Los Angeles Lakers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Spurs, Lakers Leading Suitors For Trae Young?

February 12th, 2024 at 12:37pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Hawks‘ decision to hold onto Dejounte Murray at the trade deadline has rival teams speculating that they might part with Trae Young this summer, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack column (subscription required). If that happens, Stein expects plenty of suitors to line up, with the Spurs and Lakers possibly leading the way.

Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports published a similar report in the wake of Thursday’s trade deadline and also identified San Antonio and Los Angeles as prospective suitors for Young.

There have been rumors for months that San Antonio might be a realistic location for Young, according to Stein. His ability to stretch the floor would provide more space for Victor Wembanyama to operate, and Wembanyama’s size and shot-blocking could help cover up for Young’s shortcomings on defense. Stein states that it’s “believed in some corners of the league” that Young would be interested in joining the Spurs if Atlanta decides to move him.

Stein also cites the Lakers as a potential destination, considering that Anthony Davis is a good complement for Young’s skills as well. L.A. was rumored to be among the leading contenders to acquire Murray, and general manager Rob Pelinka will have a lot more trade ammunition to work with during the offseason.

“In terms of what was available at the trade deadline, we had one first-round draft pick,” Pelinka said after this year’s deadline passed. “It was our only sort of hook to fish with. And this summer in June, at the time of the draft, we’ll have three first-round draft picks to look for deals, which I think will really unlock an access to potentially a greater or bigger swing.”

Stein points out that the Lakers aren’t completely sure about the future of LeBron James, who faces a decision on a $51.4MM player option. While it seems likely that he’ll choose to take the money, the organization is preparing for all scenarios, according to Stein, and the draft prospects of his son, USC freshman Bronny James, could enter into the equation.

Bronny is no longer considered a first-round prospect, but Stein hears that at least two teams — and possibly more — believe LeBron would considering signing with them for much less than his option figure if they were to select his son in the second round.

If that were to happen, Stein adds, the Lakers would need a marquee name like Young to take his place and Pelinka would be relieved that he held onto the 2027 first-rounder at the deadline.

Spencer Dinwiddie Expected To Be In Uniform For Tuesday's Game

February 12th, 2024 at 11:11am CST by Arthur Hill

Lakers players are excited to welcome Spencer Dinwiddie to the team, per Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. The former Nets guard, who signed with L.A. on Saturday, is expected to participate in today’s practice and be in uniform for Tuesday’s game against Detroit. “He’s a big guard, a shot-maker,” Anthony Davis said. “We’ve seen what he did with Brooklyn, what he did with Dallas, making big plays for them. He’s a well-established player, a vet in this league.”

Pelinka Wins, LeBron Loses At Trade Deadline

February 11th, 2024 at 9:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Lakers added approximately $7MM to their luxury tax bill by signing free agent guard Spencer Dinwiddie, cap expert Yossi Gozlan tweets. The Lakers used around $1.5MM remaining from their prorated mid-level exception to add Dinwiddie. They could’ve potentially saved about $15MM by trading a player at the deadline to duck the tax. Instead, they chose to retain all their pieces and invest more into the roster.
The Lakers came out winners at the trade deadline by being prudent and not overpaying for Hawks guard Dejounte Murray, Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times opines. They avoided giving up a first-round draft pick and Austin Reaves in a potential deal. It showed that general manager Rob Pelinka would no longer mortgage the future to appease LeBron James, who had been pushing for a major move.

Spencer Dinwiddie Signs With Lakers

February 10th, 2024 at 8:16pm CST by Tristan Tucker

8:16pm: The signing is official, the Lakers announced (via Twitter).

“Spencer is returning to his roots and the city where his journey began,” general manager Rob Pelinka said. “… His play-making and aggressiveness from the guard position provides us valuable depth as we continue our strong push toward the back half of the season.” (Twitter link)

10:06am: Former Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie plans to sign with the Lakers after clearing waivers, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). Dinwiddie was traded on Thursday from Brooklyn to the Raptors, who subsequently cut him.

The Lakers were one of a few playoff teams who offered Dinwiddie a significant role on the roster, Charania tweets. Head of basketball operations Rob Pelinka said this week that the team was targeting a “ball-handling guard” in the buyout market.

The Pelicans, Sixers, and Mavericks were also cited as potential suitors for Dinwiddie, with Dallas viewed as the Lakers’ top competition. The guard played for the Mavs during parts of two seasons from 2022-23 before being sent to Brooklyn as part of last year’s Kyrie Irving blockbuster.

