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Latest On Paul George’s Free Agency

June 5th, 2018 at 9:21pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Paul George has one season remaining on his contract, but he’s expected to opt out of his deal this summer and become a free agent. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski discussed George’s future on the network’s NBA Draft Special (h/t Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman), explaining how the Thunder are now in a better position to keep George than they were last offseason.

“Oklahoma City’s done a great job of selling him on a future there, and he liked playing with Russell Westbrook and Steven Adams and Billy Donovan,” Wojnarowski said.

While OKC has an opportunity to keep George, the Lakers remain a serious threat. George and LeBron James will at least discuss the possibility of teaming up in Los Angeles prior to free agency, per Woj.

The Rockets will be aggressive in their pursuit of George. While Houston isn’t expected to have salary cap space, we saw what GM Daryl Morey is capable of in last summer’s Chris Paul deal. Morey and the Rockets will search for a way to get George on the roster should the small forward have interest in joining the club.

Wojnarowski also mentions that the Sixers would be a good fit for George. Philadelphia has slightly over $67.4MM in guaranteed salary on the books with the cap projected to come in at $101MM.

Five Key Offseason Questions: Los Angeles Lakers

June 5th, 2018 at 3:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Incredibly, prior to their recent playoff drought, the Lakers had never missed the postseason for more than two consecutive years. The current streak is now up to five straight non-playoff seasons. While this stretch of futility is certainly a source of angst for Lakers fans and many in the organization, the team has taken the right approach to roster-building since new president of basketball operations Magic Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka took the reins in 2017.

Rather than trying to force their way back into contention by signing non-stars to lucrative free agent contracts, as the franchise did with Timofey Mozgov and Luol Deng back in 2016, the current Lakers management group has focused on developing the team’s young players, complementing those prospects with veterans on short-term deals.

The Lakers being the Lakers, it’s only a matter of time before the club once again makes a splash in the free agent market. When that happens though, the team will set it sights on the very best available players, and may not be willing to settle for second- or third-tier options.

Here are five key questions facing the franchise this summer:

1. Can the Lakers land a top free agent or two?

It’s no secret that the Lakers will head into the 2018 offseason looking to secure commitments from at least one – and potentially two – of the elite free agents on the market. Kevin Durant and Nikola Jokic are viewed as slam dunks to return to their respective teams, Chris Paul is a virtual lock to re-sign in Houston, and DeMarcus Cousins‘ Achilles recovery clouds his outlook.

That leaves two primary targets for Los Angeles: LeBron James and Paul George. While James would be the dream addition, George appears to be the more realistic one. A Los Angeles native, George has reportedly been thinking about joining the Lakers for some time, and a first-round exit in Oklahoma City this spring didn’t exactly increase the Thunder’s chances of bringing him back.

If the Lakers could strike a deal with George, it would make James’ decision very interesting. LeBron will have a number of appealing options to consider, including possibly going to Houston or Philadelphia, but heading to Hollywood might be the best move for his brand. Adding James and George to a promising young core that includes Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Kyle Kuzma would make the Lakers a very attractive destination for role-playing veterans looking to join a contender.

2. What’s Plan B if the Lakers miss out on their primary targets?

While the Lakers could make compelling pitches to George and James, there’s no guarantee that either player will decide to head west. The franchise needs to be prepared to quickly change course if it becomes clear that those top free agents aren’t coming.

Using all their cap room to sign lesser free agents to long-term deals would be a mistake, and one that the Lakers can’t afford to repeat after committing approximately $136MM to Mozgov and Deng in 2016. Johnson and Pelinka recognize that, which is why we’ve heard whispers all year that the Lakers would be happy to preserve their cap flexibility for 2019.

Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson, Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler, Kemba Walker, and Kevin Love are among the players who can become unrestricted free agents in 2019, so the Lakers could have plenty of options a year from now. For what it’s worth, Leonard, Thompson, and Love were all born in Los Angeles.

While waiting until 2019 to spend big on long-term deals is a viable route for the Lakers, they’ll need to get to the salary floor in 2018/19 somehow. That could mean signing or acquiring more players on one-year contracts, like they did with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Brook Lopez last summer. Exploring trade options makes sense too — someone like Leonard could be available now, a year before he reaches free agency, so the Lakers will want to kick the tires and find out the Spurs’ asking price.

