Los Angeles Lakers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Lakers Revert To Opening Night Lineup, Intend To Stick With It

January 16th, 2024 at 9:05am CST by Luke Adams

Against the Thunder on Monday, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham turned back to the starting lineup that he used to open the season: LeBron James, Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, and Taurean Prince.

That was the Lakers’ starting group for five of the first seven games of the season, including the first four. However, those players hadn’t started together since November 6, as Ham first moved Reaves to the bench and later did the same with Russell. After Los Angeles came away with a 112-105 victory over Oklahoma City, Ham indicated he plans to stick with his original starting five going forward, writes ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.

“Just wanted to put as much skill and shot-making on the floor around our two captains,” Ham said, referring to James and Davis. “And those five, they’ve been pretty much our most consistent guys throughout the season thus far. So just put them together. For the foreseeable future, that’s going to be our lineup, barring any type of injury.”

The Lakers have used 11 different starting lineups so far this season, leaning most frequently on a group consisting of James, Davis, Russell, Prince, and Cam Reddish. Reddish is a stronger defender than Reaves, but didn’t provide as much on the offensive end of the court. He’s currently unavailable due to a knee issue.

Los Angeles also experimented with a starting five that featured Reaves in Russell’s place alongside the two star forwards, Prince, and Reddish, but that group has posted a -13.2 net rating in 99 minutes of action. The opening night lineup, which Ham turned back to on Monday, has a +1.3 rating in 150 total minutes.

In spite of Monday’s impressive victory, the Lakers remain below .500 (20-21) at the season’s midpoint and are feeling a sense of urgency to pick up some more wins during their current stretch of games in L.A., writes Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. That stretch of games, which includes four more home games and a “road” contest vs. the Clippers, runs through next Thursday.

Last season, a series of moves at the trade deadline helped kick-start the Lakers to a second-half surge and two playoff series wins, but Ham doesn’t necessarily think the team needs to seek out similar moves this winter.

“People talk about trades and this and that. No one’s sugarcoating anything. You have an opportunity to get better, you’re going take advantage of it,” Ham said, per McMenamin. “But that said, what we have in that locker room, we just need to buckle down, focus, take care of the details. We have more than enough in that locker room to make some things happen.”

Cam Reddish Could Miss Several Games With Knee Soreness

January 15th, 2024 at 9:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Cam Reddish could miss multiple games after leaving each of the Lakers‘ last two contests with knee soreness, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

Seventeen More Players Become Trade-Eligible

January 15th, 2024 at 7:02am CST by Luke Adams

Today is Monday, January 15, which means that a total of 17 players who signed free agent contracts meeting specific criteria this past offseason are now eligible to be traded.

Most offseason signees became trade-eligible on December 15, but players who met the following criteria were ineligible to be moved for an extra month:

The player re-signed with his previous team.
He got a raise of at least 20%.
His salary is worth more than the minimum.
His team was over the cap and used Bird or Early Bird rights to sign him.

The following players met that criteria and are eligible to be traded as of Monday:

Miles Bridges (Hornets) *
Ayo Dosunmu (Bulls)
Jerami Grant (Trail Blazers)
Rui Hachimura (Lakers)
Cameron Johnson (Nets)
Herbert Jones (Pelicans)
Tre Jones (Spurs)
Kyle Kuzma (Wizards)
Brook Lopez (Bucks)
Trey Lyles (Kings)
Jakob Poeltl (Raptors)
Austin Reaves (Lakers)
Paul Reed (Sixers) *
Matisse Thybulle (Trail Blazers) *
Moritz Wagner (Magic)
P.J. Washington (Hornets)
Coby White (Bulls)

(* Players marked with an asterisk have the ability to veto trades.)

Most of the players on NBA rosters are now eligible to be moved, though a small handful still can’t be dealt. That group includes Heat guard Dru Smith, who becomes trade-eligible on Monday, Hornets guard Ish Smith (trade-eligible on January 24), Lakers star Anthony Davis (trade-eligible on February 6), and Pistons forward Kevin Knox (trade-eligible on Feb. 8).

There are also several players who won’t become trade-eligible prior to this season’s February 8 deadline, including stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, and Jaylen Brown. Players on 10-day contracts are also ineligible to be dealt.

