Los Angeles Lakers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Execs Think Kevin Durant Will Stay With Thunder

July 13th, 2015 at 11:48am CST by Chuck Myron

Most of the executives with whom Ken Berger of CBSSports.com has spoken at summer league think Kevin Durant will re-sign with the Thunder in free agency next summer. The Lakers, Mavericks and Wizards are among a small group of teams with any legitimate shot at the former MVP, Berger adds. The Knicks are also on the fringes, though Berger largely dismisses their candidacy.

Dallas had begun to think of itself as a contender for Durant when it had secured commitments from DeAndre Jordan and Wesley Matthews, and while Jordan’s well-publicized flip-flop might have hurt the confidence of the Mavs, it seems they’re still in the picture. An associate of Durant’s recently told Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald that if Durant were to leave the Thunder, he would do so to sign with the Wizards, the forward’s hometown team. Another person close to Durant told Frank Isola of the New York Daily News several months ago that Durant could envision playing with the Knicks. An NBA GM told Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv around that same time that the Knicks had about the same shot as non-Thunder contenders for his services that at that point included the Clippers and Nets as well as the Wizards and Lakers.

The latest projected maximum salary for Durant, who’ll be a nine-year veteran after next season, is $24.9MM, according to former Nets executive Bobby Marks (Twitter link). The surging salary cap means 16 teams have at least $20MM in cap flexibility for next summer as it stands, Marks points out (All Twitter links). The Thunder aren’t among them, but they have Durant’s Bird rights to exceed the cap, and even after matching Portland’s max offer sheet to Enes Kanter on Sunday, they’re not in line to pay the luxury tax beyond 2015/16, even if they re-sign Durant, notes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

Eastern Notes: Seraphin, Heat, Thomas, Mickey

July 12th, 2015 at 2:33pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kevin Seraphin has drawn interest from the Wizards, Lakers and Mavericks, a source told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The 6’10” center, who has played all five of his seasons in Washington, appeared in 79 games last season and averaged 6.6 points and 3.6 rebounds.

There’s more news from the Eastern Conference:

This week’s signings of Amar’e Stoudemire and Gerald Green will lead to some difficult roster decisions for Miami, writes Joseph Goodman of The Miami Herald. The Heat now have 17 players on their roster and are looking at a tax penalty in the neighborhood of $30MM. At least two players must be shipped out, and the most commonly mentioned candidates are Mario Chalmers, Chris Andersen, Shabazz Napier and Josh McRoberts.
Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas had surgery four weeks ago to remove a cyst in his left hand, according to the Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach. Thomas also had some minor work done during the procedure on his wrist, which was surgically repaired last summer, Himmelsbach continues. Thomas, who is a left-handed shooter, expects to be fully recovered within a month, Himmselsbach adds.
LSU’s Jordan Mickey is using summer league to prove to the Celtics that he should have been a first-round draft pick, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. The Celtics considered Mickey with the 28th pick before opting for R.J. Hunter, and Mickey, whom the Celtics took at No. 33, is using his slide as motivation. He is averaging 11 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots in four summer league games. “I definitely want to show that I have the capability of scoring the ball,” Mickey said. “I hang my hat on defense, rebounding and blocking shots. But I have to show I can score some too, and I think I’ve done a pretty good job of that so far.”

Dana Gauruder contributed to this post.

Lakers Rumors: Bass, Young, Kupchak, Hibbert

July 11th, 2015 at 2:49pm CST by Arthur Hill

Newly acquired Brandon Bass will be in the mix for a starting job, coach Byron Scott told Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. The former Celtic, who signed with L.A. as a free agent this week, played for Scott when he began his career in New Orleans. “I’m hoping that Julius [Randle] takes the lead and jumps on that opportunity to be our starting power forward,” Scott said. “But I’ll let it play out.”