3. Is Julius Randle a part of the Lakers’ young core?

One wild card impacting the Lakers’ free agent plans is Randle, who looked early last season like a player who might be moved at the trade deadline. The former seventh overall pick broke out in a big way once he was inserted into the starting lineup in late December, averaging 18.6 PPG, 9.1 RPG, and 3.1 APG in his last 49 games. Now, he looks like a potential keeper for Los Angeles.

Still, simply re-signing Randle isn’t necessarily the obvious move for the Lakers, whose path to two maximum-salary free agents spots would be complicated by the big man’s $12.45MM cap hold. If a team like the Mavericks swoops in and signs Randle to an aggressive offer sheet early in free agency, the Lakers will be under pressure to get decisions from George and/or James before determining how to handle Randle.

If Randle does sign an offer sheet with another team, the 48-hour window for the Lakers to match wouldn’t start until July 6, so the team will have some breathing room at the start of the new league year to get its affairs in order. Additionally, signing two max free agents and keeping Randle around isn’t technically impossible. But a lucrative new contract for the 23-year-old would have a ripple effect on the Lakers’ free agent plans in 2018 and possibly 2019 too, so it’ll be a crucial decision.

4. Is this the time to waive and stretch Luol Deng?

The Lakers may not be willing to attach a first-round pick or a young player to Deng’s contract to move him, preferring to save their assets by simply cutting him. Waiving and stretching Deng this offseason would reduce his 2018/19 cap hit from $18MM to just $7.36MM. Of course, it would also extend his cap charges for a few extra years — rather than coming off the books in 2020, he’d remain on L.A.’s cap until 2023 if he’s waived and stretched before September 1.

Ultimately, the decision on what to do with Deng figures to come down to how the rest of the Lakers’ offseason plays out. If L.A. doesn’t need that extra $10MM+ in cap space, there’s no reason for the team to rush into a roster move with the veteran forward.

In a scenario where the Lakers strike out on top free agents, waiting until September to make a call on Deng would make sense. If he’s still on the roster beyond August 31, Deng’s full 2018/19 salary would remain on the Lakers’ cap at its current $18MM figure, but the team could stretch his 2019/20 salary ($18.81MM) across three seasons, creating a little extra flexibility for 2019.

5. Can the Lakers nab another late-first-round steal?

No. 2 overall pick Ball dominated the offseason conversation in Los Angeles a year ago, arriving in the NBA from UCLA and promptly leading the Lakers’ Summer League squad to a championship. Once the regular season started though, it was 27th overall pick Kuzma who was the team’s most impressive rookie, posting 16.1 PPG and 6.3 RPG with a .450/.366/.707 shooting line for the year.

The second-half play of No. 30 pick Josh Hart shouldn’t be overlooked either. From the start of February through the end of the season, Hart averaged 14.1 PPG and 7.3 RPG on .506/.440/.766 shooting.

Most teams’ success rate on late first-round picks isn’t particularly high, but it looks like the Lakers went two for two in 2017. This time around, the team won’t have its own lottery pick, but holds Cleveland’s selection (No. 25), giving the front office another chance to strike gold late in the first round.

It’s hard to say who will be available at that point, but the Lakers have been linked frequently to Mitchell Robinson, who is something of a mystery man after not playing a single college game. Whether he’s the Lakers’ guy or the team goes in another direction, that player will be worth keeping an eye on after the early success of Kuzma and Hart.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Lakers financially:

Guaranteed Salary

Luol Deng ($18,000,000)
Lonzo Ball ($7,461,960)
Brandon Ingram ($5,757,120)
Kyle Kuzma ($1,689,840)
Josh Hart ($1,655,160)
Total: $34,564,080

Player Options

None

Team Options

None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Tyler Ennis ($1,656,092)¹
Ivica Zubac ($1,544,951)²
Thomas Bryant ($1,378,242)³
Total: $4,579,285

Restricted Free Agents

Julius Randle ($5,564,134 qualifying offer / $12,447,726 cap hold): Bird rights
Travis Wear ($1,699,698 qualifying offer / $1,699,698 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
Andre Ingram ($1,537,872 qualifying offer / $1,537,872 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
Total: $15,685,296

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Brook Lopez ($33,963,525): Bird rights
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ($21,295,073): Non-Bird rights
Channing Frye ($14,099,733): Bird rights
Isaiah Thomas ($11,896,651): Bird rights
No. 25 overall pick ($1,746,957)
Total: $83,001,939

Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000

Projected Cap Room: $48,084,682

A handful of wild cards will impact how much cap room the Lakers have – or need – this summer. For our projection, we’ve assumed they keep all five players on guaranteed contracts along with cap holds for Randle, their first-round pick, and five empty roster spots. That results in a total team salary of $52,915,318.
If landing two star free agents looks like a realistic possibility, Los Angeles could create the room necessary for a pair of max contracts. For instance, by waiving and stretching Deng, renouncing Randle, and trading their first-round pick, the Lakers could create $70,423,432 in space. Ultimately, their approach to the offseason may be dictated by how their conversations with those top free agents go.

