Los Angeles Lakers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

D’Angelo Russell: “It Was Tough To Agree With” Move To Bench

May 27th, 2023 at 9:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

D’Angelo Russell didn’t complain about being moved to a reserve role for Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, but he also didn’t support the decision, according to Matt Peralta of Lakers Nation.

Coach Darvin Ham made the change in hopes of sparking the Lakers, who were trailing 3-0 in the series. Russell saw just 15 minutes off the bench in the final game — scoring four points with two rebounds and two assists — as L.A. was swept out of the playoffs.

“I mean, it was tough,” Russell said. “It was tough to agree with it obviously, but in a short period of time to not become a distraction to your teammates and to everybody else that’s preparing just like you to get the one goal done which is win. I knew that was where you had to be professional. You can’t be a distraction at this point of the season and things like that, so that’s kind of how I went about it. I wanted to be professional and try to dominate my minutes when there were minutes for me.”

Russell fit in well with the Lakers after being acquired from Minnesota in February, and he was effective in the first two rounds of the playoffs. He was never able to find his shot against Denver though, connecting at just 32.3% from the field in the series. The Nuggets also targeted him relentlessly on defense.

Fans and the media were calling for Ham to pull Russell out of the starting lineup earlier, but a report last week said there were concerns that the team might “lose” Russell if that happened, meaning he could become possibly become disconnected from the team ahead of free agency.

Russell will be unrestricted this summer after making $31.4MM this season. He is eligible for an extension through June 30 worth up to $67.5MM over two years, but the Lakers don’t appear to be willing to approach that number.

2023 NBA Draft Picks By Team

May 27th, 2023 at 8:36am CST by Luke Adams

Two of the biggest winners on draft lottery night last week were the Hornets and Pacers. Charlotte moved up two spots from the pre-lottery standings to claim the No. 2 overall pick. The Pacers, meanwhile, stayed put in the lottery, but because San Antonio leapfrogged Houston in the first round, Indiana moved up 18 spots from No. 50 to No. 32 in the second round due to a convoluted set of trade criteria.

The Hornets and Pacers have something else in common: Charlotte and Indiana are the only teams that control more than three picks in the 2023 NBA draft. In fact, the two clubs own five selections apiece, accounting for 10 of the 58 total picks in this year’s event.

Nine additional teams each have three 2023 picks, joining the Hornets and Pacers to control nearly two-thirds of the draft — those 11 teams hold 37 of this year’s 58 picks, leaving the other 19 clubs to divvy up the remaining 21 selections.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, three teams don’t own any 2023 draft picks. The Bulls, Knicks, and Sixers will sit out this year’s event unless they acquire a pick via trade.

To present a clearer picture of which teams are most – and least – stocked with picks for the 2023 NBA draft, we’ve rounded up all 58 selections by team in the space below. Let’s dive in…

Teams with more than two picks:

Charlotte Hornets (5): 2, 27, 34, 39, 41
Indiana Pacers (5): 7, 26, 29, 32, 55
San Antonio Spurs (3): 1, 33, 44
Portland Trail Blazers (3): 3, 23, 43
Orlando Magic (3): 6, 11, 36
Washington Wizards (3): 8, 42, 57
Utah Jazz (3): 9, 16, 28
Oklahoma City Thunder (3): 12, 37, 50
Brooklyn Nets (3): 21, 22, 51
Sacramento Kings (3): 24, 38, 54
Memphis Grizzlies (3): 25, 45, 56

Teams with two picks:

Houston Rockets: 4, 20
Detroit Pistons: 5, 31
Atlanta Hawks: 15, 46
Los Angeles Lakers: 17, 47
Los Angeles Clippers: 30, 48

Teams with one pick:

Dallas Mavericks: 10
Toronto Raptors: 13
New Orleans Pelicans: 14
Miami Heat: 18
Golden State Warriors: 19
Boston Celtics: 35
Denver Nuggets: 40
Cleveland Cavaliers: 49
Phoenix Suns: 52
Minnesota Timberwolves: 53
Milwaukee Bucks: 58

Teams with no picks:

Chicago Bulls
New York Knicks
Philadelphia 76ers

Lakers Rumors: Russell, Point Guard, LeBron, Hachimura

May 26th, 2023 at 12:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Before he was traded from Minnesota to the Lakers in February, D’Angelo Russell was believed to be seeking $100MM over four years on his next contract, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. Russell, who will be a free agent this summer, had an up-and-down postseason and only played 15 minutes off the bench in the final game of L.A.’s season, so Fischer is skeptical there will be bidders at that price point.

