Los Angeles Lakers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Free Agent Stock Watch 2019: Pacific Division

December 7th, 2018 at 8:28pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Every week, Hoops Rumors takes a closer look at players who will be free agents or could become free agents next offseason. We examine if their stock is rising or falling due to performance and other factors. This week, we turn our attention to the Pacific Division:

Jonas Jerebko, Warriors, PF, 31 (Up) – Signed to a one-year, $2.18MM deal in 2018
Jerebko has bounced around the league the last few seasons but he always stays within his role and provides solid contributions wherever he lands. He’s averaging 7.2 PPG while shooting a career-high 48.9% from the field in 19.8 MPG. He’s also helped on the boards (5.5 RPG). An above-average 3-point shooter, Jerebko shouldn’t have too much trouble finding another contender to sign him as their backup stretch four next summer. It could be Golden State if he’s willing to settle for the veteran’s minimum again.

Tobias Harris, Clippers, 26, PF (Up) – Signed to a four-year, $64MM deal in 2015
When news leaked over the summer that Harris turned down an $80MM extension offer from the Clippers, many people wondered what Harris was thinking. He was willing to bet on himself that he could do even better as an unrestricted free agent and thus far, the odds have increased in his favor. Harris is posting career highs in several major categories, including scoring (21.0 PPG), shooting (50.8%) and rebounding (8.5 RPG) for one of the league’s surprise teams. When the superstars come off the board, Harris will be next in line for a big payday.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Lakers, 25, SG (Down) – Signed to a one-year, $12MM deal in 2018
The previous Pistons regime declined to give Caldwell-Pope a multi-year extension. He wound up signing a pair of generous one-year contracts with the Lakers but he’s been reduced to backup duty. Most of the shots he’s taken have come from beyond the arc and he’s not particularly good at it (33% this season, 34.4% for his career). Caldwell-Pope doesn’t appear to have a future with the Lakers beyond this season and will have to take a pay cut to find work elsewhere.

Dragan Bender, Suns, 21, PF (Down) — Signed to a three-year, $13.4MM deal in 2016
When the Suns drafted Bender No. 4 overall in 2016, then traded with Sacramento for No. 8 selection Marquese Chriss, they seemingly resolved their power forward spot for years to come. Instead, they wound up with two of the biggest busts in that draft. Chriss was traded away to Houston during training camp while Bender is barely seeing the court in Phoenix. He’s appeared in eight games while averaging just 5.5 MPG. Bender needs a change of scenery but he’ll have to settle for a modest deal next year until he proves he’s a genuine NBA player.

Willie Cauley-Stein, Kings, 25, PF (Up)– Signed to a four-year, $15.35MM deal in 2015
The Kings have a lot of young bigs but Cauley-Stein has been a fixture in the lineup. He’s posting career highs at 14.3 PPG and 8.2 RPG while generally playing the same amount of minutes as last season. Cauley-Stein came into the league with a reputation of being a quality defender and he’s posted positive Defensive Box Plus/Minus ratings each season, according to Basketball-Reference. He’ll be a restricted free agent but might be one of the few who gets a substantial offer sheet, considering Sacramento will like choose to make Marvin Bagley III their main man in the middle.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Lakers Not Interested In Acquiring Carmelo Anthony

December 7th, 2018 at 11:29am CST by Luke Adams

Despite LeBron James‘ reported desire to team up with his good friend Carmelo Anthony, the Lakers have no interest in acquiring the Rockets forward, sources tell Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).

According to Turner, Anthony’s camp called the Lakers “a while back,” but it didn’t go anywhere. Turner adds that James hasn’t talked to president of basketball operations Magic Johnson or GM Rob Pelinka about acquiring Carmelo, which is consistent with what we heard from Joe Vardon of The Athletic on Thursday.

Vardon followed up on his Thursday report today, reiterating (via Twitter) that while James would like to see his friend end up on the Lakers, he hasn’t pushed the front office on the issue, and doesn’t plan to. LeBron and his camp believe that Anthony can still play and think he could be a fit in in L.A., but if Johnson and Pelinka disagree, Carmelo won’t become a Laker — and it seems that’s the case.