Footnotes:

Ennis’ salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 5.
Zubac’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after June 30.
Bryant’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 5.

Note: Rookie scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Lakers Work Out Six Prospects On Tuesday

June 5th, 2018 at 2:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Kansas prospect Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk is also auditioning for a Pacific team today, with the Lakers announcing in a press release that he’s one of six players working out for the club. The other five are Khadeen Carrington (Seton Hall), Gyorgy Goloman (UCLA), William Lee (UAB), William McDowell-White (Australia), and Anfernee Simons (IMG Academy).

And-Ones: 2018/19 Odds, Fredette, Hensley, USA Basketball

June 3rd, 2018 at 10:21am CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors have already been set as the favorites to win the 2018/19 title, relays Ben Fawkes of ESPN, but there’s a huge variable that hangs over the equation. The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook gives Golden State 5-4 odds to capture the championship, followed at 7-2 by the Rockets and Sixers, two teams believed to be in the running to sign LeBron James.

“When you have LeBron in free agency, you have to be careful,” oddsmaker John Murray said. “You’ve got Philadelphia, Miami, the Lakers and even Houston as potential destinations [outside of Cleveland]. We cut all of those teams’ odds down, and we’ll raise back up the teams he doesn’t sign with.”

Murray adds that the Rockets would take over as favorites if they are able to add James and keep Chris Paul and Clint Capela. The Celtics, who come in at 8-1, will be favored to win the East if James leaves Cleveland and goes anywhere but Philadelphia. The Lakers and Heat are tied for fifth place at 20-1, followed by the Spurs at 25-1 and the Cavaliers at 30-1.

There’s more basketball-related news to pass along:

Former lottery pick Jimmer Fredette hopes to use The Basketball Tournament this summer to get another shot at the NBA, writes Myron Medcalf of ESPN. The 10th selection in the 2011 draft, Fredette played for four teams in five years before heading overseas. “I would always love to get another chance in the NBA,” Fredette said. “I’ve gotten better in China and improved every year. … You hope somebody takes notice.” He has another year remaining on his Chinese Basketball Association contract.
J.R. Hensley, a prominent NBA agent, has been placed on 18 months’ probation, tweets Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal. The action came because Hensley refused to fully cooperate in an investigation of potential violations, according to a press release from the NBPA.
The USA Men’s Under 18 National Team made its first round of cuts this morning, trimming the squad from 33 players to 18. Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog has the complete list of players who advanced.

Draft Notes: Hornets, Grizzlies, Blazers, Lakers, Nuggets

June 2nd, 2018 at 6:26pm CST by Arthur Hill

Villanova’s Mikal Bridges had his conditioning tested during his first pre-draft workout today in Charlotte, writes Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Bridges and St. Joseph’s James Demery were the only players at the hour-long session, which featured full-court sprints mixed with long-range shooting toward the end of the process.

“They pushed us,” Bridges said. “I’m really well conditioned and they [wanted to see me] shoot the ball while I’m tired. [It was about] showing them everything, like some ballhandling that they didn’t see” when he was in college.

Projected as a lottery pick, Bridges may still be available when the Hornets select at No. 11. However, Bonnell notes that the Cavaliers, Knicks and Sixers — the three teams directly in front of Charlotte — could all have interest.

