Los Angeles Lakers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Lakers Called Pistons About Reggie Bullock

February 2nd, 2019 at 5:46pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers are among several teams that have contacted the Pistons about swingman Reggie Bullock, tweets Tania Ganguli of The Los Angeles Times. Detroit is listening to offers for Bullock, but hasn’t been tempted by anything it has heard so far, according to Ganguli.

The 27-year-old has a $2.5MM expiring contract, so he wouldn’t impact the Lakers’ cap situation for free agency this summer. Ganguli doesn’t specify what L.A. was offering in return.

Bullock is averaging a career-best 11.8 points per night through 41 games and would give the Lakers some much-needed outside shooting help. He is hitting at a 37.1% clip from 3-point range this season, which is slightly below his career average of 39.2%.

Orlando’s Plan At The Trade Deadline Remains Unclear

February 2nd, 2019 at 2:45pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Magic, with a record of 21-31, remain just five games back in the loss column of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and most of the league doesn’t have a feel for what Orlando is going to do before the trade deadline, ESPN’s Zach Lowe writes.

While many in the organization feel pressure to make the playoffs this season, the Magic’s front office doesn’t appear to be under a playoffs-or-bust mandate. Despite being within an arm’s length of a playoff spot, the team could consider making moves with the long-term in mind.

Aaron Gordon‘s descending contract was designed to make him a more attractive trade piece. With the Mohamed Bamba–Jonathan Isaac looking like team’s frontcourt of the future, the 23-year-old combo forward, who’s best suited to play the four, may find himself on a new team. The Mavericks inquired on Gordon’s availability before pulling the trigger on Kristaps Porzingis, Lowe reports.

The Pacers had interest in signing Gordon to an offer sheet when he was a restricted free agent, though it’s unclear what Indiana’s position is on trading for talent before the deadline with star Victor Oladipo out for the year. Lowe speculates that the Jazz and Trail Blazers would be good landing spots for Gordon should Orlando ship him out.

The Magic would likely deal Terrence Ross, who will be a free agent after the season, for a future asset, Lowe adds, though he cautions that Orlando may not be able to get even a heavily-protected first-round pick for the swingman. If the team does deal Ross, it could be for a pair of second-round picks.

The Magic have to consider trading Nikola Vucevic, Lowe contends. The team drafted Bamba to man the five and with Vucevic’s looming free agency, Orlando will either have to sign him to a massive deal or watch him walk for nothing.

Lowe doesn’t anticipate a Vuvevic trade. though he touches on a pair of hypothetical deals with one involving Orlando shipping the big man to the Lakers for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Los Angeles’ first-round pick. The Lakers’ pick is expected to fall somewhere in the middle of the draft and that may not be more appealing than simply keeping Vucevic for the Magic’s front office.

The other hypothetical involves a swap of Ross and Markelle Fultz. While the deal would seem to benefit both the Sixers and Magic, it’s unclear whether Philadelphia would require an additional asset, such as a second-round pick. Lowe notes that Fultz’s injury and trade value remains a mystery.

Pelicans Unimpressed By Lakers’ ‘Underwhelming’ Offers

February 2nd, 2019 at 9:22am CST by marksuleymanov

Los Angeles is reportedly Anthony Davis‘ preferred landing spot but the Lakers‘ early offers for the talented big man have been underwhelming, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports.

In their first offer for Davis, the Lakers’ package included Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Rajon Rondo, Michael Beasley and a first-round pick, Wojnarowski writes. The Lakers’ offers to the Pelicans’ have been limited to two of the organization’s top young players, one first-round pick and no salary relief, sources tell the ESPN scribe.

Wojnarowski compared the Lakers’ pursuit of Davis to the organization’s attempts to acquire Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in recent seasons. While L.A. had significant interest, the club’s offers underwhelmed the Spurs and Pacers, respectively, and both players were traded elsewhere.

While the two teams’ basketball decision-makers, Magic Johnson and Dell Demps, remain in touch, the Pelicans feel the early offers have not warranted a response or counter-offer, per ESPN’s report. The NBA trade deadline is five days away, which gives both sides time to find common ground on a trade.

As we relayed yesterday, the Knicks and Celtics are among the other teams with interest in Davis. However, the Knicks traded perhaps their most valuable asset in Kristaps Porzingis to the Mavericks after including him in offers for Davis. Also, the Celtics remain interested in Davis, but their ability to make an offer is restricted until July, and AD’s camp seems to be taking extra measures to push him toward the Lakers.

