Los Angeles Lakers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Lakers Bringing In Toure’ Murry For Workout

August 10th, 2015 at 8:28am CST by Chuck Myron

Former Knicks, Jazz and Wizards guard Toure’ Murry will be a part of the group workout the Lakers are planning for today, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Bobby Brown, Eric Moreland and D.J. Kennedy are also reportedly taking part, though Kennedy has already signed a deal with a Russian team. The Lakers have only 12 fully guaranteed contracts, so the final spots on the opening night roster are still up in the air.

Murry saw little action this past season after more extensive experience with the Knicks in 2013/14, his first NBA season. That year he appeared in 51 games, averaging 2.8 points in 7.3 minutes per game. That netted him a one-year, $1MM contract with Utah last summer, but it was only partially guaranteed, and he earned a shade under $418K prior to his January release, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. The former Wichita State mainstay saw just one minute of action with the Jazz, to the dismay of agent Bernie Lee, and Murry later resurfaced on a pair of 10-day contracts with the Wizards, for whom he totaled six points in 17 minutes.

The Lakers have been active in the past few days, agreeing to sign undrafted Texas forward Jonathan Holmes, organizing today’s workout, and emerging as a front-runner for JaVale McGee. Tarik Black and Jabari Brown have non-guaranteed salaries, while Holmes and Robert Upshaw have partial guarantees in their reported deals with the team, giving the Lakers a total of 16 signed contracts or verbal agreements, four shy of the 20-man offseason roster limit.

Lakers Plan To Work Out D.J. Kennedy

August 10th, 2015 at 7:57am CST by Will Joseph

MONDAY, 7:57am: Kennedy has signed with Enisey Krasnoyarsk of Russia, the team announced (Twitter link; translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). It’s unclear if the pact includes an NBA out, or if it precludes him from taking part in the workout.

SUNDAY, 8:39pm: The Lakers will work out D.J. Kennedy, a source tells overseas reporter David Pick (Twitter link).

Kennedy, 25, is a one-time swingman with the Cavs out of St. John’s. His stint with the Cavs in the 2011/12 season lasted only two games. He played in Germany last year after beginning the season with Russia’s Krasny Oktyabr. He split the prior season in France and Israel, respectively.

In January, it was reported that the Raptors, Bulls, Jazz and Pistons had reached out to Kennedy, who went undrafted in 2011. Kennedy was in camp with the Mavs in 2013.

Western Notes: Nuggets, Lawson, Davis

August 9th, 2015 at 8:42pm CST by Will Joseph

Though it may not be obvious because the Nuggets did not add free agents from outside the organization, the moves Denver GM Tim Connelly made this summer have the franchise pointed in the right direction, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post writes. The Nuggets had a busy and productive summer, as Dempsey points out, because they committed to more than $100MM on extensions and re-signings of of Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Will Barton and Jameer Nelson. Dempsey writes that Denver made these moves, not only because it did not have the cap space to reel in big-name free agents, but also because it wanted to retain these players.

From a financial standpoint, the Nuggets, like many other teams, should be in position to offer a max contract next summer with the help of the salary cap rise, Dempsey writes. Furthermore, Dempsey adds, the return of Pete D’Alessandro to the front office bolsters the Nuggets in terms of a salary cap and business knowledge standpoint, improving any deficiencies the organization thought it may have had there.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

Ty Lawson, whom Houston acquired in a trade with the Nuggets, improves the Rockets despite not being a perfect fit, Tim Cato of SB Nation writes. Lawson does not exactly complement star James Harden because Lawson is a ball-dominant player and is not a great defender, Cato adds.
Ed Davis, who signed a three-year contract with the Blazers, told Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders that he really wanted to stay with Lakers, but they could not agree on a deal (Twitter link).

Lakers To Work Out Eric Moreland

August 9th, 2015 at 8:14pm CST by Will Joseph

The Lakers will work out forward Eric Moreland, a source tells overseas reporter David Pick (on Twitter).

The Kings waived Moreland late last month because, reportedly, his playing style was too similar to that of No. 6 pick Willie Cauley-Stein. If the Kings had not released Moreland, his salary would have became guaranteed. Sacramento, however, is interested in re-signing Moreland, according to vice president of basketball and franchise operations Vlade Divac.

Moreland, 23, had a labral tear in his left shoulder end his rookie year prematurely after he’d made it into only three games this past season. He is known as a good rebounder and averaged double-figures in boards during his final two college seasons and pulled down 12.7 rebounds in 28.7 minutes per game in seven contests for Sacramento’s D-League affiliate before his injury. The Lakers are a team that would benefit from depth in the frontcourt.

