Los Angeles Lakers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Lakers, LeBron, Booker, Leonard

December 26th, 2022 at 9:21am CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers are hoping to remain in the Western Conference playoff race until Anthony Davis returns from a foot injury, but Sunday’s game provided further evidence of how hard that’s going to be, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. L.A. had an 11-point lead at halftime, but gave up 51 points in the third quarter of a 124-115 defeat at Dallas. It’s the Lakers’ fourth straight loss, and they have surrendered at least 124 points in each of them.

“Reality is, without AD, we lose a lot of length, which we don’t have already,” LeBron James said. “So, we have to make up in ways that, without AD, is very difficult, very challenging. So, I think at one point we had a lineup of I think (Austin Reaves, at 6-5) was the tallest guy on the court. So, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure it out (that Davis is sorely missed).”

Coach Darvin Ham has been trying different lineup combinations to break the slump, but he’s limited by a lack of size throughout the roster. The starting backcourt features two 6’1″ guards in Patrick Beverley and Dennis Schroder, and 6’3″ Russell Westbrook saw some time at center on Sunday.

“You throw everything up against the wall and see what sticks,” Ham said. “It’s one of those types of situations. AD’s not here, not in the lineup. We’re not going to start using that as an excuse. Hell yeah, it’s a big hole in our lineup. But now, we’re pros. We’ve got to step up.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

The Lakers are in danger of wasting the end of James’ phenomenal career, says Jovan Buha of The Athletic. With his 38th birthday arriving this week, James is putting up unprecedented numbers for someone his age, but it might not matter if Davis doesn’t return soon or if the front office can’t find some way to upgrade the roster. After scoring 38 points Sunday, James was candid about the challenge his team faces. “How many times are you going to try to dig yourselves out until it’s too much dirt on you?” he asked.
Suns guard Devin Booker was forced to make an early exit from Sunday’s game after reaggravating a groin injury, according to Zach Harper of The Athletic. Booker was returning after missing the team’s previous three games, but he was only able to play four minutes before being ruled out.
With the Clippers playing on back-to-back nights, Kawhi Leonard will be held out Monday at Detroit due to injury management for his right knee, tweets Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Leonard is expected to face his old team on Tuesday in Toronto.

LeBron James May Not Be Able To Save Lakers Without Anthony Davis

December 24th, 2022 at 8:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

With Anthony Davis injured, the Lakers need more from LeBron James than he’s capable of providing at nearly age 38, per Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. Goodwill points out that James is taking the second-most shots of his career, while his efficiency is at the lowest point since 2015. He’s also attempting more three-pointers and fewer free throws this season and doesn’t appear capable of leading L.A. to the playoffs without another star on the court.
Thomas Bryant, who left Friday’s game with a shoulder injury, isn’t on the Lakers’ injury report for Sunday, tweets Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register.

Thomas Bryant Suffers Shoulder Injury

December 24th, 2022 at 9:36am CST by Luke Adams

Already missing starting center Anthony Davis, the Lakers saw fill-in starter Thomas Bryant leave Friday’s loss to Charlotte in the fourth quarter with a right shoulder injury, according to Janis Carr of The Southern California News Group, who says Bryant was holding the shoulder “in obvious pain.” Head coach Darvin Ham told reporters after the game that Bryant was still being evaluated and that there was no update yet, tweets Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

Central Notes: Caruso, LaVine, Markkanen, Allen, Pistons

December 23rd, 2022 at 5:08pm CST by Luke Adams

While much of the trade speculation involving the up-and-down Bulls in recent weeks has revolved around stars like Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic, one Eastern Conference general manager tells Sean Deveney of Heavy.com that veteran guard Alex Caruso shouldn’t be overlooked. Citing sources, Deveney says that multiple teams would be prepared to make offers for Caruso if Chicago becomes a seller and makes him available.

“If things don’t improve, Caruso is the guy most will be looking at in the short term,” the general manager said. “He has good trade value and would get something like 15 interested teams if he were up to be dealt.”

As the GM observes, Caruso’s contract ($9MM this season and two more years worth $19.4MM) is very team-friendly, and he’s the sort of player who could slot into virtually any club’s rotation.

Deveney also spoke to an Eastern Conference executive who believes that LaVine wants to be traded to the Lakers, but that sounds like speculation based primarily on the guard’s ties to UCLA and Klutch Sports and recent reports about possible dysfunction in Chicago.