On Friday, Davis made his first comments since his trade request went public. The five-time All-Star explained he wants a new challenge after seven seasons in New Orleans, per Stefano Fusaro on ESPN Now.

“I just feel like it is my time,” Davis said. “Gave the city, organization, fans, everything I felt like I could do. I don’t know how long I’m going to play this game. People’s careers are short. I felt like it is my time to move on.”

Davis is sidelined with an injured left index finger, which he said will be re-evaluated after Saturday’s game in San Antonio. While he intends to return to action once he is medically cleared, there’s a chance the Pelicans will sit the big man for the rest of the season if a trade is not made.

Latest On Anthony Davis

February 1st, 2019 at 2:28pm CST by Arthur Hill

Anthony Davis has no interest in remaining sidelined while the Pelicans work out his future, tweets Will Guillory of The Athletic. In his first public statements since making his trade request, Davis said he will get his injured left index finger re-evaluated after Saturday’s game in San Antonio and intends to return to action once he is medically cleared.

Davis hasn’t played since January 18 because of a volar plate avulsion fracture. There has been speculation that the Pelicans will keep him sidelined until at least the trade deadline and possibly even the rest of the season to prevent further injury in anticipation of a deal. New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry told reporters that Davis won’t be able to play this week (Twittter link), adding that there’s nothing else to stay about his future status (Twitter link from Scott Kushner of The Advocate).

Speaking with reporters today, Davis insisted he never gave the Pelicans “a timetable or a destination” regarding his desire to be traded (Twitter link). He explained that he felt like he has accomplished all he could in New Orleans and wants to try a new challenge, relays Stefano Fusaro on ESPN Now.

“I just feel like it is my time,” Davis said. “Gave the city, organization, fans, everything I felt like I could do. I don’t know how long I’m going to play this game. People’s careers are short. I felt like it is my time to move on.”

There’s more Davis-related news today:

The Lakers remain Davis’ first choice in any trade, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. The Knicks are also high on his list and made an offer to the Pelicans that included Kristaps Porzingis before trading him to Dallas yesterday. Porzingis had no plans to sign a long-term deal with New Orleans if he had gone there, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer (Twitter link).
The Celtics may try to collect trade chips to improve an eventual offer to New Orleans, writes ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. Boston is investigating the cost of acquiring a few young players who might interest the Pelicans. Management in New Orleans wants to avoid trading Davis to L.A., Windhorst adds, and might be waiting for summer when the Celtics can get involved in the bidding.
Davis’ representatives have put out a message that he won’t re-sign with the Celtics in 2020 unless Kyrie Irving remains with the team, according to Sean Deveney of Sporting News. Irving seems to be having second thoughts about the verbal commitment he made to stay in Boston and may explore his free agency options this summer. However, front-office sources tell Deveney that the statements from Davis’ camp might be a “smokescreen” to scare off the Celtics and give Davis an easier path to L.A. If Irving does leave, the Celtics would likely drop out of the bidding for Davis without a commitment that they can keep him past next season. That may leave the Pelicans without a strong alternative to sending Davis to the Lakers, which Deveney also states that the front office is trying to avoid.

Bulls Acquire Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Waive Carmelo Anthony

February 1st, 2019 at 1:03pm CST by Luke Adams

1:03pm: The Bulls have issued a press release confirming that they’ve sent a heavily protected 2020 second-round pick to the Thunder in exchange for Luwawu-Cabarrot and cash. The team has also officially waived Anthony, lining him up to clear waivers on Sunday.

Chicago plans to hang onto Luwawu-Cabarrot, per K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune (Twitter link).

12:39pm: The Bulls and Thunder are in the process of finalizing a trade that will send Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and cash considerations to Chicago, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Chicago currently has a full 15-man roster, so the club will need to trade or waive a player to finalize the deal. It sounds like that player will be Carmelo Anthony, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Anthony had remained in limbo after being sent from Houston to Chicago in a trade last month, but appears set to become a free agent, assuming he goes unclaimed on waivers. The Lakers remain a “real possibility” for Carmelo, Woj adds (via Twitter).

The trade itself between the Bulls and Thunder appears financially motivated. Oklahoma City will be on the hook for a huge tax bill at season’s end, so clearing TLC’s $1,544,951 salary will save the franchise exponentially more than that in tax penalties. ESPN’s Bobby Marks pegs the tax savings at $7.3MM.

