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Western Notes: Kuminga, Lakers, Wolves, Watson

January 31st, 2024 at 10:42pm CST by Rory Maher

At 20-24, the No. 12 seed in the West, the Warriors certainly aren’t where they hoped to be in the standings at this point in the 2023/24 season. However, one bright spot of late has been the play of third-year forward Jonathan Kuminga, says Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

As Slater writes, Kuminga has been highly efficient attacking the paint over the past seven games, scoring 20-plus each game in averaging 25.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals while shooting 61.9% from the field (32.0 minutes). Star guard Stephen Curry thinks Kuminga is turning a corner in his development.

“(He has) clarity on how he can impact the game,” Curry said. “Defensive intensity, pressure, taking what the defense gives him on the offensive end. Whether it’s attacking driving lanes, finishing at the rim, getting transition buckets for us, and knocking down open shots. There’s just an element of aggressiveness. You don’t want him out there second-guessing anything.”

Playing Kuminga more and letting him learn from mistakes shows the team finally realized it needed to shake things up, especially on offense, according to Tim Kawakami of The Athletic, who notes that Andrew Wiggins has played well lately too with Draymond Green starting at center.

Kuminga’s prominent role is in stark contrast to the uneven minutes he received earlier this season, with a report just a few weeks ago suggesting the 21-year-old was losing faith in head coach Steve Kerr. However, Slater recently said Kuminga has felt better about his situation since he met with Kerr in the wake of that report.

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Christian Wood sent out a tweet saying “lol” shortly before the Lakers announced their starting lineup on Tuesday featured Jaxson Hayes starting at center with Anthony Davis sidelined, but he said after the game it wasn’t related to basketball, writes Jovan Buha of The Athletic. “I meant to quote (tweet) something,” Wood said. “I thought I did and I just pressed send, and I couldn’t check my phone before because we have to go out (to the court), but it was an accident. … I looked at it just now. … It came off a certain type of way. I didn’t mean it that way.” After the loss to Atlanta, LeBron James also sent out a cryptic hourglass emoji, Buha adds. The trade deadline is next Thursday, and the Lakers are currently 24-25.
The Timberwolves have only advanced past the first round of the playoffs once in franchise history. How will they handle the pressure of being considered a title contender? ESPN’s Brian Windhorst explores that topic, writing that Karl-Anthony Towns‘ willingness to adjust his game has paid dividends thus far in 2023/24. “The winning helps. It’s good when you’re able to sacrifice to see the result you wanted and share the success,” Towns said. “We’re all making this happen. This is not just a singular effort. This is a team coming together and saying ‘We really want to do something special.’“
Already an impressive defender in year two, Nuggets forward Peyton Watson says he’s looking to expand his game on the other end of the court, according to Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports. Watson has been taking far more mid-range shots lately, an area he’s comfortable in. “Coming in as a young player and trying to make a name for yourself and get a spot in the rotation, you’re not just coming in shooting of the dribble jumpers,” Watson told DNVR. “That’s not analytically the best shot, especially if you’re someone just coming in and trying to create his role. Now that I’ve created my role and people know what I’m going to do on the defensive end, it’s just been more about me expanding my game offensively, seeing what works, trial and error, and getting ready for when it counts in the playoffs.”

Pacific Notes: Warriors Rumors, Wood, Huerter, Monk

January 11th, 2024 at 9:46pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Every player on the Warriors, except for franchise icon Stephen Curry, appears to be “on the table” for trade in some capacity, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). Charania says this comes with an asterisk, though, with the team likely to want to avoid moving other longtime staples Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.

It would be truly shocking to see Golden State trade Thompson or Green, given their significance to the franchise, but Charania’s reporting indicates it’s not absolutely out of the question for the floundering Warriors. Thompson has had a well-documented down season this year and Green is still serving out a long-term suspension that he says made him contemplate retirement. Rumors earlier on Thursday indicated neither may have a long-term future with the franchise. Still, a trade involving either at the deadline would be surprising.

Charania says the Warriors like Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis, but singles out Andrew Wiggins as someone who could be on the move before the Feb. 8 trade deadline. It could have been an oversight, but it is interesting that Moses Moody was not mentioned in that group of young players. Both Kuminga and Moody recently expressed discontent with their playing time.

According to Charania, the Warriors don’t want to take back any long-term money, which makes them unlikely to pursue Bulls guard Zach LaVine. Dejounte Murray, another player whose name has come up around the league, is under contract for four years after this season at $114MM. Raptors forward Pascal Siakam, conversely, is in the final year of his contract and has been tied to the Warriors.

Chris Paul, Kevon Looney and Gary Payton II are among Golden State’s other sizable contracts that could be attractive or purely salary-matching trade assets.