There’s more from Los Angeles:

GM Mitch Kupchak told Medina in the same story that Nick Young, the subject of frequent trade rumors, needs to expand his game to have a long-term future with the Lakers. “He has to convince our coaching staff he can play within the system,” Kupchak said. “That doesn’t only mean score the ball. That means defending and doing the ltitle things, which I know he can do.” Young may be expendable after the free agent signing of Lou Williams.
Kupchak is adopting a “live-and-learn” attitude about this year’s free agency failings, writes Baxter Holmes of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The Lakers had meetings with LaMarcus Aldridge, DeAndre Jordan and Greg Monroe, but all elected to sign elsewhere. “There are 30 very, very competitive NBA teams,” Kupchak said. “All general managers are smart. They’re armed with brilliant supporting staffs, owners that are very successful, and it’s a very, very competitive market. It’s unrealistic to think in this day and age that every time you go into the free-agent market that you’re going to get exactly who you target.” He also disputed reports of a disastrous first meeting with Aldridge, saying it wasn’t “as bad as people have heard it was, nor do I think it was as good as we hoped it would be.”
With the bonus added in, Roy Hibbert‘s new salary cap figure is $15,592,216, tweets Eric Pincus of The Los Angeles Times. That number is up from $15,514,031. Hibbert’s contract includes a 15% trade kicker worth more than $2.3MM, but he waived part of that total and will receive $78,185.

Pacific Notes: Hibbert, Young, Brown, Davis

July 10th, 2015 at 9:23pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak said in an appearance on Time Warner Cable SportsNet that he had the Roy Hibbert trade lined up with the Pacers in advance of the start of free agency as a fallback in case the Lakers fell short with their primary free agent targets, notes Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). LaMarcus Aldridge, DeAndre Jordan and Greg Monroe all passed on the purple-and-gold, so Hibbert it is for the Lakers, who made his acquisition the last of their moves under the cap. That’s key, since it meant that the trade wouldn’t otherwise work unless Hibbert agreed to waive part of his 15% trade kicker. He wouldn’t have been allowed to waive it unless the Lakers were in such a position, but they were, and he gave back all but $78,185 of what otherwise would have been $2.3MM, according to Pincus (Twitter links).

Here’s the latest from the Pacific Division:

The 2018 first-round pick that the Kings owe the Sixers from this month’s three-player trade is protected only for the top 10 picks, according to salary cap expert Larry Coon (Twitter link). It’s unprotected for 2019. It’s possible that it’ll roll over to 2019 even if Sacramento’s pick ends up out of the top 10 in 2018 if the Kings have to send their 2017 first-rounder to the Bulls as part of a previous trade, Coon notes (on Twitter; also see RealGM).
The 2020 second-round pick that the Suns will receive from the Pistons as part of the Marcus Morris trade is Detroit’s own selection, according to RealGM.
Despite Nick Young reportedly being on the trading block, Kupchak said of the forward, “I do see him being a core player this year,” Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times tweets. The GM did stress that Young would need to show improvement on the defensive side of the game, Bresnahan adds.
Lakers second round pick Anthony Brown‘s contract calls for him to earn $700k for the 2015/16 season, $875k the second year, and $1MM in 2017/18, Pincus relays (Twitter links). The first two years of the deal are fully guaranteed, but the final season is non-guaranteed, Pincus adds.
Kings executive Vlade Divac said that Sacramento has had discussions with unrestricted free agent point guard Andre Miller, but the team is exploring numerous options, Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee relays (Twitter link).
Brandon Bass‘ free agent deal with the Lakers is for two years and $6.135MM, and includes a player option for the second season, note Pincus and Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter links). Bass was signed using available cap space, which means Los Angeles still retains its $2.8MM room exception, Bresnahan tweets.
Kupchak said that if unrestricted free agent Ed Davis had waited one more day before signing a deal with the Blazers, the Lakers would have been able to re-sign him, Pincus tweets. Instead, Davis inked a three-year, $20MM pact with Portland.
The Warriors are considering promoting assistant Luke Walton to replace Alvin Gentry as the associate head coach on Steve Kerr‘s staff, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (via Twitter).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Central Notes: Love, Bucks, Morris

July 10th, 2015 at 8:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

New Pistons forward Marcus Morris wasn’t initially thrilled with the Suns for dealing him to Detroit, Perry A. Farrell of The Detroit Free Press writes. “I wouldn’t say stunning, but in Phoenix, I would say I didn’t have a great opportunity,” Morris said today. “I kind of wanted to play with my brother [twin Markieff Morris] so much that I kind of took away from myself. I didn’t think I had an opportunity to get better. I don’t think I had the chance to grow as a player over there. I think the opportunity is here for me. Everybody knew how bad I wanted to play with my brother. Phoenix knew. For them to trade me without consent or telling me was like a slap in the face, because of the contract I took from those guys and the money I took from them. I’m happy to be here. I’m a Piston. I’m a Bad Boy. I’m ready to get started.”