Here’s more from around the Central:

Lauri Markkanen had intended to lay down roots in Cleveland and admits that the offseason trade sending him from the Cavaliers to the Jazz came as “kind of a shock,” writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required). However, Markkanen doesn’t hold any ill will toward his old team. “It was tough at first because we really enjoyed our time (in Cleveland),” Markkanen said. “Had a really fun year last season so it was tough at first. But then settled in and see the opportunity with Utah. Understanding the business, I know there’s always a chance. It’s not like I had any anger.”
In a separate subscriber-only story for Cleveland.com, Fedor makes the case that Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen has emerged as a legitimate candidate for this season’s Defensive Player of the Year award. Allen is the anchor of a unit that now leads the NBA in defensive rating (106.8).
The Pistons have the NBA’s worst record at 8-26, but they haven’t been disappointed by what they’ve seen from rookies Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren. As Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes, Detroit’s long-term outlook looks better than it did a few months ago due to the promise the team’s two lottery picks have shown.

Lakers Say Anthony Davis Has Stress Injury, Out Indefinitely

December 23rd, 2022 at 2:27pm CST by Luke Adams

Nearly a week after Anthony Davis left suffered a right foot injury, the Lakers have issued an official update on Davis’ status, announcing on Friday that he has a stress injury in his foot and has been ruled out indefinitely (Twitter link).

According to the club, the diagnosis was reached after “extensive consultation with Lakers team physicians and outside specialists.” Further updates will be provided when appropriate, the Lakers added in their statement.

Although we waited several days for official word from the Lakers, their announcement doesn’t provide much additional clarity on Davis’ injury or his potential recovery timeline. As Jeff Stotts of In Street Clothes tweets, a “stress injury” could mean a stress reaction or a stress fracture, and it’s difficult to assess the severity of the ailment without knowing which bone is affected.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported five days ago that Davis was expected to be sidelined for at least a month, but it sounds like the big man and the Lakers aren’t prepared to go that far. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link), the pain in Davis’ foot has subsided in recent days and the plan is to rest it for another seven-to-10 days before having it reevaluated to see if he can return to the court.

The hope is that Davis will be able to avoid undergoing a procedure on his injured foot, Wojnarowski adds.

With Davis on the shelf, Thomas Bryant has been promoted to the Lakers’ starting five and has played well, averaging 17.5 PPG and 7.8 RPG on .622/.636/.583 shooting in his last four games (28.5 MPG). However, Los Angeles’ defense has struggled without Davis manning the middle, giving up between 117 and 134 points in the three games since his injury. The Lakers’ defensive rating during that time ranks 29th in the NBA.

Pacers, Myles Turner Discussing Possible Extension

December 23rd, 2022 at 1:27pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers and center Myles Turner have opened up discussions about a possible contract extension, league sources with knowledge of the situation tell Shams Charania of The Athletic. Those talks are believed to be in the initial stages, Charania adds.

Turner is earning $18MM in the final year of his current contract and will become an unrestricted free agent in the summer if he doesn’t sign a new deal before then.

With Domantas Sabonis no longer sharing minutes at the five in Indiana, Turner is enjoying the best season of his eight-year NBA career, averaging a career-high 16.7 points in his first 26 games (29.5 MPG). His 7.8 rebounds per game are also a career high, as are his .541 FG% and .417 3PT%. The 26-year-old has provided his usual rim protection too, blocking 2.1 shots per night.

As we explained last month, the Pacers would be limited to giving Turner a 20% starting raise (to $21.6MM) if they offered a standard contract extension. Such an offer would max out at about $97MM over four years.

However, because they’re still well below the salary cap – not to mention the salary floor – the Pacers could complete a renegotiation-and-extension, which would allow them to more than double Turner’s $18MM salary this season (to his maximum of about $37MM) and would give them the flexibility to discuss a much wider range of salary numbers in future years (including a decrease of up to 40% from his renegotiated salary).

According to Charania, Pacers officials have indeed discussed the renegotiation-and-extension framework with Turner’s agent, Austin Brown.

Although Charania says that there’s a March 1 deadline for the two sides to reach an extension, Turner will technically remain eligible to sign a new deal all the way up until June 30. However, teams aren’t permitted to renegotiate players’ current-year salaries after the last day in February. If Turner and his camp are viewing the start of March as the deadline to work something out, that presumably means they won’t entertain a new deal without a 2022/23 salary bump.

Even as they explore an extension for Turner, the Pacers are expected to keep all their options open, including a possible trade before the February 9 deadline. The Lakers and Raptors are among the teams that have shown interest in the big man in recent months, league sources tell Charania.