Another subject looming over the Warriors and their desire to get back to contention is the contract status of head coach Steve Kerr, who is on an expiring contract. Erik Spoelstra‘s eight-year, $120MM deal signed earlier this week is likely a decent target figure for Kerr’s potential deal, but Charania hears that there is no traction on an extension between Kerr and Golden State as of now.

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Lakers big man Christian Wood bounced in and out of the lineup throughout December but was inserted back into the rotation on Dec. 28 and has been a rotation regular since then. He’s been impressive since rejoining the rotation, The Orange County Register’s Khobi Price writes. Wood is averaging 9.4 points and 6.0 rebounds per game since regaining the backup center role, with a 52.6% mark on three-point attempts. “Now he’s settled down and become more and more comfortable with his teammates,” head coach Darvin Ham said. “He’s understanding the guys that he’s out on the floor with and the rhythm in which they play with and he’s finding his spots and keeping it simple.“
Kings guard Kevin Huerter left Sacramento’s Wednesday game against the Hornets after 41 seconds and did not return due to a left ankle injury, The Sacramento Bee’s Chris Biderman observes. Replays showed Huerter stepped on Keegan Murray‘s foot during the opening tip. Huerter said after the game he was unsure how much time he would miss with the injury. According to Biderman, Chris Duarte and Colby Jones, along with Malik Monk, took over Huerter’s minutes.
Monk helped the Kings secure their 25-point victory over Charlotte by scoring 20 points off the bench, Biderman writes in the same article. Monk was the 11th overall pick by the Hornets in 2017 but got off to a slow start to his career under Steve Clifford, Charlotte’s current coach. In four career games vs. Charlotte prior to Wednesday, Monk had averaged just 8.8 points against his former team, according to Biderman. “I don’t think I’ve had one [good game against the Hornets] yet,” Monk said. “So it was good to come back and kick their a– like we did. Put that out there, too. But, nah, it feels great, especially all the love I get here.“

Los Angeles Notes: Clippers’ Streak, Coffey, Davis, James

December 17th, 2023 at 8:36pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Clippers have won seven straight, demonstrating how far they’ve come since the James Harden trade, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times writes. Kawhi Leonard has scored 30-plus points in six of the last 10 games, and Leonard, Paul George and Harden are developing into a dominating trio.

“It’s exactly what I envisioned just how we should play and how we can play,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “The biggest thing is just PG, Kawhi and James making each other better on a night-to-night basis.”

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Amir Coffey played 29 minutes for the Clippers on Thursday, scoring 18 points against Golden State. He saw 17 more minutes of action against the Knicks on Saturday after playing sparingly in the first 23 games. Lue said Coffey, who is signed through next season, bulled his way into the rotation, Greif tweets. “He’s earned the right to have the opportunity to play,” Lue said.
The Clippers’ defense will be tested in all of their games before Christmas, Law Murray of The Athletic notes. They face top-10 offenses in the Pacers, Mavericks and Thunder during their upcoming three-game road trip, then host another top-10 offense in the Celtics. “We’re a defense-first team, and we’ll watch film, see what they like to do, prepare for them and do our best,” Ivica Zubac said. “We know Indy is a great offensive team, and then you got Dallas and OKC, some great offensive teams. But we got some good defenders on this team and guys with high IQ that read very well on defense that can make plays. It’s going to be a great test for us.”
The Lakers list Anthony Davis (left adductor, hip spasm) and LeBron James (left calf contusion) as questionable for Monday’s home game against the Knicks, Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Christian Wood (non-COVID illness) is also listed as questionable.

The Lakers Players Who Benefited Most From IST Prize Money

December 10th, 2023 at 8:13am CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers‘ team salary this season is just above the $165.3MM luxury tax line, far exceeding the $126MM or so on the Pacers‘ books.

However, not a single player on Indiana’s roster is on a minimum-salary contract and only four Pacers players on standard deals are earning less than $5MM this season. By comparison, Los Angeles has eight players with cap hits below that $5MM threshold, including five earning the minimum.

While the $500K bonus for winning the NBA’s in-season tournament (IST) may be a drop in the bucket for maximum-salary stars like LeBron James and Anthony Davis, it serves as a significant pay raise for the players on the lower half of the Lakers’ cap sheet, as well as the players on two-way contracts who will receive bonuses worth $250K.