As for the Bulls, they’ll likely receive enough cash from the Thunder to cover more than Luwawu-Cabarrot’s remaining salary, so they’re essentially being paid to use a spot on their 15-man roster — the deal is similar to the financially–motivated swaps Chicago made with the Rockets earlier in the season. It’s not clear if the Bulls will hang onto TLC, an unrestricted free agent in 2019, for the rest of the season or if they’ll replace him with another player after trading for him.

The 24th overall pick in the 2016 draft, Luwawu-Cabarrot hasn’t developed into a reliable NBA rotation piece. In 142 career games (14.9 MPG) for Philadelphia and Oklahoma City, he has averaged 5.5 PPG and 1.7 RPG with a .385/.317/.829 shooting line.

The Thunder will dip to 13 players as a result of the deal and will have two weeks to add a 14th man to their roster. By signing a player – or player(s) – to a 10-day contract or a prorated rest-of-season deal, the club will save some money on its year-end tax bill. I explained this concept last week when I identified Luwawu-Cabarrot as a potential trade candidate.

Meanwhile, the Bulls will use part of the $2.73MM trade exception they generated earlier this season in the Justin Holiday trade in order to absorb Luwawu-Cabarrot’s salary, Marks notes. The Thunder, in turn, will create a TPE worth TLC’s salary ($1,544,951).

Pacific Notes: Kuzma, Beverley, Terry, Lakers

January 31st, 2019 at 7:52pm CST by JD Shaw

As the Lakers and Pelicans continue to discuss trade packages centered around Anthony Davis, one young Laker is approaching the matter with a positive outlook: Second-year forward Kyle Kuzma.

“It’s always a good thing when you hear trade rumors,” Kuzma said, according to Tania Ganguli of The Los Angeles Times. “That’s what everybody always says. It means you have value, and it means potentially you gonna be in this league a long time, people want you. For us, it’s all about controlling what you can control, because at the end of the day, it’s a business. You can’t control your destiny in this league, but you can control your work ethic and how great you wanna be. You can be great anywhere.”

Entering Thursday, Pelicans GM Dell Demps refused to pick up his phone to discuss a trade with the Lakers, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe. This rapidly changed as the day progressed, with Wojnarowski later reporting that the sides connected on a call early in the afternoon.

Davis requested a trade from the Pelicans last Friday after several years of failed seasons with the organization. Davis, 25, is the most talented two-way player available on the trade market as of today, meaning the Lakers would have to offer an assortment of young assets that likely includes Kuzma to pry him out of New Orleans.

“Could really care less, honestly,” Kuzma said of Davis’ trade request. “Just control what you can control. Play basketball anywhere.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

The NBA has issued a warning to Clippers guard Patrick Beverley for violating the league’s anti-flopping rule, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times writes. Beverley was caught flopping on a play against the Kings on Sunday, later tweeting in response, “Ok ok ok ok you got me I flopped!!!! Can’t touch anybody this year gotta do something!!!”
Suns guard Emanuel Terry said he had to overcome several doubters to reach his 10-day contract with the team, writes Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. “A lot of people, there’s haters in the world,” Terry said. “You can’t hate on somebody’s blessing cause then that’s your downfall as well. So I just remained humble, say a prayer and give my trust to God.”
Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com ranks the trade value of several players on the Lakers, including Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and others. It’s unclear which players the Pelicans would target in potential trade discussions involving Anthony Davis.

Mutual Interest Between Suns, Lonzo Ball?

January 31st, 2019 at 4:12pm CST by Luke Adams

As Lonzo Ball‘s name continues to surface in Anthony Davis-related trade rumors, Ball’s camp maintains that New Orleans wouldn’t be a desirable destination for the point guard, per Tania Ganguli of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). Ball’s camp has reportedly expressed a desire to end up on a team with a more glaring hole at point guard if he’s traded, and two sources tell Ganguli that there’s mutual interest between Ball and the Suns.

According to Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times, Ball and his representatives recognize that they don’t have any power to control his destination in a trade, but they’d like the Lakers to re-route him to a third team such as the Bulls, Knicks, or Suns if he’s included in a Davis package. It’s not clear if the Knicks would still a preferred destination after today’s trade agreement involving Dennis Smith Jr.

In any case, the Pelicans, apparently undeterred by Ball’s disinterest, continue to view him as a key piece in any deal with the Lakers for Davis, Turner writes. As we relayed earlier today, the Lakers sent New Orleans some potential trade scenarios for Davis, and one of those scenarios – according to Turner – included Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram, Ivica Zubac, and a future first-round pick. Pelicans GM Dell Demps hasn’t gotten back to the Lakers yet about any of their hypothetical offers, says Turner.