Still, Fischer hears from sources that Russell was viewed as a “positive presence” in the Lakers’ locker room and speculates that the two sides may be able to get a shorter-term (and less lucrative) deal done. Los Angeles could even keep D-Lo off the free agent market altogether by signing him to an extension on or before June 30.

Because he was traded within the last six months, Russell would be ineligible to sign an extension longer than two years, and Dave McMenamin of ESPN hears that the Lakers won’t pursue a two-year deal worth the veteran guard’s maximum number (approximately $67.5MM). However, Fischer suggests that something closer to $40MM over two years might make sense for both sides.

Given Russell’s playoff struggles, it’s certainly possible the Lakers will explore alternatives at point guard this summer, but their flexibility will be limited if they intend to bring back free agents like Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura, as has been reported. Within his ESPN.com story, McMenamin explores the different paths L.A. could take at the point guard spot, noting that the team might be able to package Malik Beasley ($16.5MM) and Mohamed Bamba ($10.3MM) in a trade to bring someone in without requiring cap room.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

There’s “widespread skepticism” that LeBron James will retire this offseason, according to Fischer, who says LeBron’s post-game comments on Monday surprised many team staffers. McMenamin, like, some other reporters earlier in the week, cites a source close to James who believes LeBron will return in 2023/24. Nonetheless, if only as a thought exercise, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report explores what the Lakers’ next steps might look like if the future Hall-of-Famer does decide to call it a career this offseason.
While retirement may not be in the cards for James this summer, foot surgery could be. After McMenamin reported this week that LeBron isn’t ruling out the possibility of undergoing a procedure to address a torn tendon in his right foot, Shams Charania of The Athletic says that surgery would likely sideline the 38-year-old for about two months, with an expectation that he’d be ready for training camp. James is undergoing further evaluations to determine whether it’s necessary.
During extension negotiations with Rui Hachimura last fall, the Wizards initially offered a contract in the neighborhood of $12MM per year and eventually bumped that offer to $13-14MM, according to Fischer. Hachimura’s camp was seeking something in the four-year, $60MM range, so a deal didn’t get done. The Lakers forward appears to be in good position to match or exceed that number after a strong finish to the regular season and a productive postseason — Fischer views $15MM per year as a possible floor for Hachimura.
The Pacers and Suns could be rival suitors to watch for Hachimura, per Fischer, who notes that both clubs pursued him on the trade market during the winter. The Pacers, who will have cap room this offseason, are better positioned to consider an offer sheet for Hachimura than the capped-out Suns would be.

Lakers Notes: LeBron, Offseason, Kyrie, Prospects

May 25th, 2023 at 8:38pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

All-NBA Lakers small forward LeBron James surprised the basketball world at large on Monday when he suggested he would be contemplating retirement this offseason.

Shams Charania said on FanDuel TV (Twitter video link) that he believes the 19-time All-Star will stick around at least a while longer.

“My sense is LeBron could have two years left remaining in his his career,” Charania said. “… There’s certainly an expectation that he’s gonna continue playing, he’s got two years left on his Lakers deal. … It would be a true surprise if he really did actually retire.”

