue Brook Lopez, Jordan?

June 21st, 2019 at 6:11pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Could a Brook Lopez-Lakers reunion be in the works? According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, it’s possible (hat tip to RealGM).

Windhorst said on an ESPN podcast that the Lakers are interested in bringing in a center, with Lopez and DeAndre Jordan being potential targets on the free agent market.

“The Lakers, I think, are sniffing around (Lopez). I think the Lakers need perimeter players. I think they’re going to have to use their money on perimeter players. I know DeAndre Jordan is a guy on the Lakers’ radar that they’re hoping they may able to get for relatively cheap because he wants to be back in L.A.”

Lopez was one of the biggest bargains in free agency last season after the Lakers let him walk. He signed a one-year, $3.4MM contract with the Bucks and proved to be a great fit for Milwaukee’s scheme. He started 81 games during the regular season and averaged 12.5 PPG, 4.9 RPG and 2.2 BPG while draining 36.5% of his 3-point tries. The previous season, Lopez played 74 games with the Lakers and posted 13.0/4.0/1.3 averages in those categories.

Jordan, the longtime Clippers center, had a disappointing 50-game stay with the Mavericks before he was tossed into the Kristaps Porzingis blockbuster with the Knicks. He started 19 games for New York and averaged 10.9 PPG and 11.4 RPG.

The Lakers have also been linked to Nikola Vucevic, so presumably they’re planning to go very big and use Anthony Davis quite a bit at power forward and LeBron James at small forward.

Lakers Agree To Sign Zach Norvell, Devontae Cacok

June 21st, 2019 at 8:57am CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers have reached deals with a pair of undrafted free agents following the conclusion of the 2019 draft. Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that the team will sign Zach Norvell Jr. to a two-way contract, while ESPN’s Jonathan Givony tweets that Devontae Cacok will ink an Exhibit 10 contract with L.A.

Norvell was a player viewed by many draft experts as a strong candidate to be selected on Thursday night after he left Gonzaga following his sophomore season. He ranks 15th on ESPN’s list of prospects who went undrafted. The shooting guard was a top perimeter threat for the Zags in 2018/19, averaging 14.9 PPG and shooting 37.0% from outside the three-point line (2.6 makes per game).

Two of Norvell’s teammates, Rui Hachimura and Brandon Clarke, were first-round picks on Thursday, so Norvell will become the third Gonzaga player to enter the NBA as a rookie this year.

As for Cacok, the UNC Wilmington forward isn’t as notable a name as Norvell, but he had a solid senior season in 2018/19, posting a double-double in 33 games (15.2 PPG, 12.3 RPG). His Exhibit 10 deal will make him a candidate to either become an affiliate player for the South Bay Lakers or to have his contract converted into a two-way pact.

Woj: Lakers, Celtics May Be In Mix For Vucevic

June 21st, 2019 at 12:56am CST by Luke Adams

If the Magic don’t reach a new deal with free agent center Nikola Vucevic once he reaches the open market, the Celtics and Lakers are two candidates to pursue the big man, per Wojnarowski (Twitter link via Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype). Both Boston and L.A. project to have cap room available, and the C’s expect to lose starting center Al Horford.

Lakers Acquire No. 46 Pick From Magic

June 20th, 2019 at 11:07pm CST by clarkcrum

11:07pm: The trade is official, according to the Magic, who announced that the pick they acquired is a 2020 second-rounder.

10:42pm: The Lakers, rumored to be interested in purchasing their way back into this year’s draft, have acquired the No. 46 overall pick from the Magic, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. The Magic will receive a future pick and cash considerations from the Lakers in return.

The Lakers need to get over the cap to finalize the Anthony Davis trade with the Pelicans in order to complete the deal on July 6.

With the No. 46 overall selection, the Magic selected Iowa State swingman Talen Horton-Tucker for the Lakers.

Anthony Davis Trade Likely To Become Official July 6

June 20th, 2019 at 7:11pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pelicans’ decision to move the No. 4 pick to the Hawks today makes it likely that the Anthony Davis trade to the Lakers will be finalized on July 6, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

The Lakers emerged from the lottery with the No. 4 pick and agreed to trade it to the Pelicans as part of the Davis deal. New Orleans reached an agreement to forward the pick to the Hawks just prior to the draft.