Here’s the latest from the Central Division:

The future second-rounder going to Indiana in the Roy Hibbert trade is the Lakers’ 2019 pick, tweets salary cap expert Larry Coon. The Pacers also net a trade exception equivalent to Hibbert’s salary of more than $15.5MM, Coon points out, but that will vanish when Indiana’s deal with Monta Ellis becomes official, unless the Pacers can somehow turn the Ellis transaction into a sign-and-trade.
The second-round pick heading from the Mavs to the Bucks in the Zaza Pachulia trade is Dallas’ 2018 selection, and it’s top-55 protected, according to RealGM. The same level of protection is on the 2020 second-rounder Milwaukee gets from the Wizards in the Jared Dudley deal, as RealGM also reveals. Both swaps produced trade exceptions, notes Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link). The Bucks get one worth $5.2MM from Pachulia and another for $4.25MM from Dudley.
The salaries in Khris Middleton‘s five-year, $70MM deal with the Bucks fluctuate up and down from year to year, but the starting salary is $14.7MM, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets.
Kevin Love indicated that he and LeBron James had what Love termed, “an honest talk,” prior to Love deciding to re-sign with the Cavaliers, Tom Withers of The Associated Press writes. “He happened to be in Los Angeles the same time I was,” Love said of James. “So, we just talked everything out and a lot of stuff was very honest and we came to a really good place and we agreed on a lot of things, so I think that was also a very big deal when you’re talking to the best player in the world.“

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Lakers Sign D’Angelo Russell, Larry Nance Jr.

July 10th, 2015 at 7:41pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

The Lakers have signed first round draft picks D’Angelo Russell and Larry Nance Jr. to rookie scale deals, the team announced. Both players were inked in advance of their Summer League debuts this evening.

Russell, the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft, will likely receive a salary of more than $5.103MM this season and a total of approximately $23.017MM over the course of his four-year contract, as our salary chart for 2015 first-rounders shows. These figures presume he’ll get 120% of the scale amount, which is highly likely. The 19-year-old out of Ohio State appeared in 35 contests for the Buckeyes, averaging 19.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.0 assists, with a shooting line of .449/.411/.756.

It was a bit of a surprise that Los Angeles selected Nance with the No. 27 overall pick this year. The forward has a solid NBA body and a high motor, but there were a number of higher rated players still available when Nance came off the board. The 22-year-old will likely earn $1,155,600 in the first year of the deal, and if he also inks an agreement for 120% of the rookie scale amount, he can expect to pull down $5,895,311 over the course of his pact. Nance averaged 16.1 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and 2.5 APG for Wyoming last season, with a slash line of .514/.333/.786.

Heat Sign Amar’e Stoudemire

July 10th, 2015 at 4:41pm CST by Chuck Myron

FRIDAY, 4:41pm: The Heat have officially signed Stoudemire, the team announced. It will be a one-year deal worth $1.5MM, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today tweets. “We are very fortunate that a proven All-Star like Amar’e has chosen the Miami Heat,” said team president Pat Riley. “He is going to bring gravitas, leadership and a hardworking mentality to our team as we look to win another Championship in Miami.”

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

THURSDAY, 10:53pm: The Heat are believed to be close to a deal with Amar’e Stoudemire, reports Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com, who cites sources (Twitter link). Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald confirmed through an associate of Stoudemire’s that it is indeed the case and that the 13-year veteran would like to play for the Heat, though that associate cautioned that a deal is not yet a given. The Happy Walters client won’t base his decision on money, Jackson hears, a plus for the Heat, who are limited to only their $3.376MM taxpayer’s mid-level exception and are poised to pay repeat-offender tax penalties this season unless they clear some of their salary commitments.

Stoudemire will meet with the Heat on Friday, as Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reported (on Twitter), and team president Pat Riley will take part, Jackson notes. Several other teams have apparently been in the mix for the big man, as the Clippers, Rockets, Mavericks, Lakers and Suns all reportedly expressed interest in him as someone who could shore up their respective benches.

Stoudemire didn’t want to go to the Clippers unless he could start, as Chris Broussard of ESPN.com reported, and it seems unlikely he’d start over Chris Bosh or Hassan Whiteside in Miami. Still, Stoudemire apparently had at least some level of mutual interest in the Clippers, as well as the Mavs, Lakers, Suns and Spurs. He was expected to speak with Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers this past weekend, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, who added the Pacers to the list of teams that Stoudemire was eyeing.