Turner and Buddy Hield – who has also drawn interest from rival teams this season, per Charania – are considered Indiana’s most obvious veteran trade candidates, though there’s no guarantee that either will go anywhere this season.

Lakers Notes: Westbrook, LeBron, Reaves, Defense

December 23rd, 2022 at 7:46am CST by Luke Adams

Lakers guard Russell Westbrook, who has missed the team’s last two games due to left foot soreness, is listed as probable to return on Friday vs. Charlotte, tweets Marc Stein. LeBron James, who sat out Monday’s game in Phoenix with left ankle soreness and returned on Wednesday in Sacramento, has also been designated as probable.
Like Westbook, Lakers guard Austin Reaves (right ankle sprain) has been sidelined for the last two games, but he also has a chance to return on Friday. He has been listed as questionable, per Stein.
Although Thomas Bryant has played well at center in Anthony Davis‘ stead, the Lakers have no adequate substitute on defense for their injured star, writes Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group. Since Davis went down last week with a foot injury, the club has the second-worst defensive rating in the NBA (124.5). “We’re already a team without a lot of length and not a lot of size,” James said. “And you lose a 6-11 guy with a 7-6 wingspan, 7-7 wingspan, I mean, it’s self-explanatory, so it’s not like it’s rocket science.”

Knicks Looking For Protected First-Rounder For Reddish

December 22nd, 2022 at 2:59pm CST by Rory Maher

Some people in the Lakers‘ organization are “very intrigued” by Knicks wing Cam Reddish, according to Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. They view him as a youthful reclamation project, which the team has had some success with in the past couple seasons (Malik Monk and Lonnie Walker). Sources tell Woike that the Knicks are looking for a protected first-rounder for the 23-year-old, but that asking price is expected to dip as Reddish is no longer in New York’s rotation. Reddish will be a restricted free agent in the summer if he’s extended a qualifying offer.

Lakers Are Still Evaluating Anthony Davis' Foot Injury

December 21st, 2022 at 11:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Five days after Anthony Davis hurt his right foot, the Lakers still haven’t provided an official statement on the injury, notes Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. Coach Darvin Ham explained the delay tonight, telling reporters, “He’s still going through the evaluation process. We’re still trying to see which course of action we should take, and you’ll know more in the coming days about that situation.”

Lakers Notes: Davis, Trade Market, LeBron, Bryant, Christie

December 21st, 2022 at 6:24pm CST by Arthur Hill

The foot injury that Anthony Davis suffered last week has decreased the chances that the Lakers will gamble on a major trade, multiple sources tell Jovan Buha of The Athletic. He adds that the only exception would be if the team can acquire a young star that it believes can succeed alongside Davis over the next few years.

Even before the Davis injury, the Lakers’ front office wasn’t confident that there was a trade available that would turn the team into contenders, Buha states. He suggests the most likely current scenario is a deal that would include some combination of Patrick Beverley, Kendrick Nunn and a protected first-rounder in either 2027 or 2029 in exchange for a 3-and-D wing or a combo forward.

Along with the players who have already been linked to the Lakers in trade talks, Buha’s sources point to the Suns‘ Jae Crowder, the Rockets‘ Eric Gordon, the Pistons‘ Alec Burks, the Hornets‘ Terry Rozier, P.J. Washington and Kelly Oubre Jr. and the Spurs‘ Josh Richardson and Jakob Poeltl as players to watch.

There’s more on the Lakers, all from Buha:

LeBron James has posted four straight 30-point games, but his playing time is starting to become a concern. He’s averaged 39.2 minutes over the past five games, and the Lakers need to be careful that they don’t rely too heavily on him. Buha notes that James, who will turn 38 next week, ranks sixth in minutes per game among players with at least 50 total games over the past two seasons.
The loss of Davis has been eased somewhat by the emergence of Thomas Bryant. Buha states that Bryant was considered “almost unplayable” before Davis got hurt, but he’s averaging 17.7 points and 7.0 rebounds in the last three games while shooting 61.1% from the field and 55.6% from three-point range. The 25-year-old center joined the Lakers during the offseason on a veteran’s minimum contract and will be a free agent again next summer.
Rookie shooting guard Max Christie recently moved into the rotation and may be playing well enough to stay there. The second-round pick provides a much-needed 3-and-D option for coach Darvin Ham, and he’s one of the best rebounders among the team’s guards.
The starting backcourt of Beverley and Dennis Schroder hasn’t performed well, and Buha wonders why Ham keeps playing them together. The Lakers are minus-50 in 161 minutes when they’re on the court at the same time, and their skills seem to be redundant.