As we pointed out, the Lakers have about $1.5MM left of their prorated mid-level exception, since they didn’t sign Gabe Vincent to the full MLE. They’ll use the leftover portion to sign Dinwiddie, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin confirms, adding that the 30-year-old narrowed his decision to the Lakers and Mavs before choosing L.A.

Los Angeles has an open roster spot, so the team won’t have to cut anyone to bring Dinwiddie in. Cap expert Yossi Gozlan observes the Lakers will have plenty of room beneath the tax apron for other signings, if they so choose (Twitter link).

Dinwiddie is averaging 12.6 points and 6.0 assists in 48 games this season. While his second stint in Brooklyn wasn’t as successful as his first, he has been an important playoff contributor for both the Nets and the Mavericks over the past two seasons. In his last 22 postseason games over the past two years, he’s averaged 14.6 points while shooting 41.2% from beyond the arc. He’ll look to help propel the currently ninth-place Lakers into the playoffs.

Dinwiddie grew up a fan of the Lakers and Kobe Bryant, and playing for the team was always a dream of his, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto (Twitter link).

For what it’s worth, Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell already expressed he was on board with the idea of bringing Dinwiddie in and is a big fan of his, according to Jovan Buha (Twitter link). “Y’all will get to know him soon,” Russell said following the Lakers’ Friday game against New Orleans. Russell and Dinwiddie played together on the Nets from 2017-19.

L.A. Notes: Tucker, Clippers, Reddish, Christie

February 10th, 2024 at 11:27am CST by Tristan Tucker

Clippers forward P.J. Tucker expressed disappointment he wasn’t moved at Thursday’s deadline after being sparsely used following his trade from Philadelphia. However, the Clippers indicated that he’s in their plans following the deadline.

“We like P.J. here and he’ll get an opportunity,” head coach Tyronn Lue said (Twitter video link via The Athletic’s Law Murray). “That’s part of the game, you’re going to get frustrated because everybody wants to play. P.J. will be OK.”

The Clippers did try to trade Tucker, but his age and $11.5MM player option for next season limited his value on the market, Murray writes. Despite the fact that he lost his rotation spot, the front office still believes Tucker is capable of being a playoff contributor and guarding bigger forwards, according to Murray.

We have more notes out of Los Angeles:

The Clippers had a quiet trade deadline and appear to be happy to avoid any more midseason roster changes, The Orange County Register’s Janis Carr writes. The team already made a big splash this season by trading for James Harden in October. L.A. struggled to find consistency right away but has since lost just nine of 31 games and is a single game out of first in the Western Conference. “I think what we’ve done since acquiring James and the different rotations, different combinations and finally getting it down to where it works for our team is really good,” Lue said. “Just having familiarity with each other on the floor, I think guys are feeling comfortable in their roles, their minutes, and how we’re playing. So, to break that up, I’m glad that didn’t happen. I’m happy for the team we have, the guys we have in the locker room, and we’ll see what we have going forward.“
Lakers forward Cam Reddish was cleared to begin on-court progression and ramp-up work, according to The Orange County Register’s Khobi Price (Twitter link). The hope is that Reddish will be able to return soon after the All-Star break. Reddish is averaging 6.7 points this season in 35 games (26 starts).
After exiting the second quarter of the Lakers‘ Thursday game against the Nuggets with an ankle sprain, Max Christie underwent an MRI on his right ankle, tweets ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. The team is awaiting the results. Christie is averaging 5.0 points per game this season.

Lakers Rumors: Reaves, Summer Targets, Prince, Buyout Market, Vanderbilt

February 9th, 2024 at 2:44pm CST by Luke Adams

Despite making and taking trade calls for weeks, the Lakers didn’t come particularly close to making a deal on Thursday, sources tell Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the closest the Lakers ever get to reaching a trade agreement was several weeks ago when they discussed a deal with the Hawks that would’ve send Dejounte Murray to Los Angeles for a package centered around D’Angelo Russell, Jalen Hood-Schifino, and the Lakers’ 2029 first-round pick.

Atlanta’s resistance to taking Russell was long viewed as the primary holdup in those discussions, but Buha also hears from team and league sources that the Hawks repeatedly insisted on Austin Reaves‘ inclusion, which was a non-starter for Los Angeles.