Lakers Notes: Davis, LeBron, Russell, Hachimura, Reddish

January 14th, 2024 at 10:47am CST by Arthur Hill

After getting off to a 19-21 start last season, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka was able to remake the team before the trade deadline. He’ll face the same challenge this year as L.A. has an identical record at the 40-game mark following Saturday’s loss at Utah.

The difference, as Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times points out, is that the Lakers were already moving in the right direction by the middle of last season, winning five in a row to reach 19-21. Saturday’s loss was their 12th in their last 17 games as they’ve fallen into 11th place in the Western Conference.

“I don’t remember last year at the 40-game mark,” Anthony Davis said. “But I think for us right now, we’re not in a bad spot. It could be worse. Just our injuries just piled up over and over. As soon as we think we get a couple guys back, guys go down. So that’s the toughest thing, but we still have enough to win basketball games. Even though (LeBron James) doesn’t play, we have enough to win. But we just got to keep going — 40 games, 42 left. We got to make a push. These next five or six games at home are going to be a big stretch of games for us.”

The latest injury issue involves James, who missed his fourth game of the season Saturday due to pain in his left ankle. Davis took on more play-making responsibilities in James’ absence, posting his second career triple-double with 15 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists, but he still felt like he didn’t do enough.

“Everyone did their job except me. I didn’t do my job,” Davis said. “Obviously, Bron was out and everyone has to step up and those guys did. Except myself. So this one’s on me.”

There’s more on the Lakers:

D’Angelo Russell returned to the starting lineup Saturday, making his first start since coach Darvin Ham shook up his rotation 10 games ago, Turner writes. Russell responded with his best game of the season, delivering 39 points and eight assists while shooting 15-of-26 from the field and 6-of-11 from three-point range. “I mean, it’s just fun. Just hoopin’, as simple as that,” Russell said. “They had some coverages that tried to take AD out the game, allowed us to play off the catch-and-attack closeouts all game. We missed some. We made some. I thought we had a lot of good looks. Just try to take this aggression and add it to the next game.”
Rui Hachimura returned after missing five games with a strained left calf and didn’t wear the mask he had been using since undergoing nasal surgery, Turner adds. Hachimura talked to Dave McMenamin of ESPN about the need for more energy in the first quarter because rival teams are so focused on beating the Lakers (video link).
Cam Reddish had to leave the game in the second half due to soreness in his left knee, tweets Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. Knee pain also forced Reddish out of Thursday’s game, and Ham said the team will have a “definitive plan by Monday going forward” on how to handle his condition.

Southeast Notes: Murray, Love, Butler, Swider, Fultz

January 13th, 2024 at 8:36pm CST by Arthur Hill

Before Immanuel Quickley was traded to Toronto, the Hawks discussed a deal that would have sent Dejounte Murray to the Knicks in exchange for Quickley and a first-round pick, according to Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. Woike references the trade talks as part of a look at what the Lakers might do ahead of the February 8 deadline. L.A. has been mentioned as a possible suitor for Murray, who is considered likely to be dealt soon.

Woike expects the Hawks to ask for Austin Reaves in any deal with the Lakers involving Murray. He adds that if the cost is a first-round pick and a young player capable of contributing right away — which is what Atlanta asked from New York — then it’s hard to picture L.A. meeting it without parting with Reaves. However, sources tell Woike that the Lakers’ front office hasn’t included Reaves in any trade discussions.

Second-year guard Max Christie has moved into the rotation, but Woike notes that his value is lessened because he’s headed toward restricted free agent this summer. Woike identifies the Lakers’ 2029 first-round pick as their greatest trade asset, but he’s not sure if the team would give it up without at least some light protection.

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Kevin Love is the latest addition to the Heat‘s injury list, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. After playing 16 minutes Friday night, the veteran big man is listed as questionable for Sunday’s matchup with Charlotte because of a left knee contusion. Jimmy Butler is doubtful with a joint sprain in his right toe, meaning he’ll likely miss his seventh straight game, but Chiang says there’s hope he might be able to return Monday at Brooklyn.
Travel issues will prevent Cole Swider from joining the Heat for Sunday’s game, tweets Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. Swider was sent to Miami’s G League affiliate in Sioux Falls earlier this week and is stuck because of severe weather in the Midwest. He’s expected to join the team in Brooklyn for Monday’s contest.
The Magic aren’t using Markelle Fultz in back-to-back games while he works his way back from tendinitis in his left knee, tweets Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel.