There’s more out of Los Angeles:

The Lakers only have three guaranteed contracts on their books for 2023/24. Multiple league executives spoke with Sean Deveney of Heavy.com about what Los Angeles might decide to do this offseason in terms of roster construction. The team has a player option on swingman Malik Beasley, which one executive expects the club to pick up. “He can be a contributor, really on any team,” they said. “The expectation is they’ll keep him. He can be a good trade piece if you need one. It’s just, if the tax is a big worry, he’d be the easy piece to move off of.” Following some big playoff games essentially in Beasley’s stead, unrestricted free agent Lonnie Walker IV may get more money elsewhere, another executive speculates. “I can’t see how they can pay him, he is probably a goner,” the exec said.
James’ former Cavaliers teammate Kyrie Irving, now an unrestricted free agent, has long been seen as a potential fit for Los Angeles. Jason Lloyd and Jon Greenberg of The Athletic weigh the pros and cons of adding an erratic, controversial talent of Irving’s caliber and price tag.
The Lakers, possessors of the Nos. 17 and 47 picks in this year’s draft, will work out six young prospects on Friday, headlined by G League Ignite small forward Leonard Miller, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link). Virginia guard Kihei Clark, Kentucky forward Chris Livingston, Pepperdine forward Maxwell Lewis, Dayton forward DaRon Holmes II, and Baylor guard Adam Flagler round out the invitees.

International Notes: Wembanyama, Darlan, Schröder, Yao

May 25th, 2023 at 8:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Victor Wembanyama‘s overwhelming popularity is creating a lot of new basketball fans in France, writes Sam Borden of ESPN. Borden notes that it has long been a “niche sport,” far behind soccer in the French sporting landscape, but Wembanyama has been drawing massive crowds, especially as his time in the French league nears its end.

Nearly 16,000 people attended his most recent game in Accor Arena — the largest venue in Paris, which has been hosting Metropolitans 92 games in light of Wembanyama’s celebrity status — and tickets were selling for hundreds of dollars on the resale market. The Wembanyama phenomenon figures to create a huge crop of new NBA fans in France when he begins playing for the Spurs in the fall.

“We’ve had this traditional setup in France — you are going to play the sport your dad played, or the sport he watches,” said Maxime Raynaud, who plays at Stanford. “And so for the past 100 years, everyone just picked up a soccer ball. Now, we have access to basketball. We have role models for basketball. And Victor is going to be the face of that.”

Wembanyama has a crucial playoff game today as his team’s best-of-three series with Cholet is tied at 1-1. Beyond winning an LNB Pro A title and making an impact in the NBA, he has his eyes on the 2024 Olympics, which will take place in Paris.

“My goal,” he said, “is to beat Team USA in the final.”

There’s more international news to pass along:

After officially signing with G League Ignite, Thierry Darlan hopes to prove that Africa can produce NBA-level guards as well as big men, per Marc J. Spears of Andscape. Darlan hails from the Central African Republic and graduated from the NBA Academy Africa. “When they talk about basketball in Africa, they always talk about the center, the big,” Darlan said. “It’s a big challenge to change that to talking about (a) point guard. In Africa, we’re not just known to run the floor and get rebounds. We can do many things, too. We can pass the ball. Create for others. That is my mission to show that African players can do more.”
Lakers guard Dennis Schröder, who is entering free agency, said he plans to play for Germany this summer in the FIBA World Cup, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
Hall of Famer Yao Ming has stepped down as head of the Chinese Basketball Association, according to an Associated Press report. No official explanation was given, but the league has been plagued by allegations of corruption, including match fixing.

Southeast Notes: Vincent, Heat, T. Young, Beal

May 24th, 2023 at 11:08pm CST by Rory Maher

Heat guard Gabe Vincent has been a key member of the team’s surprising playoff run, boosting his regular season averages of 9.4 points and 2.5 assists on .402/.334/.872 shooting (25.9 minutes) up to 13.1 points and 4.1 assists on .417/.375/.893 shooting in 15 postseason games, all starts (30.8 minutes).

Unfortunately, the impending free agent suffered a left ankle sprain in Tuesday’s Game 4 loss to Boston and is officially listed as questionable for Game 5, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link).

Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald hears (via Twitter) that Vincent is “doing all he can” to try and play Thursday night. The Heat lead the series 3-1 and are only one win from the Finals.