For now, Anthony technically remains a member of the Rockets, despite not having played for the team in nearly a month. Houston is expected to waive or trade the 10-time All-Star sometime in the not-too-distant future. Anthony will become eligible to be traded on December 15.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/6/18

December 6th, 2018 at 9:20pm CST by JD Shaw

Here are Thursday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

The Celtics assigned rookie forward Robert Williams to the Maine Red Claws, announcing the news in a tweet. Williams has appeared in nine games with Boston on the season and was drafted by the team 27th overall in June.
The Jazz recalled rookie Grayson Allen from the Salt Lake City Stars, G League affiliate of the team. Allen has played 14 games with Utah and is averaging 4.6 points in 10.5 minutes per contest.
The Hawks assigned guard/forward Daniel Hamilton to their G League affiliate, the Erie Bayhawks, announcing the transaction on social media. Hamilton, 23, has played just two games with Atlanta so far this season.
The Wizards assigned Troy Brown Jr. and Okaro White to the Capital City Go-Go, according to a tweet from the team’s social media account. Both players were available for Thursday’s game against Delaware.
The Lakers recalled Isaac Bonga from the South Bay Lakers, the team announced in a press release. Bonga has averaged 14 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 12 games with South Bay.
The Grizzlies have assigned Jevon Carter and Ivan Rabb to their G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle, according to a tweet from the team’s PR department.
The Pelicans recalled rookie forward Kenrich Williams from the Westchester Knicks, the team announced via press release. Williams has averaged 13.4 points and 11.6 rebounds in his past two games with Westchester.
The Magic assigned Melvin Frazier Jr. to the Lakeland Magic of the NBA G League, according to a tweet from their PR department. Orlando drafted Frazier Jr. with the No. 35 pick last June.

LeBron James Wants Lakers To Acquire Carmelo Anthony

December 6th, 2018 at 8:15pm CST by JD Shaw

LeBron James wants the Lakers to acquire veteran forward Carmelo Anthony, according to a report from Joe Vardon of The Athletic.

James and Anthony are known to be longtime friends, competitors and even teammates on Olympic and All-Star teams, and could join forces in the coming weeks if the Lakers choose to make a push for Anthony. The Rockets and Anthony parted ways last month after just 10 games together, but Anthony remains on the team roster as of this week.

Anthony, 34, could be waived anytime, but can’t be traded until December 15 due to league rules. There has been no request made by Lakers president Magic Johnson or general manager Rob Pelinka to make a deal for Anthony, according to Vardon, but James still believes Anthony can contribute on a contending team.

Anthony, a 16-year NBA veteran, averaged 16.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 78 games with the Thunder last season. He signed with the Rockets in free agency and didn’t register any sort of interest from the Lakers at the time, according to Marc Stein of the New York Times (Twitter link).

Ingram To Miss At Least Two Games; James Tunes Out Noise

December 6th, 2018 at 7:38pm CST by JD Shaw

LeBron James tuned out the noise surrounding him against the Spurs on Wednesday, scoring 20 fourth-quarter points to propel the Lakers to victory. “I’m past the [taking things] personal stage,” James said, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “I can do whatever. I can have a huge workload, I can have a not so huge workload. … It doesn’t matter for me. What’s most important is seeing my teammates make huge shots in the fourth quarter. … That’s what’s most important to me. I can care less about the narrative about me. It doesn’t matter. I’m a staple in this game.”
Lakers forward Brandon Ingram will miss at least two games after spraining his left ankle on Wednesday, according to McMenamin (Twitter link). Ingram didn’t travel with the team and is set to undergo a precautionary MRI Thursday evening. His status will be updated Friday morning.

Derek Fisher Hired As L.A. Sparks Head Coach

December 5th, 2018 at 8:36pm CST by clarkcrum

The Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA have hired five-time NBA champion and former Lakers’ point guard Derek Fisher, 44, as their next head coach, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Fisher, who coached the Knicks for one and a half seasons from the beginning of the 2014/15 season through February, 2016 and compiled a 40-96 record, will be introduced at a news conference this Friday in Los Angeles.

“I’m excited to be the new head coach of the LA Sparks,” Fisher said in a statement. “There is no finer organization in the WNBA and I can’t wait to work with our ownership group, front office, talented players and staff to cement a culture of sustained excellence, which is what LA basketball fans demand — and deserve.”

Fisher, who has no other coaching experience beyond his tenure in New York, will be helped by the presence of two-time WNBA MVP Candace Parker in L.A, who praised Fisher’s basketball mind, championship pedigree, and strong leadership after learning of his hiring.

Pacific Notes: LeBron, Durant, Suns, Shumpert

December 5th, 2018 at 2:07pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers will have the cap room to pursue a second star in free agency during the summer of 2019, but it remains to be seen whether any of next year’s truly elite free agents will jump at the chance to play with LeBron James, writes Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report. As Kevin Durant, 2019’s top free agent, tells Bucher, it’s probably easier for role players to fit alongside LeBron than it would be for another star.