Having not made a move at the deadline, the Lakers will have three first-round picks available to trade this offseason — either 2024 or 2025 (New Orleans can acquire this year’s pick or defer it to next year), plus 2029 and 2031. L.A. would ideally like to use their draft assets in a package to acquire a third star, Buha says, identifying Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers), Trae Young (Hawks), and Kyrie Irving (Mavericks) as some potential targets. It’s unclear how many of those players – if any – will actually be available on the trade market this offseason.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

The front office mulled the possibility of trading Taurean Prince, but head coach Darvin Ham was a among the “vocal supporters” of hanging onto the veteran forward, team sources tell Buha.
The Lakers were in position to potentially duck the luxury tax by attaching a minor asset (such as a second-round pick or cash) to a minimum-salary player, but opted against it, deciding they didn’t want to save money at the expense of roster depth, Buha writes.
Rob Pelinka indicated that the Lakers will be in the market for a “ball-handling guard” or simply the best available player on the buyout market, per Buha. “Obviously, we signed Gabe Vincent and thought he fit really well, but his health just hasn’t (been there),” Pelinka said. “He’s played five games. I think that would be sort of top of the list. … That would probably be the area we’re trying to address the most, just because right now we have D’Angelo Russell at point guard, but after that we don’t have a point guard on the roster.” Los Angeles has interest in Spencer Dinwiddie and Kyle Lowry (assuming he’s bought out), but will face competition from rival suitors, including Dallas on Dinwiddie and Philadelphia on Lowry, Buha observes.
There’s some pessimism within the organization about Jarred Vanderbilt‘s odds of returning this season, with the possibility of season-ending foot surgery still on the table, according to Buha. “Until an injury is healed and the player’s back, you’re kind of always in the evaluation process of figuring out what it’s gonna take to get a player healthy and back on the court,” Pelinka said. “I would just say we’re hopeful that we can get Jarred back healthy and on the court without surgery, but you never know. Time will tell. But that’s certainly our hope.”

Fischer’s Latest: Hield, Sixers, George, Pacers, Trae, Murray, More

February 9th, 2024 at 7:08am CST by Luke Adams

Buddy Hield rejected a “significant” extension offer from Indiana in the fall, and with a lucrative new deal for Pascal Siakam to account for, the Pacers’ ability to retain Hield as a free agent this offseason was in doubt, which is why they sent him to the Sixers on Thursday, writes Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

Philadelphia, which doesn’t currently have any guaranteed money on its books beyond 2023/24 besides Joel Embiid‘s contract, is much better positioned to retain Hield, though the 76ers will likely consider many options with their projected cap room.

Echoing Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report (Twitter video link), Fischer says star forward Paul George figures to be a top target for the Sixers if he doesn’t sign an extension with the Clippers in the coming weeks or months. Nuggets wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who holds a player option for 2024/25, has also been mentioned as a possible Philadelphia target, per Fischer.

The Sixers wouldn’t be the only team in play for George if he reaches free agency, according to Fischer, who suggests there have been whispers that the veteran is intrigued by the possibility of returning to Indiana and teaming up with Tyrese Haliburton. Such a move would be tricky – but certainly not impossible – from a cap perspective.

Philadelphia’s offseason outlook will hinge in part on what the team’s plans are for Tobias Harris. According to Fischer, the Sixers weren’t willing to include him in a deadline deal that would have sent him to Detroit, with Pistons wings Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks going to Philly. The Pistons may be in the mix for Harris in free agency this summer, Fischer notes, adding that Hornets forward Miles Bridges is another player expected to be on Detroit’s radar.

Here are a few more post-deadline items of interest from Fischer:

Multiple front offices came away from their conversations with the Hawks believing that Atlanta could make star guard Trae Young available this summer, says Fischer. However, he cautions that could “prove to be wishful thinking,” since the information is coming from rival teams rather than from the Hawks themselves. If Young were to hit the trade market, the Lakers and Spurs are among the clubs widely viewed as potential fits, Fischer adds.
League personnel anticipate that the Lakers will resume conversations with the Hawks about Dejounte Murray in the offseason, according to Fischer, who notes that the Pelicans could revisit their Murray talks at that point too. Atlanta is known to value multiple players on New Orleans’ roster, league sources Fischer, though one of those players – Naji Marshall – will be an unrestricted free agent this July.
Although there were several teams open to the idea of acquiring D’Angelo Russell, many front offices viewed his $18.7MM player option for 2024/25 as having negative value, Fischer reports. That thinking, along with Russell’s strong recent play, factored into the Lakers‘ decision to hang onto him through the deadline.
In addition to the recently released players who will hit the free agent market shortly, center Bismack Biyombo, forward Rudy Gay, and swingman Danny Green are among the veterans who were waived earlier in 2023/24 and continue to seek new NBA homes, Fischer writes, singling out Biyombo as a player expected to generate interest.