As Turner writes, Ball has concerns about a potentially crowded backcourt in New Orleans and would rather end up with a team without an answer at point guard. The Suns, who have been on the lookout for a long-term point guard since at least the summer of 2018, certainly fit that bill. According to Turner, the Pelicans believe they fall into that group as well.

“Lonzo is going to be able to do whatever he wants to [in New Orleans],” Turner’s source said. “I think he thinks that Jrue [Holiday] is the starting point guard, but Jrue doesn’t want to be a point guard. Lonzo would be the starting point guard and he would play 35 minutes every night. There’s no way that he wouldn’t. If he wins in New Orleans, he’ll be as big of a star as he can be anywhere.”

Pelicans, Lakers Discuss Anthony Davis

January 31st, 2019 at 1:44pm CST by Luke Adams

1:44pm: The Lakers let Demps know that one of their potential scenarios for Davis would include Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Ivica Zubac, and a first-round pick, a source tells Turner (Twitter link). ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne (Twitter link) hears that it’s “common sense to assume no one but LeBron James would be untouchable.”

1:33pm: The Pelicans and Lakers have connected on the phone to discuss Davis and are expected to talk again before next week’s deadline, tweets Wojnarowski.

Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times adds a few more details, reporting that Magic Johnson presented Demps with five different trade scenarios and is waiting to hear back from the Pelicans about which scenario would interest them the most (Twitter links). According to Turner (Twitter link), the Lakers want to get a deal done now, and don’t plan on trying to outbid the Celtics and other teams in the summer, when they plan to shift their focus to free agent targets.

10:39am: Although he’s getting back to other teams that have inquired on Anthony Davis, Pelicans general manager Dell Demps has yet to return the Lakers‘ call, according to a new report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe. While Demps is expected to eventually get back to the Lakers well before next week’s trade deadline, the “sluggish response time” is perhaps intended to send a message to the team.

As Wojnarowski and Lowe observe, the Pelicans may blame the Lakers in part for Davis’ trade request, and will want to show that they fully intend to make a deal on their own timeline, rather than at a time that would most benefit the Lakers. We relayed earlier today that the Pelicans plan to play the long game with Davis, and ESPN’s latest report reiterates that point, indicating that owner Gayle Benson is “enthusiastically carrying the small market banner,” resisting a union of AD and LeBron James in L.A.

New Orleans’ mantra so far, per Woj and Lowe, is that Davis is welcome to become a Laker in 2020 when he can reach free agency. If the Lakers are willing to wait that long, they’ll have to preserve cap room for an extra year, complicating their plans for the 2019/20 season.

It’s the latest in a series of “icy” receptions the Lakers feel they’ve received as they try to trade for star players. According to Woj and Lowe, the Lakers got the “unmistakable impression” last summer that the Spurs had no intention of ever trading Kawhi Leonard to L.A., though the Spurs simply said they weren’t interested in the Lakers’ package.

Here’s more from Woj and Lowe on the Davis situation:

For now, Davis’ camp is treating any potential trade destination besides the Lakers as a temporary stop, since his plan would be to sign with L.A. in 2020. However, teams are curious to see if that stance softens after the trade deadline. It may be a leverage play to encourage a trade to the Lakers within the next seven days.
Davis’ view of Boston is linked to Kyrie Irving‘s future, sources tell Woj and Lowe. Davis and his camp aren’t convinced that Irving will re-sign with the Celtics this summer. The Celtics believe they’d be capable of keeping both players long-term, as there’s a sense in Boston that trading for AD would help convince Irving to stay.
Jayson Tatum is an important wild card for the Celtics — the ideal scenario for Boston would be to use other assets in an AD trade and build a Big Three of Tatum, Davis, and Irving. But if it helps convince the Pelicans to wait until the offseason to deal Davis, the C’s could tell New Orleans now that they’re open to moving Tatum. If they tell the Pelicans as much, they’ll have to keep their word in the summer to avoid damaging their league-wide reputation, Woj and Lowe note.
The Pelicans continue to explore the market value of Nikola Mirotic, Julius Randle, and E’Twaun Moore, sources tell ESPN.
Kristaps Porzingis would be reluctant to approve a sign-and-trade to New Orleans as part of a package for Davis, which could make things tricky for the Knicks, since the value of their 2019 first-rounder remains up in the air due to the lottery. If they’re willing to include Porzingis in an offer, they’d probably have to do so this week, before the precise value of their 2019 draft pick is clear.
For the time being, Davis plans to play for the Pelicans again before the deadline, sources tell ESPN.