“It depends on what kind of player you are,” Durant said. “If you’re Kyle Korver, then it makes sense. Because Kyle Korver in Atlanta was the bulk of the offense, and he’s not a No. 1 option at all, not even close. So his talents benefit more from a guy who can pass and penetrate and get him open.

“If you’re a younger player like a Kawhi [Leonard], trying to pair him with LeBron James doesn’t really make sense,” Durant continued. “Kawhi enjoys having the ball in his hands, controlling the offense, dictating the tempo with his post-ups; it’s how he plays the game. A lot of young players are developing that skill. They don’t need another guy.”

Veteran forward Trevor Ariza, who also spoke to Bucher, essentially expressed the same sentiment as Durant, noting that players who could benefit most from LeBron’s ball-dominant play-making would likely be more inclined to join the Lakers than a star who wants to be dominating the ball himself.

“If I was a free agent, I would have to consider everything,” Ariza said. “But my role is different than [Paul George] and Kawhi. They ask them to do different things than they ask of me. Guys similar to [LeBron], why would they want to play with somebody who does all the same things? I can see why they would want to play elsewhere.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

In other Lakers news, Joe Vardon of The Athletic outlines why LeBron is unlikely to start deferring to the team’s young, unproven players anytime soon, while head coach Luke Walton says he thinks the franchise is capable of winning a championship without acquiring a second star (Twitter link via Tania Ganguli of The Los Angeles Times).
Within an in-depth look at the Suns‘ point guard options, Bob Young of The Athletic reports that the team nearly traded up in the 2018 draft using the extra first-round pick it owns from the Bucks, and would’ve selected Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in that scenario. However, owner Robert Sarver pushed instead for the deal that saw the Suns give up Miami’s 2021 first-rounder for Mikal Bridges, according to Young.
Iman Shumpert, who looked like an expendable veteran on an expiring contract coming into the season, has been a key part of the Kings‘ rotation and is having on positive impact on Sacramento’s young players, writes James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area.

Michael Beasley Accepting Of New Role With Lakers

December 2nd, 2018 at 4:00pm CST by JD Shaw

Lakers forward Michael Beasley has accepted his role with the team this season despite not knowing when he’ll play, The Los Angeles Times’ Broderick Turner writes. Beasley was one of several veterans who joined the Lakers this past offseason after LeBron James made his decision. “I stayed engaged the same way you [in the media] stayed engaged as a fan,” Beasley said. “I enjoy the game. I enjoy my teammates. God has granted me serenity a long time ago.”

Johnson: Lakers To Monitor James’ Minutes To Avoid Overuse

December 1st, 2018 at 9:20am CST by marksuleymanov

The Lakers will continue to monitor LeBron James‘ minutes keep him fresh and avoid overuse, team president Magic Johnson said to SiriusXM NBA Radio (via ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk).

“We are trying to make sure that we watch his minutes but also that we don’t run everything through him because now it is Cleveland all over again and we don’t want that,” Johnson said. “We want to get up and down.”

Through 22 games this season, the 33-year-old James has averaged 34.5 minutes per game for Los Angeles. In 2017/18, James averaged 36.9 minutes for the Cavaliers as he played in a career-high 82 regular season games, plus an additional 22 postseason contests. As Youngmisuk writes, the Lakers – whose roster already featured several promising youngsters – signed a handful of veteran play-makers this offseason in an effort decrease a reliance on James.

The four-time MVP, averaging 28.1 PPG, 7.8 RPG and 6.6 APG, himself addressed finding the right balance between taking over games and deferring to his teammates, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin writes.

“That’s the challenge of things I’ve been kind of battling with since the season started,” James said after a recent win over the Pacers. “How much do I defer and allow some of our young guys to kind of try to figure it out, and how much do I try to take over games? I think tonight was one of those instances where they looked at me and they wanted me to close the game.”

At 13-9, the Lakers are currently the sixth seed in the Western Conference.

Wagner and Mykhailiuk Assigned To South Bay

November 28th, 2018 at 9:11pm CST by clarkcrum

Both Moritz Wagner and Svi Mykhailiuk have been assigned to the Lakers’ G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, for tonight’s game against the Texas Legends (link). Mykhailiuk scored 21 points in his lone G League appearance this season, while Wagner has averaged 16.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in his two appearances with South Bay.