Here’s more from the Southeast:

The Heat were unfazed by their lone loss in the Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday, writes Nick Friedell of ESPN. “If anything, it will build momentum for us knowing that we have to play with a lot more energy,” star Jimmy Butler said. “We’ve got to play like our backs are against the wall. But I think all year long, we’ve been better when we’ve had to do things the hard way.”
Although the Lakers have reportedly had internal dialogue about trying to trade for Trae Young, Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report said on the #thisleague UNCUT podcast that Young and the Hawks seem to be in a good spot right now, with no talks of a possible trade (hat tip to HoopsHype). Jeff Schultz of the Athletic contends that trading Young this summer – especially to Los Angeles – doesn’t make sense, as the Lakers don’t have much to offer and the Hawks want to see what he can do with a full season playing under Quin Snyder. Schultz notes that Young praised Snyder at the end of the season, saying the coach could bring Atlanta a championship.
Wizards guard Bradley Beal was surprised former president Tommy Sheppard was dismissed after the season, league sources tell Fred Katz of The Athletic. The Wizards are set to hire a new president, former Clippers GM Michael Winger, who will reportedly have full discretionary power over the team’s roster.

“Several” Cap Space Teams To Show Interest In Austin Reaves?

May 24th, 2023 at 8:41pm CST by Rory Maher

The Lakers‘ Austin Reaves is an impending restricted free agent, and the second-year guard is expected to receive “interest and potential offer sheets” from “several” cap space teams this offseason, multiple team and league sources tell Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

However, Buha is the latest reporter to say the Lakers plan to match possible offer sheets for both Reaves and fourth-year forward Rui Hachimura, another restricted free agent. Buha actually goes a step further, as his sources say the Lakers would match anything up to those players’ maximum salaries.

L.A. only has Reaves’ Early Bird rights, so his max from a rival team would be a back-loaded deal worth approximately $100MM+ over four years. Hachimura’s max over four seasons would be worth about $144MM. Those projections are based on a $134MM cap.

I wouldn’t be totally shocked if Reaves, who has said he wants to stay with the Lakers, got his full max offer sheet from a rival team that really likes him and wouldn’t mind putting the squeeze on the Lakers at the same time. The reason I say that is because, for the Lakers’ purposes, he would be making about $37.5MM annually over the final two seasons.

On the other hand, a potential offer sheet team with cap space would be paying Reaves about $25MM for each of the four years. While a rival can offer $100MM across four years, the Lakers can only directly offer about $52MM over four years, but they can match any offer sheet up to his max.

For a point of reference, such a deal would be comparable to the contracts signed by Anfernee Simons (four years, $100MM) and Jalen Brunson (four years, $104MM) last summer. I’m not sure how likely it is Reaves actually gets an offer that high, but still.

Reaves, who turns 25 next week, averaged 13.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG and 3.4 APG on .529/.398/.864 shooting line in 64 regular season games in 2022/23 (22 starts, 28.8 MPG).

Interestingly, it turned out he was the perhaps the primary beneficiary of the Russell Westbrook trade, as his production and usage continued to rise after the move. Reaves averaged 16.5 PPG, 3.0 RPG and 5.0 APG on an elite .577/.456/.843 shooting line over the last 27 games (29.5 MPG) of the regular season, with the Lakers going 18-9 over that span despite LeBron James being sidelined for 13 contests (they went 8-5 without him).

Reaves was the team’s third-best player in the postseason as well, bolstering his averages with 16.9 PPG, 4.4 RPG and 4.6 APG. His efficiency dropped a bit, but he still shot an excellent .464/.443/.895 over the Lakers’ 16 playoff games (36.2 MPG).

Hachimura was acquired in January from the Wizards. He averaged 9.6 PPG and 4.7 RPG on .485/.296/.721 shooting in 33 regular season games with the Lakers (22.4 MPG), and followed that up with a scorching-hot postseason, averaging 12.2 PPG and 3.6 RPG on .557/.387/.882 shooting in 16 games (24.3 MPG). I’d be more surprised if Hachimura signs an offer sheet simply because the Lakers can offer more money and potentially more years than a rival team can, which isn’t the case with Reaves.

