Los Angeles Lakers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Brandon Bass To Opt Out From Lakers

April 20th, 2016 at 9:04am CST by Chuck Myron

Brandon Bass will turn down his $3.135MM player option for next season and become a free agent this summer, a league source tells Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Twitter link). A formal decision isn’t due until June 21st, but it appears the Lakers power forward intends to hit the open market.

The 11th-year veteran experienced statistical declines as he assumed a bench role in L.A. this season after having spent four years primarily as a starter for the Celtics. His 7.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 20.3 minutes per game were his fewest in each category since the 2009/10 season. Still, he spoke fondly in March of his role as a veteran mentor and won praise from coach Byron Scott, whose chances of remaining with the team appear to be improving.

Celtics coach Brad Stevens said in December that he remains high on Bass, who said shortly before then that he’d planned to play out the rest of his career with Boston until the C’s signed Amir Johnson instead last summer. The Tony Dutt client turned to the Lakers, signing a two-year, $6.135MM contract in July. The Lakers reportedly made Bass available for trades over the winter, but offers were unappealing.

Johnson’s contract for next season is non-guaranteed and Jared Sullinger is a restricted free agent, so the Celtics stand to enter next season thinner at the power forward position. Bass could serve as a mentor for Jordan Mickey, last year’s 33rd pick, but it remains to be seen if Boston will pursue a reunion with Bass.

The Lakers liked Bass’ contract, and with 2014 No. 7 pick Julius Randle still in need of development, it’s conceivable L.A. will give Bass a decent offer to re-sign. Still, he turns 31 later this month, so he probably wants either a short-term deal with a team that would offer more playing time and a chance to up his value or a long-term contract that would secure his future as he ages.

Where do you think Brandon Bass ends up playing next season? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

Lack Of Front Office Opportunity Concerns Thibs

April 19th, 2016 at 12:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

A would-be coaching vacancy on the Lakers would reportedly be of interest to Tom Thibodeau, but the lack of opportunity to control player personnel turned him off a while ago, as Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times relays via Twitter.

Potential Lakers Opening Intrigues Walton, Thibs

April 19th, 2016 at 11:14am CST by Chuck Myron

Team president Phil Jackson, after speaking recently with Walton, told members of the Knicks organization that he doesn’t think Walton will leave his job as lead assistant for the Warriors, a source told Chris Broussard of ESPN.com, as Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com relays. One report referred to the conversation between Jackson and Walton as an interview for the Knicks head coaching position, but Walton, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and others dispute that idea. The one head coaching job that Walton would be likely to take would be the Lakers gig, according to Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times, but Byron Scott is still in that position and Lakers owner Jeanie Buss is reportedly in favor Scott remaining.
Some people around the league are convinced Tom Thibodeau will be the next coach of the Timberwolves, Woelfel writes in the same piece. Thibodeau has high level of comfort with Minnesota from his time there as an assistant coach from 1989-91, a source told Marc Berman of the New York Post. Still, potential openings with the Rockets and Lakers intrigue Thibodeau, Woelfel hears.

[SOURCE LINK]

Kupchak: Video Incident Won't Affect Free Agents

April 17th, 2016 at 6:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

The video controversy involving D’Angelo Russell and Nick Young may have brought bad publicity to the Lakers, but GM Mitch Kupchak doesn’t believe it will scare off any free agents, writes Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com. Kupchak said the incident “becomes less and less of a story” every day, and he complimented both players on the way they handled it. “We’ve dealt with players in this organization, on this team, that have made mistakes over the years,” Kupchak said, “and we’ve gotten through it and had great teams and won championships.” He believes Young and Russell can settle their differences if they are teammates again next year. However, the Lakers are rumored to want to part ways with Young, either through a trade or buyout. He still has two years and more than $11.1MM left on his contract.

Community Shootaround: Kobe Bryant’s Legacy

April 15th, 2016 at 11:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Kobe Bryant‘s storied career came to an end Wednesday night with the Lakers’ 101-96 victory over the Jazz in Los Angeles. The veteran shooting guard scored an amazing 60 points while shooting 22 for 50 from the field. Bryant’s remarkable career includes 18 trips to the All-Star game, where he won the MVP award on four occasions, one NBA MVP award, and most importantly — five NBA titles. The 37-year-old’s final career numbers are 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.4 steals over a total of 1,346 regular season contests. His slash line is .448/.331/.816.

Bryant had the reputation of being one of the fiercest competitors to ever play the game, a trait that didn’t always make him the ideal teammate. The Mamba reportedly scared away a number of the Lakers’ free agent targets over the years, and one can only wonder how many more titles he and Shaquille O’Neal could have snagged had the pair been able to coexist amicably. Love him or hate him, there’s no denying that Bryant was one of the greatest to ever step onto the hardwood, and the league won’t feel the same next year with him no longer a part of it.

This brings me to the topic for today: Where does Kobe Bryant rank among the greats who have played the game?

Give us your opinions on where Bryant lands in the all-time rankings, share your fondest memory from his career or take one last parting shot at the Mamba if you don’t count yourself among his fans. We look forward to what you have to say.

Byron Scott Had Respect Of Roster

April 15th, 2016 at 10:28pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak wouldn’t elaborate on the job status of coach Byron Scott, but merely said that he was under contract for 2016/17, adding that he intends to meet with Scott informally in the coming days, Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News writes. “I know he’s hoping that he coaches here forever, but a lot of times what we do is we’re really preparing for the next GM or the next coach. That’s tough sometimes,” Kupchak said. “It does take time to develop young players. We’ll know in two or three years how effective Byron was as a parent to the young guys on this team.”