Pacific Notes: Crawford, Bass, Russell, Weems

August 9th, 2015 at 4:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers‘ Jamal Crawford would be open to playing for the Cavaliers, according to Chris Haynes Cleveland.com, whose podcast remarks are transcribed by Dan Feldman of ProBasketballTalk. Crawford may have become “superfluous” in L.A. with the acquisitions of Lance Stephenson and Pablo Prigioni, Feldman writes, and the Clippers may be willing to move him in exchange for cap relief. Dealing Crawford would save the team his $5.675MM salary and a projected luxury tax payment of more than $10.5MM. The Cavaliers could fit Crawford into the larger of the two trade exceptions they got in the Brendan Haywood deal, and their interest might rise if they are unable to re-sign free agent J.R. Smith.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Brandon Bass is looking forward to his opportunity with the Lakers, Terrance Harris of The Times-Picayune writes. “I think it’s a great opportunity for me to take Brandon Bass as a player and as a brand to the next level,” said Bass. “Los Angeles is such a big market and you have the Lakers that’s a big stage, especially if we can turn it around, make the playoffs and just change the culture back around like it was a few years ago.” Bass signed with L.A. as a free agent last month.
Lakers rookie D’Angelo Russell isn’t worried about his high turnover rate during summer league play, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. “It’s just a matter of settling down,” Russell said. “A lot of those turnovers are from risk-taking and it’s successful sometimes, but at this level it’s being able to settle down and be patient. It’s about slowing down as a team, being patient.” Russell, the second pick in this year’s draft, may join Kobe Bryant and Jordan Clarkson in a three-guard offense once the season starts.
Phoenix had been scouting Sonny Weems for two years before signing him this summer, writes Jake Fischer of SI.com. The only player not to receive an opt-out clause in his European contract during the 2011 lockout, Weems agreed to a two-year, $5.8MM deal with Phoenix. He’s hoping his long journey to the NBA finally pays off. “I belong, that’s all,” Weems said. “I’m a rotation guy or a starter, that’s my goal. Nothing else.”

Chris Crouse contributed to this post.

Lakers To Work Out Bobby Brown

August 9th, 2015 at 9:49am CST by ChrisCrouse

The Lakers will work out Bobby Brown on Monday, Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report reports (Instagram link). Brown has played in the Drew League as well as the Pan Am Games in Toronto for the U.S. National Team this summer.

The combo guard played for the Dongguan Leopards of the Chinese Basketball Association last season. He last played in the NBA during the 2009-10 season for the Clippers.

The Lakers currently only have 12 fully guaranteed contracts on the books. The team’s guard rotation isn’t a finished product, but the players on the roster are projected to soak up a majority of the minutes. Jordan Clarkson and first-round pick D’Angelo Russell should split time at the one spot with new addition Lou Williams projected to play some minutes there in addition to the shooting guard position. The team also has Nick Young, Jabari Brown and of course Kobe Bryant to play the two, so if the 30-year-old signs with Los Angeles, he would most likely only see court-time should there be an injury.

Latest On JaVale McGee

August 8th, 2015 at 4:32pm CST by Will Joseph

AUGUST 8TH, 4:32pm: McGee’s current focus is on getting himself healthy, though several teams have expressed interest in the center, sources have informed Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). According to Kennedy, the Lakers and the Mavs appear to be the front-runners to sign McGee.

5:11pm: The interest is mutual, sources tell Stein (Twitter link).

4:54pm: The Mavs are “very concerned” about the center’s health, MacMahon tweets. That casts a pessimistic tone, since McGee’s condition is the linchpin to the Mavs’ interest in him, as Stein reported (below).

1:58pm: The interest would appear to hinge on McGee’s health, but if he checks out, chances are strong that he becomes the team’s top priority, Stein tweets. The sides had their first in-person meeting of substance on Sunday, the ESPN scribe adds.

JULY 13TH, 1:33pm: The talks are on an exploratory level at this point, sources caution to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

JULY12TH, 11:10pm: The Mavs have initiated talks on a potential deal with unrestricted free agent center JaVale McGee, reports RealGM’s Shams Charania (on Twitter).

This, of course, comes after DeAndre Jordan spurned Dallas and re-signed with the Clippers, so the Mavs are still in the hunt for a big man. McGee, 27, has been a free agent since being waived by the Sixers in March. Earlier this offseason, the Kings expressed interest in McGee, as did the Rockets, Raptors and Heat.

McGee put up career lows this past campaign in several categories, including his 11.1 minutes per game across 23 appearances split between Denver and Philadelphia.

Western Notes: Exum, Hibbert, Teletovic, Craft

August 6th, 2015 at 9:10pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Jazz point guard Dante Exum‘s knee injury is unfortunate, but just because he was playing for the Australian national team when he sustained it doesn’t mean the NBA should keep its players from international competition, argues Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. National teams usually employ trainers and medical staff that could mitigate the damage that might otherwise happen if players were engaging in pickup games or other less organized offseason play, Kyler points out.