Lakers Notes: James, Pelinka, Reaves, Russell, Thompson, Hachimura

May 23rd, 2023 at 7:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

LeBron James hinted at retirement following the Lakers’ elimination from the postseason on Monday night. General manager Rob Pelinka said on Tuesday that James has earned the right to do whatever he wants with the career, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

“LeBron has given as much to the game of basketball as anyone who has ever played,” Pelinka said. “When you do that, you earn a right to decide whether you’re going to give more. … Obviously, our hope would be that his career continues, but we want to give him the time to have that inflection point and support him along the way.”

Pelinka said that he and coach Darvin Ham would talk things over with James in the coming days, according to Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times.

The Lakers have only five players under contract next season, with just three on guaranteed contracts, and Pelinka gave a strong hint he’d like to retain many of the team’s free agents.

“We ultimately got knocked out by a team that has great continuity,” Pelinka said. “They’ve got a group of players that have been together for several seasons, and it shows in the way they play. We feel like we’ve got special players in the locker room that enjoy playing with each other. We know there’s more growth and improvement in that group, especially if we get a training camp together.”

We have more on the Lakers:

Austin Reaves, headed to restricted free agency, said he’d like to stick around, Lakers reporter Mike Trudell tweets. “I want to be here. It feels like home to me, in a sense … the way the fans support me. Players, coaching staff, front office,” he said. “This is definitely somewhere I want to be, but we’ll see what happens.”
The Western Conference Finals didn’t go well for unrestricted free agent, D’Angelo Russell. He struggled with his shooting and got removed from the starting five in Game 4. However, he labels his second stint with the Lakers a “complete success,” ESPN’s Dave McMenamin tweets. “I really can’t complain about anything except the ball going in when I wanted it to,” Russell said.
Tristan Thompson, who played 10 minutes in Game 4, would also like to return as he heads to free agency, Trudell tweets. “I’m all about winning. I’m two feet in for whatever the team needs. I love it here,” he said.
Rui Hachimura, who will be a restricted free agent, says his experience with the Lakers since being traded from Washington was “one of the best moments,” the team tweets. “I learned a lot of things from LeBron, AD, the coaches,” he said. “It was great for my career.”

Lakers Notes: LeBron, T. Young, Offseason

May 23rd, 2023 at 11:55am CST by Luke Adams

Would LeBron James, owed $46.7MM in 2023/24, really decide to retire before the start of next season? James said on Monday that he’ll have to consider the possibility, but sources close to the Lakers star have downplayed the idea that it will actually happen, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic.

As Amick writes, James’ state of mind when he made his postgame comments to the media on Monday may have been influenced by the retirement of his close friend and fellow 2003 draftee Carmelo Anthony, who made his announcement earlier in the day. Just a few questions before he hinted at his own retirement, James was asked about Anthony’s decision.

As Helene Elliott of The Los Angeles Times notes, the disappointment of being eliminated from the postseason was still raw when LeBron spoke to reporters, which may have factored into his comments. Elliott also suggests that James’ remarks could been the beginning of an effort to encourage an aggressive offseason for the Lakers, who will be looking to contend for a title again in 2024.

In his own look at possible explanations for James’ retirement talk, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer wonders if there’s a chance the four-time MVP will pursue a change of scenery, assuming he decides to continue his career. While it’s hard to imagine it happening, O’Connor specifically discusses the possibility of a trade to the Warriors, pointing out that James is good friends with Draymond Green and has said in the past that he’d love to play with Stephen Curry.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