Lakers GM Rob Pelinka and the Pelicans’ top executive, David Griffin, agreed that if a third team was looped into the Davis trade, the teams would make the deal official on July 6.

The Davis deal could theoretically be delayed until July 30, as newly-drafted players can’t be dealt for 30 days after signing a contract. Waiting those 30 days would be advantageous to the Lakers for cap-related reasons. However, it would have been unrealistic for the Lakers to expect the Pelicans and Hawks to wait that long to bring in those traded players.

Pelinka was already on board with making the trade official on July 6 before New Orleans came to an agreement with Atlanta, according to Wojnarowski.

Thus, the Lakers won’t be able to count the No. 4 pick’s salary slot for salary-matching purposes in the AD trade. In order to maximize their cap room, they’ll have to use the cap room first by signing free agents, then make the Davis deal as an over-the-cap team under salary-matching guidelines.

The Lakers are offering the contracts of Moritz Wagner, Jemerrio Jones, and Isaac Bonga to teams as part of the Davis deal in order to make the salaries match up. The Hawks don’t necessarily have to be part of the Davis deal, since the Pelicans could make that trade separately after the trade with the Lakers becomes official.

Davis could also waive most or all of his $4MM trade bonus, something that he’s not necessarily expected to do. In a scenario where the Lakers get Davis to agree and find a taker for each of the three aforementioned players as part of a larger AD deal, Los Angeles could have roughly $32MM in cap space.

Western Notes: Rockets, No. 4, Davis, Holiday

June 20th, 2019 at 2:49pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Houston intends to aggressively pursue Jimmy Butler in free agency and Kelly Iko of The Athletic hears that the Rockets will be just as determined to land Butler now as they were in prior to Minnesota dealing him to the Sixers. GM Daryl Morey reportedly offered four first-round picks in exchange for Butler during the season.

It’s no secret that the Rockets are looking to shake up their roster this offseason. They continue to discuss trades involving Clint Capela, and Iko hears that they’ve discussed sending him to the Pelicans for the No. 4 overall pick. In that scenario, Houston would look to insert that pick into a package in order to land another player.

Here’s more from Houston and rest of the Western Conference:

The Rockets had interested in trading for Anthony Davis and reached out to the Pelicans prior to New Orleans making the deal with the Lakers. Houston was aware that it wasn’t high on Davis’ preferences and that a trade was not likely to happen.
The Lakers could have asked Davis if he’d waive his trade bonus of roughly $4.1MM in order to make salary-matching easier, but they never broached it during negotiations, league sources tell Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck. Los Angeles is still attempting to maximize its cap room for an additional star after agreeing to the Davis deal.
Several NBA executives are skeptical that the Lakers can build a title-winning team around Davis and LeBron James after the haul they just gave up, Beck relays in the same piece. “[The] Lakers overpaid by a significant margin, given the conditions,” one executive said, adding, “Never let your GM be in a spot where he needs to make a trade to save his job.”
The Suns are not interested in Aaron Holiday, Phoenix-based radio host John Gambadoro tweets. J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star identified the Suns as one of a handful of teams that has interest in acquiring the Pacers point guard, mentioning the Timberwolves, Bulls, and Hawks as well.

Draft Rumors: Knicks, Barrett, Herro, Porter, More

June 19th, 2019 at 4:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Although they brought in Vanderbilt point guard Darius Garland for a last-minute workout today, the Knicks remain locked in on selecting Duke forward R.J. Barrett with the No. 3 overall pick, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

With just over 24 hours to go until the 2019 NBA draft, rumors continue to trickle in about which prospects other teams might be targeting with their first-round picks. Jeremy Woo and Jake Fischer of SI.com suggest that league sources believe the Celtics – who hold Nos. 14, 20, and 22 – have serious interest in Kentucky sharpshooter Tyler Herro. The SI duo also reports that the Spurs – who pick at 19 and 29 – are among the teams with real interest in Croatian forward Luka Samanic.

Woo and Fischer share a few more tidbits in their latest mock draft, writing that the Hornets, Heat, and Celtics are all showing “a degree of interest” in USC’s Kevin Porter Jr., who could be in play to come off the board near the end of the lottery.

League sources also tell SI.com that the Magic have put the No. 46 pick on the trade block and could sell it, with the Lakers, Wizards, and Trail Blazers among the teams believed to have interest in purchasing a second-rounder.