There’s more draft-related news to pass along:

The Hornets have six more players coming in tomorrow, highlighted by potential lottery pick Lonnie Walker of Miami, Bonnell tweets. Dayton’s Kostas Antetokounmpo, whose brother is a star with the Bucks, will also be on hand.
Antetokounmpo will be in Memphis on Monday for a six-player workout, the Grizzlies announced in an e-mail. Joining him will be Missouri’s Jordan Barnett, Temple’s Obi Enechionyia, Virginia’s Devon Hall, Kansas’ Malik Newman and North Carolina’s Theo Pinson.
The Trail Blazers focused on 3-and-D players in today’s workout, according to Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. Villanova’s Donte DiVincenzo, Miami’s Bruce Brown and Cincinnati’s Jacob Evans all fit that description, which appears to be what the Blazers want with the 24th pick. “I can guard multiple positions and it’s kind of a role where the responsibility isn’t so great,” DiVincenzo said. “The responsibility is you have two things to really do, really focus on, and be great at. And when you can do that, it just opens up time on the floor.”
The Trail Blazers also held a workout on Friday, relays Casey Holdahl of NBA.com, with UCLA’s Aaron Holiday, Villanova’s Jalen Brunson, Duke’s Gary Trent Jr., Tulane’s Melvin Frazier, Ohio State’s Keita Bates-Diop and Louisville’s Raymond Spalding attending.
The Lakers will bring in six players for a Sunday workout, the team announced on Twitter. Scheduled to attend are Michigan’s Moritz Wagner, Missouri State’s Alize Johnson, Connecticut’s Terry Larrier, Rhode Island’s Jared Terrell, Western Michigan’s Thomas Wilder and TCU’s Kenrich Williams.
The Nuggets have a pair of sessions set for early next week, the team announced through e-mail. Coming in Monday will be Bates-Diop, along with Creighton’s Marcus Foster, Colorado’s George King, USC’s Chimezie Metu and Oakland’s Kendrick Nunn. Scheduled for Tuesday are Holiday and Williams, as well as Notre Dame’s Matt Farrell, Penn State’s Tony Carr and Elie Okobo of France.
Micah Seaborn of Monmouth, one of the late deciders at Wednesday’s withdrawal deadline, elected to remain in the draft, according to Josh Newman of USA Today.

LiAngelo Ball Unlikely To Join Lakers

June 2nd, 2018 at 10:59am CST by marksuleymanov

The Lakers hosted LiAngelo Ball, the younger brother of their point guard, Lonzo Ball, for a pre-draft workout earlier this week. However, it appears that the Lakers’ association with the younger Ball will not go beyond the workout, Marc Stein of the New York Times reports.

Stein noted that there is “pessimism in the extreme” that the Lakers have any interest in LiAngelo, whether it be as an NBA or G League player. Before his workout with the Lakers, LiAngelo indicated that signing with the team and playing with his brother was his main focus.

“The Lakers are my priority, for sure,” LiAngelo said during a recent appearance on the Marcellus and Travis show on ESPNLA radio. “I want to play with my brother. Ever since I played with Zo, we went undefeated. When we get older, we will get stronger, faster and a better feel for the game. I’m willing to play for other teams, but my priority is to play with my brother.”

LiAngelo returned to the United States recently after completing his first professional season overseas with Vytautas Prienu of the Lithuanian league. He averaged 12.6 PPG during his stint. The brothers’ outspoken father, LaVar Ball, had said his goal was to have all three of his sons play together for the Lakers. At this time, that appears unlikely at best.

Draft Notes: M. Bridges, Pinson, Farrell, Rowsey

June 1st, 2018 at 11:02am CST by Arthur Hill

With the deadline passing for underclassmen to withdraw from the NBA draft, pre-draft workouts are taking on a new level of importance. Here are a few notes to pass on as the draft looms 20 days from now:

Villanova’s Mikal Bridges and North Carolina’s Theo Pinson will work out for the Hornets on Saturday, tweets Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer.
Notre Dame guard Matt Farrell has sessions scheduled Monday with the Lakers and Wednesday with the Nuggets, according to Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog (Twitter link).
Marquette’s Andrew Rowsey has workouts upcoming with the Raptors, Mavericks, Lakers and Kings, tweets Gery Woelfel of WoelfelsPressBox.
The Kings are welcoming six players for a session today, relays Sean Cunningham of ABC10 in Sacramento (Twitter link). On hand will be Creighton’s Marcus Foster, West Virginia’s Daxter Miles, SMU’s Ben Emelogu and Seton Hall’s Desi Rodriguez, along with Missouri’s Alize Johnson and Jordan Barnett.
The Jazz have a workout set for today with Oregon’s Troy Brown, West Virginia’s Jevon Carter, Georgia’s Yante Maten, Michigan’s Moritz Wagner and Kansas’ Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk and Malik Newman, the team announced on Twitter.
Newman was in Phoenix for a workout on Thursday, the Suns tweeted. He was joined by Ohio State’s Keita Bates-Diop, Virginia’s Devon Hall, Colorado’s George King, Xavier’s J.P. Macura and USC’s Chimezie Metu.