Here’s more out of the Western Conference:

Roy Hibbert‘s mental approach seems key to his performance, so the new Lakers center has hired a sports psychologist, writes Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com, and an Eastern Conference executive tells Holmes he’s optimistic that in a contract year, with Kobe Bryant pushing him, Hibbert will have a bounceback season.
The Suns were badly in need of a stretch-four last season, and with the signing of Mirza Teletovic to a one-year, $5.5MM deal, Phoenix appears to have rectified that deficiency, Samuel Cooper of BrightSideOfTheSun.com writes. In the post, Cooper also breaks down Teletovic’s game using footage from last season to illustrate what he can bring to the team.
Aaron Craft, who made 50 appearances for the Warriors’ D-League affiliate last season, has signed a deal with the Hungarian team Szolnoki Olaj, Craft’s agent Misko Raznatovic announced on Twitter (translation by Orazio Cauchi of Sportando). The 24-year-old averaged 9.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 6.2 assists for Santa Cruz during the 2014/15 campaign. It’s unknown if Craft’s pact contains any NBA outs.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Pacific Notes: Clarkson, Sterling, Thompson

August 6th, 2015 at 11:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Jordan Clarkson credits his D-League assignments during the first part of this past season for helping him emerge as a breakout performer at the NBA level as the season wore on, he tells Brian Kotloff of NBADLeague.com. The Lakers guaranteed the point guard’s minimum salary for the coming season when they kept him on the roster through this past Saturday.

“I’m focused on always working on my game,” Clarkson said to Kotloff. “Early in the year, I wasn’t getting much time with the Lakers. Sometimes I would ask Coach [Byron Scott] to just go let me play. I love to hoop and you can never get better just by sitting on the bench. Going to play in those [D-Fenders] games definitely helped me to work on stuff that I could transfer over when I got time in the [NBA]. The game is a little different between the levels, but it helped slow the game down for me and it sped up my process of becoming a good player in [the NBA].”

The Lakers have a geographic edge with their D-League affiliate, since the D-Fenders play their home games in the same facility where the Lakers practice. See more from around the Pacific Division:

Former Clippers owner Donald Sterling has filed for divorce from his wife, Shelly, and he’s also filed a petition for an accounting and distribution of the proceeds of the $2 billion new owner Steve Ballmer paid to purchase the team last year, reports Dan Woike of the Orange County Register. Half of that money is frozen in escrow pending Donald Sterling’s $1 billion lawsuit against the NBA, Woike notes. Shelly Sterling controls the family trust into which the other half of Ballmer’s payment went, so Donald Sterling, who’s estranged from his wife, hasn’t seen any money from the sale yet, notes Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter links). Shelly Sterling said she’s paid $600MM in taxes and fees on the sale proceeds so far, Shelburne adds.
Jason Thompson is a better fit with Warriors tempo, a proficient rebounder, and an upgrade defensively over David Lee, whose role he inherits, as SB Nation’s Tom Ziller argues in a look at Golden State’s trade with the Sixers. Thompson’s presence is particularly valuable for the Warriors given his success guarding LaMarcus Aldridge and, to a lesser degree, Blake Griffin, as Ziller examines.

Pacific Notes: Prigioni, Dukan, Lieberman

August 4th, 2015 at 10:33pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Pablo Prigioni, who inked a one year deal with the Clippers this offseason, said that Los Angeles was his preferred destination all along, writes Rowan Kavner of NBA.com. “I didn’t even consider to choose another team or to go back to Europe,” Prigioni said. “’I said, I want to go there [to Los Angeles].’ This is a perfect team. This is a team that has a group of guys that are playing together the last four or five years. Now, same coach, add a couple of new guys. This is a perfect team to go to and try to give my best and help with whatever they need to do.”

Here’s more from the NBA’s Pacific Division:

Grantland’s Zach Lowe figures the range of salaries on a would-be extension for the Warriors‘ Harrison Barnes would fall between those on DeMarre Carroll‘s four-year, $58MM deal with the Raptors and the 2016/17 maximum salary for players with Barnes’ years of experience, projected to come in at $20.4MM.
Duje Dukan‘s deal with the Kings will see him earn $525,093, which is fully guaranteed, for the 2015/16 campaign, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. The forward is scheduled to make $874,636 in the second year of the pact, $200k of which becomes guaranteed on August 1st, 2016, Pincus adds.
New Kings assistant coach Nancy Lieberman, in a Q&A with David Aldridge of NBA.com, said one of her biggest challenges will be in knowing when to chime in with her opinions, since all of her previous experience was as a head coach. “Summer League was really important for me. Summer League helped validate that I’m not a pushy broad,” Lieberman said. “I have been a head coach my whole life. I’ve never been an assistant, to be honest. I’m the one that has to do some of the growing here. I have got to learn when to speak, when my voice is required, and quite frankly, when to just shut the heck up. So that part is new for me. That will be new for me. But George [Karl] is a pretty easy guy to be around.”
The Los Angeles D-Fenders, the Lakers‘ D-League affiliate, have hired Casey Owens as head coach, Pincus reports (via Twitter).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.