Here’s more on the draft:

Kevin Porter Jr. (USC), Nicolas Claxton (Georgia), and Mfiondu Kabengele (Florida State) have received last-minute invites to the Green Room for Thursday’s NBA draft, reports ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Twitter links). That increases the number of prospects expected to be in attendance in the Green Room to 23, Givony notes.
Speaking today to reporters, including Jake Fischer of SI.com (Twitter link), Texas center Jaxson Hayes said he only worked out for two teams, the Bulls and Hawks, during the pre-draft process. Those clubs hold three top-10 picks between them.
UNC guard Coby White also confirmed his pre-draft workouts today, as Gina Mizell of The Athletic relays (via Twitter). White worked out for four lottery teams, including the Suns and Bulls, who are both believed to be in the market for a point guard.
Terry Harris, the younger brother of pending free agent Tobias Harris, is seeing his stock rise, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer relays (Twitter link). The younger Harris has worked out for the Suns and Thunder, among many other teams.

Chris Crouse contributed to this post.

Mavericks Considered Favorites For Al Horford?

June 19th, 2019 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

4:01pm: Asked by Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News if the report on Horford and the Mavericks is accurate, a league source replied, “Not really.” However, that source didn’t offer any further clarification, tweets Townsend.

1:40pm: Al Horford is expected to leave the Celtics for a new team in free agency, and according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, league sources consider the Mavericks the favorites to land the veteran big man.

As O’Connor writes, the Lakers and Clippers are also said to have interest in Horford, but they’ll likely be setting their sights on higher-end targets such as Kawhi Leonard. The Nets have also been cited as a potential suitor for Horford.

Dallas would be an intriguing landing spot for the 33-year-old center. The Mavericks have the cap flexibility necessary to make a competitive offer to Horford without compromising their ability to extend Dwight Powell or lock up Kristaps Porzingis to a long-term contract. Those three bigs would provide balance and versatility at both ends of the floor for the Mavs.

Horford will reportedly seek a four-year contract on the open market, and one report indicated that he may even be looking to surpass $100MM on his new deal. That’d be a significant investment for a player entering his mid-30s who battled some nagging health issues last season, but the Mavs have shown in the past that they’re not shy about committing big money to second-tier free agents. They signed Wesley Matthews and Harrison Barnes to four-year, maximum-salary contracts in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

Lakers Pursuing Second-Round Picks

June 19th, 2019 at 10:05am CST by Luke Adams

As the Lakers weigh their options for filling out their roster beyond LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Kyle Kuzma, the team is exploring the trade market for possible purchases of second-round draft picks, league sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Bobby Marks.

Unlike first-round picks, which count against the cap for 120% of the rookie scale amount whether or not the player has actually signed his contract, a second-round pick doesn’t have a cap hold until a player officially signs. Even then, many second-rounders ink minimum-salary deals that would have the same cap hold as an empty roster charge.

In other words, second-round picks could provide the Lakers with a path to acquiring young talent that doesn’t compromise the club’s cap flexibility, as Wojnarowski and Marks point out.

Teams are limited in the amount of cash they can trade in a given league year, but the Lakers still have $3.743MM at their disposal for 2018/19, and their total will reset to about $5.6MM once the new league year begins in a couple weeks. That will give the club some flexibility as it attempts to buy second-rounders and/or to find takers for players like Moritz Wagner, Isaac Bonga, and Jemerrio Jones.

As Marks reports in a separate ESPN.com story, the Pelicans are believed to be unwilling to wait until July 30 to complete the Davis trade. Waiting until that date would allow the Lakers to maximize their cap room, since they could use the signed No. 4 pick for salary-matching purposes once his 30-day window of trade ineligibility expires. With New Orleans apparently not on board though, L.A. is exploring ways to maximize its cap room on July 6, when teams can officially begin making moves.

The scenario the Lakers are looking into would involve the team using up about $32MM in cap room on a free agent (or multiple free agents) immediately, then completing the Davis trade as an over-the-cap team. In order for the No. 4 pick to be dealt on July 6, he’d have to remain unsigned, which would mean counting as a $0 player for salary-matching purposes.

As such, the Lakers would have to include some combination of Wagner, Bonga, Jones, and/or a signed-and-traded player to match Davis’ salary. Those players would have to be involved in the same transaction as AD, but could be sent to a team (or multiple teams) besides the Pelicans.