Celtics Sign Amir Johnson

July 9th, 2015 at 7:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

NBA: Toronto Raptors at Minnesota Timberwolves

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

JULY 9TH, 7:58pm: The signing is official, the Celtics announced. Since it’s not a sign-and-trade, and the amount is too large to fit within the mid-level exception, that means Boston is using cap space and has lost its long list of trade exceptions, including one worth $12,909,090 left over from the Rajon Rondo trade.

3:47pm: The second year is non-guaranteed, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald (Twitter link).

JULY 1ST, 2:36pm: The Celtics and Amir Johnson have agreed to a deal, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter links). It’ll be worth $24MM over two years, a fairly significant outlay. The incumbent Raptors, as well as the Knicks, Celtics, Mavericks, Pacers, Lakers and Spurs also expressed interest in the Kevin Bradbury client, as Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com reported earlier (on Twitter).

Chris Mannix of SI.com reported Tuesday that Boston was expected to show interest. Johnson said in 2013 that he wanted to play for Toronto the rest of his career, but declining numbers this past season seemed to make that proposition less likely.

Lakers Acquire Roy Hibbert

July 9th, 2015 at 6:22pm CST by Arthur Hill

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

6:22pm: The trade is official, the Lakers and Pacers have announced. It’s Hibbert to the Lakers and a future second-round pick to the Pacers. “I’d like to thank Roy for all his contributions during his time in Indiana,” said Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird. “He was a two-time NBA All-Star, and we appreciate everything he did for our franchise both on and off the court.”

JULY 9TH, 10:20am: The trade is on track to be finalized today, with the Lakers planning on sending a future second-round pick and cash to the Pacers, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.

5:37pm: Pacers are finalizing the terms to trade Hibbert to the Lakers and the center has been informed he’s heading to Los Angeles, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Wojnarowski confirms (Twitter link) that the Lakers will absorb Hibbert’s $15.5 salary into their cap space and will likely send a combination of second-rounders and rights to overseas prospects to Indiana. The final issue being worked on is fitting Hibbert’s 15% trade kicker into Lakers’ cap room, Wojnarowski tweets.

JULY 4TH, 5:04pm: The Pacers and Lakers are discussing a deal involving center Roy Hibbert, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The framework of the deal is done, according to Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report (Twitter link), and the teams are finalizing the assets involved. He notes that Hibbert would be valuable as a defensive anchor for a young team (Twitter link). A source told Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com, “It’ll get done after [July] 9th.” (Twitter link). The Pacers will likely get cash and a draft pick, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today, who adds that the teams are still sorting out the details.

Along with his salary, the center will receive a $2.3MM bonus that will drop the Lakers’ cap room to about $4.7MM, according to former NBA executive Bobby Marks (Twitter link). The Pacers are expected to cover that bonus. Los Angeles can either absorb Hibbert into its cap space or do a sign-and-trade involving Jordan Hill if he and the Pacers are interested, notes Eric Pincus of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).

Hibbert exercised his player option and will earn more than $15MM next season. The Pacers are hoping to trade him and adopt a faster style of play. Hibbert has spent seven seasons in Indiana after being drafted out of Georgetown. His scoring average of 10.6 points per game last year was the lowest since his rookie season. He will be a free agent next summer.

Lakers Sign Brandon Bass

July 9th, 2015 at 5:17pm CST by Will Joseph

5:17pm: The Lakers have officially announced the signing.

THURSDAY, 9:38am: The Lakers have yet to make an official announcement, but the contract has been finalized, a source tells Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (on Twitter).

Courtesy of USA Today Sports ImagesTHURSDAY, 9:38am: The team hasn’t made an official announcement, but the contract has been finalized, a source tells Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (Twitter link).

SUNDAY, 6:33pm: The Lakers will sign free agent forward Brandon Bass, tweets Yahoo Sports’ Marc J. Spears, who cites a source. Spears, in a full story, reports that the deal is a work in progress because, according to a source, it is pending other moves. The Lakers, in a press release, have acknowledged they have engaged in negotiations with Bass.

Bass averaged 10.6 PPG and 4.9 RPG per game last season with the Celtics. Bass’ agent, Tony Dutt, previously discussed how much Bass loved Boston and said there was mutual interest in a return. Since the Celtics are set to sign Amir Johnson and re-sign Jonas Jerebko, Boston has depth at the power forward position.

The Lakers either have $2.8MM for Bass, at the room exception, or they are clearing some cap with other moves, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. It’s already been a very busy 24 hours or so for the Lakers, who are set to acquire Roy Hibbert, and are set to sign Lou Williams.