Draft Decisions: McDaniels, Cody & Caleb Martin

May 30th, 2018 at 11:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

Forward Jalen McDaniels will return to San Diego State for his sophomore season, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN. McDaniels is part of a crop of late decision makers who waited until shortly before tonight’s deadline of 11:59pm Eastern to announce whether they are staying in the draft.

“After thoughtful consideration with my family and coaching staff, I have decided to return to San Diego State for my sophomore year.” McDaniels posted on Twitter. “I’m looking forward to furthering my education and returning to the NCAA Tournament. Go Aztecs!”

McDaniels averaged 10.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in his first year at San Diego State. He held workouts with Cavaliers, Clippers, Timberwolves, Jazz, Warriors, Celtics, Nets, Hawks, Bucks, Spurs and Bulls, according to Mark Zeigler of The San Diego Union-Tribune.

In another significant last-minute decision, Nevada stars Cody Martin and Caleb Martin will both return to school, tweets Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. Cody is ranked 90th and Caleb is 91st in the list of top 100 prospects compiled by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, but Jeff Goodman of ESPN suggests the Wolf Pack could be a top 10 team next season with both staying (Twitter link).

There’s also news to pass along on pre-draft workouts:

The Lakers have a session set for Thursday with Kansas’ Devonte’ Graham and Billy Preston, Wichita State’s Landry Shamet, Penn State’s Tony Carr, Georgia Tech’s Josh Okogie and Gonzaga’s Johnathan Williams, tweets Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.
The Kings will hold a workout Thursday for SMU’s Shake Milton, Arizona’s Allonzo Trier, Vanderbilt’s Jeff Roberson, Rhode Island’s E.C. Matthews, Cincinnati’s Gary Clark and Missouri’s Jordan Barnett.
On Tuesday, the Suns brought in Temple’s Obi Enechionyia, Cincinnati’s Jacob Evans, Arizona State’s Shannon Evans and Kodi Justice, Wyoming’s Alan Herndon and Australia player William McDowell-White.
Donte Ingram of Loyola Chicago had “solid” workouts with the Bulls and Bucks last week, according to Gery Woelfel of WoelfelsPressBox (Twitter link). The Bucks also brought in UCLA’s Thomas Welsh.
Texas center Mo Bamba will work out Friday for the Bulls, tweets Vincent Goodwill of NBC Sports Chicago.

St. John’s Shamorie Ponds Returning To College

May 29th, 2018 at 7:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

St. John’s Shamorie Ponds has decided to withdraw his name from the draft prior to Wednesday’s deadline, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweets.

The Lakers, Nets, Cavaliers, Jazz and Nuggets were among the teams that worked out the 6’1” guard this month. However, the odds were stacked against him when he didn’t receive an invite to the draft combine.

The sophomore guard put up a 21.6/5.0/4.7 line for the Red Storm this past season. He was ranked No. 61 among ESPN Jonathan Givony’s Top 100 prospects.

Southeast Rumors: Thomas, Nored, Whiteside, Hawks

May 28th, 2018 at 7:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Free agent point guard Isaiah Thomas would be a good fit for the Heat but they probably don’t have the salary-cap space to sign him, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel speculates. Thomas’ ability to score in bunches would boost a team prone to scoring droughts, Winderman continues. But it’s doubtful that a former All-Star coming off an injury-marred season would take a short-term deal, Winderman notes, as the Lakers guard is more likely to pursue what could be his last significant contract.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

The Hornets will hire Ronald Nored as an assistant coach on James Borrego‘s staff, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. Nored served as the Nets’ G-League head coach this past season.
Pat Riley‘s silence over the Hassan Whiteside situation in recent weeks suggests a trade is more likely than reconciliation, Winderman opines in another blog. Though Winderman believes Whiteside and coach Erik Spoelstra would like to find some middle ground, a separation appears to be in order despite the issue of Whiteside’s contract, which has two years and over $52MM remaining. Whiteside was disappointed with his reduced playing time.
The Hawks will bring in six prospects for a workout on Tuesday, according to a team press release. That group includes Carsen Edwards (Purdue), Kyran Bowman (Boston College), Dorian Pickens (Stanford), Kerem Kanter (Xavier), Tremont Waters (LSU) and Kenrich Williams (TCU).