Latest On Anthony Davis

January 31st, 2019 at 8:42am CST by Luke Adams

The Pelicans are approaching the Anthony Davis trade request “methodically,” listening to trade inquiries and offers but remaining focused on “the long play,” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on Wednesday during an appearance on NBA Countdown (video link). According to Wojnarowski, it’s “very unlikely” that the Pelicans will get serious enough in any trade talks by next Thursday’s deadline to actually finalize a Davis deal by February 7.

As Wojnarowski observes, the Pelicans could gain leverage during the offseason by getting more teams involved in the Davis sweepstakes. Besides all the teams that will open up cap room and gain flexibility in the summer, the Celtics will also enter the mix, no longer held back by the Rose Rule restrictions that prevent them from trading for Davis. According to Wojnarowski, it sounds like the Celtics have conveyed to the Pelicans that they should be patient and that Boston would be willing to discuss virtually anyone on its roster except for Kyrie Irving.

If the Pelicans don’t make a deal at the deadline, that could be bad news for the Lakers, who would like to trade for Davis as soon as possible, before the Celtics can get involved. However, Wojnarowski suggests that New Orleans’ front office has “no interest in acquiescing Anthony Davis to the Lakers right now.”

Here’s more on the NBA’s top trade candidate:

There has been speculation that Davis may have played his last game for the Pelicans, who could hold their star big man out of action for the rest of the season even if he’s not moved at the deadline. However, while that’s an option under consideration, nothing has been definitively decided on that front, a source tells Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter links). Asked this week whether Davis would play again for the Pelicans, head coach Alvin Gentry was noncommittal, as Peter Thompson of Sporting News relays. “I don’t really know how to answer that. I assume that he will,” Gentry said. “That’s something that will obviously have to be discussed about what’s best for him and what’s best for our team.”
Mirjam Swanson of The Los Angeles Times explores whether the Clippers could be a player in the Davis sweepstakes, while Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic digs into the Warriors‘ long-shot odds and Erik Horne of The Oklahoman does the same for the Thunder.
While much of the coverage this week has focused on Davis and his potential suitors, Royce Young of ESPN.com looks at the other side of the saga, examining how the Pelicans are dealing with the trade rumors swirling around the franchise.
Cap expert Albert Nahmad takes a deep dive into Davis’ future contract options, along with a potential timeline for a trade (and new contract) in an interesting piece for HeatHoops.com.

Lakers Notes: Zubac, Trade Candidates, Walton, LeBron

January 30th, 2019 at 2:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

Third-year center Ivica Zubac has gone from a little-used player at the end of the Lakers‘ bench to a possible component of an Anthony Davis trade, writes Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. Given an opportunity to play, the 21-year-old has averaged 13.2 points and 6.8 rebounds over the past 10 games and has become a frequent part of trade rumors.

“He’s been great. That’s more of the norm in this league, you kind of develop your habits, you play, you get frustrated. … Consistency is a challenge for a young player,” coach Luke Walton said. “You fall out of the rotation. You get hungry and you keep working and you come back in. With him, he’s always had a great attitude and he’s worked hard.”

It’s the Lakers’ collection of young talent — some combination of Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart — that would get a deal done, Woike notes, but Zubac could be valuable as a filler. Still, L.A. wouldn’t mind keeping him to provide bulk against the other Western Conference big men.

There’s more Lakers news to pass along:

Walton met individually with the players rumored to be involved in the Davis deal, just as he did last season when talk emerged that the team was going to clear cap room for a run at LeBron James, relays Dave McMenamin of ESPN. A source says the speculation is “weighing heavily” on some of the players who may be headed to New Orleans, although another source said Pelicans GM Dell Demps is “not picking up his phone” to discuss a trade.
Walton tells Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register that James is “just happy to be back on the basketball court again” as he nears a return from a groin strain that has sidelined him for more than a month. James has been participating more in practice lately, rather than spending time in the training room, and has been staying late for extra shooting. “I don’t think he’s going full out yet,” Walton said. “Haven’t really seen him drive the lane and tomahawk dunk on anyone but he’s moving, he’s moving well and he’s getting up and down the court and he’s shooting well. He doesn’t look like he’s hurting at all when he moves.”
Tom Ziller of SB Nation offers some unusual advice to the Lakers to improve their chances of landing Davis — tanking for the rest of the season. While he admits it’s unlikely that L.A. would consider that strategy, Ziller notes that the team is 6-11 since James’ injury and that a mid-lottery pick would be another valuable asset to offer the Pelicans.