Woj: “Atlanta Is Ready To Trade Dejounte Murray”

January 12th, 2024 at 5:13pm CST by Rory Maher

Appearing on NBA Today on Friday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Hawks are ready to deal former All-Star guard Dejounte Murray (Twitter link).

“Atlanta is ready to trade Dejounte Murray,” Wojnarowski said. “They have given some time to the Trae Young/Dejounte Murray backcourt; I think they’re ready to move on from it.

“Dejounte Murray is the player that they’re engaged around the league with. And they’ve talked to the Lakers, they’ve exchanged some ideas on a potential trade. But they’re engaged with a lot of teams.

“They gave up a lot for Dejounte Murray: two of their own first-round picks, a pick swap, and a third first-round pick that they had control of. They want to get some value back for him.

“So you look at that Lakers roster, and you see what of value do they have that can compete in the marketplace? I think there’s lots of teams interested in him, the question is, how much are they willing to give up for Murray?”

Wojnarowski went on to explain that since the trade deadline is still about a month away, the Hawks may not be getting top offers yet. The Lakers will likely remain in the hunt for Murray, according to Wojnarowski, who concluded by saying, “I do think the chances of him being moved before the deadline are very, very high.”

Murray makes $18.2MM in 2023/24, which is the final season of his rookie scale extension. He signed a four-year, $111MM+ veteran contract extension in the summer (it starts next season), which is viewed as fairly team-friendly. His contract does also include a significant trade bonus that would come into effect if he’s dealt this season, as Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter).

Murray was first mentioned as a possible trade candidate this season a few weeks ago, when he was linked to the Knicks. Subsequent reports from multiple outlets have connected him to various teams, with Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reporting on Thursday that Murray is looking like the most likely All-Star-caliber player to be moved prior to the deadline.

Wojnarowski has been reporting for a while that the Hawks are “absolutely open for business,” particularly on Murray, so his latest update isn’t exactly surprising. Still, the fact that he was so confident about the odds of a trade makes it seem as though it’s only matter of when, not if at this point.

Lakers Notes: Ham, Backcourt, Murray, Reddish, Schröder

January 12th, 2024 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

After ESPN’s Dave McMenamin and Substack reporter Marc Stein suggested earlier this week that Lakers head coach Darvin Ham isn’t in any immediate danger of losing his job, two more reports have confirmed as much — in even stronger terms.

According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Lakers owner Jeanie Buss sent a “long text message” to Ham reiterating her support for him. Meanwhile, Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report says that both Buss and president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka have informed Ham that his job isn’t in any jeopardy.

“I speak to Rob every day and we’re always discussing ways to improve our team and what we can do better as a coaching staff,” Ham told Haynes after the Lakers dipped back below .500 with a Thursday loss to Phoenix. “It’s an open dialogue that I embrace and that is helpful. We’re all trying to get this right and we will.”

Here’s more on the Lakers:

As they scour the trade market, the Lakers are seeking “speed and quickness” in their backcourt, according to Haynes, who adds that the team would like to be able to play faster offensively and to acquire a guard who plays solid point-of-attack defense. Rival executives expect the Lakers – along with the Raptors, among others – to begin talking more seriously to Atlanta about Dejounte Murray in the near future, Haynes writes, though he cautions that the Hawks are making it known they’d be comfortable hanging onto Murray and revisiting his trade market in the offseason.
The Lakers appeared to have broken out of their recent slump with victories over the Clippers and Raptors earlier this week, but Thursday’s blowout loss at home to the Suns was a discouraging setback, writes Jovan Buha of The Athletic. “I think it’s just a lot of holes in our system right now,” D’Angelo Russell said. “You use the regular season to figure those things out, the ups and downs, the digression, the setbacks, all these things. Injuries just keep playing a part in our success. … I think we can still find the light at the end of the tunnel. We just got to get better, got to keep getting better.”
Lakers forward Cam Reddish, who missed games in December due to right knee and left groin ailments, continues to deal with leg issues. He left Thursday’s contest early after experiencing left knee soreness, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
As part of a larger conversation with Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, Raptors guard Dennis Schröder looked back on the 2021 extension offer from the Lakers that he turned down. The guard’s former representatives advised him to pass on it, Fischer writes. “I would have signed it,” Schröder said. “I would never just leave money on the table. My mom didn’t raise me that way.” While reports at the time indicated the offer was worth $80MM+ over four years, Fischer suggested in a follow-up tweet that that figure may have been overstated.