Pacific Notes: Lakers, Christie, Warriors, Kuminga, Thompson, Duarte

February 8th, 2024 at 11:00pm CST by Tristan Tucker

While it was trending that way for a while, the Lakers officially did not make a trade at the 2024, one year removed from a busy 2023 deadline that saw them add D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and more. Though they reportedly pursued players like Hawks guard Dejounte Murray and Raptors wing Bruce Brown, the Lakers ultimately didn’t find a deal that appealed to them and will instead look to get healthy, maintain continuity, and attempt to recreate their Western Conference Finals run from a year ago.

Addressing reporters following the deadline on Thursday, general manager Rob Pelinka emphasized the fact that nothing stood out to them around the league, per The Athletic’s Jovan Buha (Twitter link).

“You can’t buy a house that’s not for sale. … The right move wasn’t there,” Pelinka said.

In addition, it was important to the Lakers to maintain as many assets as possible for a potentially bigger swing in the offseason, according to Buha. The offseason will unlock up to two more first-round picks for Los Angeles to trade for “a greater or bigger swing.” According to The Orange County Register’s Khobi Price, Pelinka didn’t want to “shoot a small bullet now that would only lead to marginal improvement” and would inhibit their ability to make moves down the line (Twitter link).

As for this season’s team, Pelinka specifically mentioned getting Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent back from their current injuries and being “very aggressive” to add a “really good player” with their open roster spot on the buyout market (Twitter links).

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Max Christie suffered a right ankle sprain and left in the second quarter of the Lakers‘ Thursday matchup against the Nuggets. He did not return, according to Buha, and Taurean Prince started the second half in his place (Twitter links). Christie was starting in place of Russell, who missed the game due to knee soreness.
The Warriors made just one small move at the deadline, sending out Cory Joseph to the Pacers. While players like Andrew Wiggins were involved in rumors throughout the season, there wasn’t an appealing offer out there. “We explored a lot and frankly there wasn’t a lot out there that we thought could improve us significantly at an appropriate price,” general manager Mike Dunleavy said, via The Athletic’s Anthony Slater (Twitter link). Dunleavy added that Jonathan Kuminga, who also came up in rumors early in the season before averaging 21.1 points since the New Year, was “virtually untouchable.” “As untouchable as guys can be in this league,” Dunleavy said (Twitter link via Slater). “Didn’t see a scenario where Jonathan wouldn’t be on our team after this deadline.“
Warriors guard Klay Thompson has seemed discouraged throughout the season by his play. While his 17.1 points per game and 37.7% clip from deep are impressive for any player, he’s not quite the same as he was when he was a multi-time All-Star and All-NBA selection. The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson II explores Thompson’s situation and laments the injury that cost him two seasons of his prime. While he might not be an All-Star anymore, he still has the ability to help the Warriors win, Thompson notes.
Kings guard Chris Duarte suffered a right ankle sprain ahead of Wednesday’s matchup with the Pistons, Fox 40 Sacramento’s Sean Cunningham tweets. He will be out against the Nuggets on Friday and will be re-evaluated in seven-to-14 days, according to The Sacramento Bee’s Jason Anderson (Twitter link). Duarte is averaging 3.7 points this season.

Buyout Rumors: Tucker, Lowry, Dinwiddie, Harris

February 8th, 2024 at 5:40pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Clippers forward P.J. Tucker is not requesting a buyout and is expected to remain with the team through the remainder of the season, according to TNT and Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes (Twitter link). This comes after trade attempts involving Tucker fell short, Haynes adds. This was the expected outcome if Tucker wasn’t moved at the deadline.

It’s no secret Tucker wasn’t thrilled with his role after landing with the Clippers in the James Harden trade at the beginning of the season. After starting in all 78 of his appearances with the Sixers after signing there in 2022, Tucker has only played in just 12 games with Los Angeles. averaging 14.4 minutes per game.