While the GM indicated it would take time to see if the players benefited from Scott’s tough approach, Kupchak did note that the coach has the full respect of the roster, Medina adds. “Byron runs a tight ship,” Kupchak said. “Byron makes sure players are where they need to be. They’re ready to practice. Practices are organized. You better be rested if you practice for the Lakers. You better be ready to work if you’re going to practice for the Lakers.”

Scott Admits He Could Have Handled Younger Players Better

April 15th, 2016 at 8:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Lakers coach Byron Scott admitted that he could have done a better job developing the team’s younger players this season, a sentiment that was echoed by point guard D’Angelo Russell, who did admit that things improved between him and Scott as the season progressed, Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News tweets.
Russell noted that his Lakers teammates have been very supportive of him since the video he shot of Nick Young was made public, adding that Kobe Bryant was a source of support throughout the ordeal, Mike Trudell of Lakers.com tweets. The point guard also added that he never believed he had lost the trust of the rest of the team despite the incident, Serena Winters of Lakers Nation relays (Twitter link).
Center Roy Hibbert, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent, would like to return to the Lakers next season, but he understands the chances of a reunion are slim, Medina relays (via Twitter).

Scott Expects He'll Keep Job, Lashes Out At Critics

April 15th, 2016 at 1:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Lakers coach Byron Scott struck a defiant tone in his end-of-season interview with the media today, lashing out at his critics, defending his approach with the team’s young players and saying that he “absolutely” believes he’ll be back to coach the team next season, even though he conceded GM Mitch Kupchak hasn’t given him any assurances. Skepticism has surrounded his long-term job security much of the season, but reports in recent days indicate Scott has a strong chance to stick around. Primary owner Jeanie Buss is making the case for Scott behind the scenes, as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com heard. Scott said he thinks the team’s young players responded well to his communication style, which was often blunt and drew the ire of fans and the media. “To be honest with you, I‘m much smarter than all of them when it comes to basketball,” Scott said of his detractors. Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com, Bill Oram of the Orange County Register and Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News relayed Scott’s remarks (All four Twitter links).

The controversy surrounding D’Angelo Russell and Nick Young hurt the Lakers, Scott said, citing the trust issues it created, and while he said the two players have to work it out among themselves, he also expressed belief that the passage of time will help smooth out the situation, as Medina and Los Angeles Times scribe Eric Pincus relay (Twitter links). Still, Scott is high on Russell, Pincus tweets. “We love that kid,” Scott said.

Lakers Rumors: Bryant, Scott, Clarkson, Young

April 14th, 2016 at 7:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

After Kobe Bryant gave the NBA an unforgettable 60-point sendoff Wednesday, the Lakers faced the first day of the post-Kobe era, writes Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. “Sometimes you cannot help but think about it,” coach Byron Scott said of his 17-65 team. “When you have the type of season that you have, changes will be made.” The changes may start with Scott, who has one year left on his contract, although Medina says the organization recognizes the difficult position he faced with trying to balance a young roster and Bryant’s retirement tour.

The Lakers will have an estimated $55MM in cap space this summer, with much of that being opened by the end of Bryant’s $25MM contract and the expiration of Roy Hibbert‘s $15.5MM deal. The only guaranteed contracts for next year belong to D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, Larry Nance Jr., Anthony Brown, Nick Young and Lou Williams. The Lakers would like to keep restricted free agent Jordan Clarkson, and Brandon Bass may be back with a $3.1MM player option. More difficult decisions surround Hibbert, Metta World Peace, Marcelo Huertas, Tarik Black, Ryan Kelly and Robert Sacre.

There’s more out of Los Angeles:

Clarkson believes he will be a Laker again next season, Medina tweets. Clarkson made $845,059 this year, and L.A. must make a $3.2MM qualifying offer to retain the right to match competing bids through the Gilbert Arenas Provision. “I feel confident I’ll be back here,” Clarkson said in today’s exit interview. “I want to be here.”
Two other free agents also prefer to remain Lakers, Medina relays on Twitter. “This is a great place for me and I love it here,” said Sacre, who made $981,348 this season in the final year of his contract (link). “I’d love to be a part of this process of flipping it around,” said Kelly, who earned more than $1.724MM this season. “But we’ll see (link).”
Young may not be brought back despite having two years and more than $11MM left on his contract, but he understands the need for changes, Medina writes in a separate story. “You never know what’s gonna happen, but you know something’s got to happen,” Young said. “I know the Lakers are gonna make decisions for the Lakers. We did win 17 games after all.” L.A. expected to try to deal Young in the offseason and may seek to negotiate a buyout if trade talks are unsuccessful.

Jeanie Buss In Favor Of Keeping Byron Scott

April 14th, 2016 at 10:28am CST by Chuck Myron

A strong belief exists within the Lakers organization that the team will keep Byron Scott, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, nonetheless revealing that next season is a team option on Scott’s contract. Still, too much discord exists within Lakers ownership for a consensus to form on a coaching change, sources tell Wojnarowski. Primary owner Jeanie Buss is advocating for Scott behind the scenes, and Scott has a “major chance” to remain in his job, one source told Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.