And-Ones: IST, Load Management, Collier, 2024 Draft, All-Star Votes

January 12th, 2024 at 10:26am CST by Luke Adams

Unsurprisingly, NBA commissioner Adam Silver confirmed this week during a news conference in Paris that the in-season tournament will “no doubt be back” next season, per Joe Vardon of The Athletic.

According to Silver, the league will probably make “a couple tweaks” to the way the tournament works, but it’s not likely to undergo a significant overhaul. The commissioner mentioned the tiebreaker rules, the appearance of the courts, and the name of the tournament itself as some things worth looking at.

“Beyond that, as we’re talking to television partners and maybe figuring out exactly when the best time of year is to (hold the tournament), maybe it will make sense to make some other modifications to the format,” Silver said.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

After announcing in October that its data doesn’t support the idea that load management reduces a player’s injury risk, the NBA sent out a more in-depth report supporting that thesis to teams and select media members this week, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Bontemps, who outlines the findings in more detail, notes that the study doesn’t suggest load management increases a player’s injury risk — it simply concludes there’s no discernible correlation one way or the other.
USC point guard Isaiah Collier, a candidate to be a top-five or top-10 pick in the 2024 NBA draft, will miss the next four-to-six weeks due to a hand injury, the school announced on Thursday night (Twitter link). As Chris Mannix of SI.com observes (via Twitter), Collier’s absence could open up more minutes for another one of the Trojans’ NBA prospects: Bronny James.
Jeremy Woo of ESPN.com (Insider link) polled 20 NBA executives and scouts to get their thoughts on the 2024 draft class and the idea of a two-day draft. According to Woo, 12 of his 20 respondents expect Alexandre Sarr to be the No. 1 overall pick this June, while 13 respondents predicted that the 2013 draft class – considered one of the worst in the couple decades – will end up with more All-Stars (three) than the 2024 class.
The NBA issued an update on All-Star voting on Thursday, announcing that Lakers forward LeBron James and Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo are the leading vote-getters to date. The tightest race is in the Eastern Conference backcourt, where Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton has a comfortable lead, with Trae Young (Hawks) narrowly edging Damian Lillard (Bucks) and Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers) for the No. 2 spot.

Pacific Notes: Warriors Rumors, Wood, Huerter, Monk

January 11th, 2024 at 9:46pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Every player on the Warriors, except for franchise icon Stephen Curry, appears to be “on the table” for trade in some capacity, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). Charania says this comes with an asterisk, though, with the team likely to want to avoid moving other longtime staples Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.

It would be truly shocking to see Golden State trade Thompson or Green, given their significance to the franchise, but Charania’s reporting indicates it’s not absolutely out of the question for the floundering Warriors. Thompson has had a well-documented down season this year and Green is still serving out a long-term suspension that he says made him contemplate retirement. Rumors earlier on Thursday indicated neither may have a long-term future with the franchise. Still, a trade involving either at the deadline would be surprising.

Charania says the Warriors like Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis, but singles out Andrew Wiggins as someone who could be on the move before the Feb. 8 trade deadline. It could have been an oversight, but it is interesting that Moses Moody was not mentioned in that group of young players. Both Kuminga and Moody recently expressed discontent with their playing time.

According to Charania, the Warriors don’t want to take back any long-term money, which makes them unlikely to pursue Bulls guard Zach LaVine. Dejounte Murray, another player whose name has come up around the league, is under contract for four years after this season at $114MM. Raptors forward Pascal Siakam, conversely, is in the final year of his contract and has been tied to the Warriors.

Chris Paul, Kevon Looney and Gary Payton II are among Golden State’s other sizable contracts that could be attractive or purely salary-matching trade assets.

Another subject looming over the Warriors and their desire to get back to contention is the contract status of head coach Steve Kerr, who is on an expiring contract. Erik Spoelstra‘s eight-year, $120MM deal signed earlier this week is likely a decent target figure for Kerr’s potential deal, but Charania hears that there is no traction on an extension between Kerr and Golden State as of now.