“I want to be somewhere where I’m needed, wanted and can do it all. I don’t know what’s going to happen but I have my fingers crossed and I’m hoping to go somewhere else whether I get bought out and choose where I go or where I can play,” Tucker said before the deadline to Andscape’s Marc J. Spears (Twitter link).

Tucker was once seen as a “strong” candidate to be moved before the deadline, but the fact that he has an $11.5MM player option for next season appears to have been an issue for opposing teams. The most likely step forward for both sides is Tucker accepting his player option in the offseason and then the two sides working together to find a deal that suits him when teams have a clearer idea of their 2024/25 plans.

For what it’s worth, Tucker seemingly expressed frustration at the situation in an Instagram story following the deadline, with the story reading “All this s— is a f—ing joke” (Instagram link).

We have more rumors regarding the buyout market:

Hornets point guard Kyle Lowry is the Sixers‘ top priority on the market if he and Charlotte come to terms on a buyout agreement, according to NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link). The Sixers have been making moves all day to clear salary (Danuel House) and playing time (Jaden Springer, Patrick Beverley) in the guard room, so Lowry is a sensible addition.
The Lakers, Mavericks, Pelicans and Sixers are expected to have interest in Spencer Dinwiddie after he was waived by the Raptors earlier Thursday, The Athletic’s Shams Charania said on Stadium’s live trade deadline show (hat tip to RealGM). Dinwiddie is ineligible to sign with the Celtics, Nuggets, Warriors, Clippers, Heat, Bucks and Suns, whose team salaries are above the tax apron, so that list of four interested teams includes some of the top playoff contenders available for Dinwiddie to sign with. He averaged 12.6 points and 6.0 assists in 48 games (all starts) with the Nets this season.
The Lakers are indeed among the frontrunners to sign Dinwiddie, confirms ESPN’s Dave McMenamin (Twitter link). Los Angeles is a good position to land the 6’5″ guard, because the Lakers are able to offer around $1.5MM prorated because they didn’t give Gabe Vincent the full mid-level exception in the offseason, McMenamin adds (Twitter link). Other teams are only able to offer around $1MM.
The Bulls stood pat at the trade deadline and are likely to make moves to supplement a potential playoff push, according to NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson. Former Pistons sharpshooter Joe Harris could be a target for Chicago on the buyout market after he was waived by Detroit. Johnson adds the Bulls tried to acquire Bojan Bogdanovic from Detroit.

No Deadline Deals Involving Lakers, Cavs, Hawks, Bulls, Others

February 8th, 2024 at 4:14pm CST by Rory Maher

While we certainly saw a flurry of activity prior to today’s trade deadline, seven teams didn’t make any moves at all over the past week, observes Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). That group features the Lakers, Cavaliers, Hawks, Bulls, Magic, Heat, and Pelicans.

Miami and New Orleans made previous trades this season, but the other five teams did not.

According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN and Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter links), the Lakers were actively involved in trade talks, but decided any deal would have been a “marginal upgrade” with a prohibitive cost. L.A. plans to be “aggressive” in the buyout market, however, and will have up to three first-round picks to trade this summer, versus the one it had available during the season.

As Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times writes, Dejounte Murray and Alex Caruso were among the players the Lakers were interested in, but they decided the Hawks’ and Bulls’ asking prices were too steep.

The Cavs — the league’s hottest team — “believe strongly” in the roster they’ve constructed, and they also have a pair of standard roster spots open to peruse the buyout market, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link).

The Hawks were reportedly aggressive in proposing trade concepts, yet decided to keep the roster they have, despite their mediocre 22-29 record. Murray was the player most prominently featured in rumors from Atlanta’s roster.

The 24-27 Bulls also decided to stand pat, with center Andre Drummond among the players they retained, confirms Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report (via Twitter).

According to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel, the Magic’s front office “did its due diligence” in evaluating the market, but it likes the current roster and wanted to maintain continuity ahead of a potential postseason push. Orlando is currently 27-24.

The Raptors made a handful of trades this season, including two on Thursday, yet one player who many expected to be on the move remains on the roster. Toronto decided to hang onto Bruce Brown past the deadline, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The rebuilding Wizards were viewed as sellers ahead of the deadline, and they did trade Daniel Gafford to Dallas. But they also decided to keep veteran guards Tyus Jones and Delon Wright, two players featured in plenty of trade rumors, per Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link).