As the Lakers consider ways to upgrade their roster this offseason, Jovan Buha of The Athletic says the team has had internal discussions about what a hypothetical trade offer for Hawks star Trae Young might look like. Even if Atlanta were willing to trade Young, it’s hard to see how the Lakers could put together a viable package, given their lack of draft assets and players under contract.
The best approach the Lakers could take this summer would be running it back by retaining and re-signing the players that got them to the Western Conference Finals, contends Mirjam Swanson of The Southern California News Group. As Swanson observes, a team like the Nuggets benefited from continuity, and the Lakers could follow that blueprint by giving this group a full offseason together rather than continuing to make major roster changes.
While losing in four games to the Nuggets wasn’t an ideal end to the season, Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times argues that the Lakers should feel no shame about the outcome, given that all the games were competitive and the team had already defied the odds by rebounding from a 2-10 start to make the playoffs and win two series.
Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype takes a closer look at the myriad offseason decisions facing the Lakers and how they may tackle those decisions.
In case you missed it, a report on Monday stated that the Lakers are “determined” to bring back restricted free agents Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura. A source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to Amick that the club intends to bring back Reaves and Hachimura.

LeBron James Mulling Possibility Of Retirement

May 23rd, 2023 at 7:01am CST by Luke Adams

Following the Lakers‘ elimination from the 2023 playoffs on Monday night, superstar forward LeBron James is contemplating the possibility of retirement, league sources tell Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report.

During his postgame media session, James cryptically told reporters that he has “a lot to think about” this offseason (Twitter link via Jovan Buha of The Athletic). Haynes subsequently reported that LeBron is mulling retirement, which the 38-year-old himself confirmed to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

James told McMenamin that he has to consider “if I want to continue to play.” Pressed on whether he’d really retire at this point, LeBron replied, “I got to think about it.”

A 19-time All-Star, James put up his usual huge numbers during the 2022/23 season, averaging 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game in 55 appearances (35.5 MPG) while shooting 50.0% from the field.

He missed time and was affected in the second half by a torn tendon in his right foot, but still appeared in all 15 of the Lakers’ games in the postseason, averaging 23.5 PPG, 9.9 RPG, and 6.3 APG. The team’s season came to an end in the Western Conference Finals, where the Nuggets completed a 4-0 sweep.

As he weighs his future following a postseason that McMenamin describes as “taxing,” James will have to consider next steps for that foot injury. Asked if it might require offseason surgery, LeBron didn’t rule out the possibility, telling ESPN that he’ll undergo an MRI to see how his tendon has healed.

Regardless of whether or not surgery is required, James believes he would be able to get back to his usual All-NBA level with a full summer of rehab work.

“Because I’m still better than 90% of the NBA,” he said. “Maybe 95.”

James has at least one year and $46.7MM remaining on his contract with the Lakers, with a $50.4MM player option for the 2024/25 season. He has spoken in the past about wanting to remain in the NBA until at least ’24/25, when his son Bronny James will be eligible to enter the league. LeBron has repeatedly expressed a desire to play with Bronny, so Monday’s comments represent a potential change in direction.

When informed of James’ comments after Monday’s loss, Anthony Davis was initially surprised, according to McMenamin, but then recalled a prior conversation he had with his superstar teammate. According to Davis, when the two Lakers forwards were talking about possibly playing in the 2024 Paris Olympics, LeBron told AD that he may have already retired by that point.

For what it’s worth, one person familiar with James’ thinking who spoke to Mark Medina of The Sporting Tribune is skeptical that the future Hall of Famer will really retire this offseason.

Multiple theories are already emerging among NBA writers, with James L. Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link) among those to speculate that LeBron could sit one season before returning to play with Bronny in 2024.

Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer (Twitter link) wonders if James’ comments are – at least in part – a negotiating tactic to push the Lakers further all-in on next year’s roster. Currently, only James, Davis, and Max Christie have guaranteed contracts, so many offseason moves would be necessary to fill out the supporting cast. One path the franchise could consider revisiting, O’Connor observes, is its pursuit of LeBron’s former teammate Kyrie Irving, who will be a free agent.

While it would be a surprise if James ultimately decides to hang up his sneakers this summer, his remarks on Monday ensure that it will be one of the biggest question marks hanging over the NBA’s offseason until he makes a decision one way or the other.