We have more from the Pacific Division

Lakers big man Christian Wood bounced in and out of the lineup throughout December but was inserted back into the rotation on Dec. 28 and has been a rotation regular since then. He’s been impressive since rejoining the rotation, The Orange County Register’s Khobi Price writes. Wood is averaging 9.4 points and 6.0 rebounds per game since regaining the backup center role, with a 52.6% mark on three-point attempts. “Now he’s settled down and become more and more comfortable with his teammates,” head coach Darvin Ham said. “He’s understanding the guys that he’s out on the floor with and the rhythm in which they play with and he’s finding his spots and keeping it simple.“
Kings guard Kevin Huerter left Sacramento’s Wednesday game against the Hornets after 41 seconds and did not return due to a left ankle injury, The Sacramento Bee’s Chris Biderman observes. Replays showed Huerter stepped on Keegan Murray‘s foot during the opening tip. Huerter said after the game he was unsure how much time he would miss with the injury. According to Biderman, Chris Duarte and Colby Jones, along with Malik Monk, took over Huerter’s minutes.
Monk helped the Kings secure their 25-point victory over Charlotte by scoring 20 points off the bench, Biderman writes in the same article. Monk was the 11th overall pick by the Hornets in 2017 but got off to a slow start to his career under Steve Clifford, Charlotte’s current coach. In four career games vs. Charlotte prior to Wednesday, Monk had averaged just 8.8 points against his former team, according to Biderman. “I don’t think I’ve had one [good game against the Hornets] yet,” Monk said. “So it was good to come back and kick their a– like we did. Put that out there, too. But, nah, it feels great, especially all the love I get here.“

Latest On Dejounte Murray

January 11th, 2024 at 2:28pm CST by Rory Maher

Hawks guard Dejounte Murray has a “substantial” group of teams interested in his services in early trade talks around the NBA, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, who hears from sources who say Atlanta seems focused on retooling its roster for a playoff push rather than rebuilding.

As Fischer explains, the Spurs continue to be linked to Murray, but they likely don’t have the types of players that would appeal to Atlanta in a possible deal. The Bulls discussed the concept of a Zach LaVine trade for Murray, but the Hawks didn’t show much interest in that idea, sources tell Fischer.

Multiple league personnel view the Nets as an “ideal” landing spot from Murray’s side of the equation, but Brooklyn hasn’t had serious conversations about Murray, and the team doesn’t seem to be actively pursuing him right now, says Fischer.

Fischer hears rivals view Murray as a “true plus” on defense, though his reputation on that end “may have been overstated” in recent seasons. Murray’s four-year, $111MM+ contract extension (it kicks in next season) is viewed as relatively team-friendly, given the 27-year-old’s talent level, Fischer adds.

According to Fischer, the Hawks have been aggressive in reaching out to opposing teams “with actual trade concepts” instead of “general interest in specific players.” Five teams are viewed as Murray suitors ahead of the trade deadline: the Lakers, Knicks, Sixers, Heat and Pistons.

Here’s more from Fischer on Murray and his potential suitors:

The Lakers continue to say they don’t want to trade Austin Reaves, sources tell Fischer. A deal for Murray could transpire if they include Reaves, according to Fischer, but L.A. may want Atlanta to sweeten the pot a little too in that scenario. D’Angelo Russell, on the other hand, has not been valued by rival teams in trade discussions.
The Knicks are looking for depth at point guard and center, per Fischer. While recent reports have indicated that Murray’s agent — Rich Paul of Klutch Sports — would prefer not to deal with New York, Fischer hears Murray is “in favor of a fresh start,” and those same reports said Paul would help facilitate a deal if his client asked for it. Still, Fischer wonders if the fit of Murray and Jalen Brunson would be any more fruitful than Murray’s pairing with Trae Young. The Hawks have valued Quentin Grimes in previous trade talks, Fischer adds.
The Sixers aren’t in a rush to move their draft assets, sources tell Fischer, but they have been “conducting due diligence” on point guards, though Wizards veteran Tyus Jones doesn’t appear to be on their list. Fischer suggests if Philadelphia and Atlanta do discuss Murray, a deal probably won’t come together until closer to the deadline. The Sixers aren’t expected to be trade suitors for Zach LaVine or Pascal Siakam, Fischer reports.
The Heat appear to be looking for ball-handlers, so Murray makes some sense, but Fischer hears the two Southeast rivals haven’t had any “substantive” talks after initial conversations.
The Pistons sit in last place, but their historically inept season could make them more willing to consider bold moves, Fischer writes, noting that Detroit is also interested in Siakam. Still, “smaller tweaks” are considered a more likely outcome, per Fischer.