Here are the Lakers players for whom the NBA Cup prize money represents more than a 10% raise on their 2023/24 base salary, which is noted in parentheses:

Players receiving a $500K bonus:

Jarred Vanderbilt ($4,640,000)
- Note: Vanderbilt’s contract also includes $58K in likely incentives and $145K in unlikely incentives.
Taurean Prince ($4,516,000)
Jalen Hood-Schifino ($3,695,040)
Christian Wood ($2,709,849)
Jaxson Hayes ($2,165,000)
Cam Reddish ($2,165,000)
Max Christie ($1,719,864)
Maxwell Lewis ($1,119,563)

Players receiving a $250K bonus:

Colin Castleton ($559,872)
Alex Fudge ($559,872)
D’Moi Hodge ($559,872)

The bonuses for Lewis and the Lakers’ two-way players represent a raise of roughly 44.7% on their respective base salaries.

The Lakers’ coaching staff also benefited financially from their in-season tournament success. Head coach Darvin Ham earned the same $500K bonus that his players did, while his assistant coaches divvied up $375K in bonus money.

The Pacers’ players and head coach Rick Carlisle went home with bonuses worth $200K (or $100K for two-way players).

None of this prize money will count against the salary cap, so the Lakers’ team salary for cap purposes remains unchanged, as do the team salaries for Indiana and the other six clubs who made the knockout round of the IST.

Lakers Notes: Trade Market, Reaves, Vanderbilt, Hachimura, Vincent

December 2nd, 2023 at 9:44pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers will be patient about assessing potential trades, team sources tell Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Numerous injuries have made it difficult to evaluate the current roster, so the front office will continue to study the type of moves that need to be made and wait to see what opportunities might develop if teams such as the Raptors, Wizards, Jazz, Nets or Hornets decide to have a “fire sale” before the February deadline, according to Buha.

December 15 marks the unofficial start of trade season as most of the free agents who signed this summer will become eligible to be moved. For L.A., that list includes D’Angelo Russell, Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince, Cam Reddish, Christian Wood and Jaxson Hayes. Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves will become trade-eligible a month later.

Buha notes that the Lakers have already been linked to Zach LaVine in trade rumors, along with fellow Bulls DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso. But it appears any deal may be a couple of months away.

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Finding the best role for Reaves should be one of coach Darvin Ham‘s priorities for the rest of the season, Buha states in the same story. Reaves began the season as a starter, but he has put up better stats since being moved to a sixth-man role. Buha says the early-season slump could have been caused by fatigue from playing for Team USA in the World Cup or it could have been a result of adapting to more minutes at point guard. Regardless, Ham will eventually have to settle on a fifth starter from a group that includes Reaves, Prince, Reddish and Max Christie.
Meeting with reporters before tonight’s game, Ham confirmed that Jarred Vanderbilt will make his season debut after missing 20 games with bursitis in his left heel, Buha tweets. Hachimura has been medically cleared after missing the past four games following surgery for a nasal fracture, but Ham said “it’s more of a touch-and-feel thing with Rui” regarding how much he will play.
Vincent has only appeared in four games because of a left knee effusion, but he’s getting closer to a return, Ham added, saying that he’s lifting weights, shooting and running on an anti-gravity treadmill (Twitter link). “He’s progressing along,” Ham said. “Not as of yet, but he’s progressing really, really good.”

Lakers Notes: Davis, Wood, Hayes, LeBron, Reddish, Reaves, Russell

November 13th, 2023 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Anthony Davis‘ desire to spend less time at center was behind the Lakers‘ decision to add Christian Wood and Jaxson Hayes, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Davis has long preferred to play power forward, which enables him to take advantage of his mobility and requires less battling for position against other big men. He expressed that to the Lakers’ front office this summer, and they responded by signing Hayes in July and Wood in September.

It’s an arrangement with the potential to work out well for everyone involved, McMenamin notes. Even though Davis has started at center in every game he has played, he’s playing there less often as he and Wood have been finishing games together. Hayes and Wood each signed two-year deals with a player option, so they have a chance to raise their values and return to free agency in 2024.

Second-year coach Darvin Ham has adjusted to the new roster, and he understands management’s desire to keep one of its stars happy.

“I don’t get caught up in it,” Ham said about Davis’ dealings with the front office. “I know what he means about wanting to have his skill set be diversified on the floor. I get that part, and we are on the same page.”

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A left calf contusion caused LeBron James to miss his first game of the season Sunday night, per Buster Holmes of ESPN. James was originally listed as questionable before being downgraded later in the day. “He has some issues with that shin that (got) kneed in the last game, so, (we’re) just being proactive,” Ham explained. “No reason to run him in the ground this early. But it’s an opportunity where he can get some treatment (and) not force it.”
Cam Reddish is getting the biggest opportunity of his NBA career after replacing Austin Reaves in the Lakers’ starting lineup, notes Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times. Reddish admits his confidence was waning after frustrating experiences with the Hawks, Knicks and Trail Blazers, but his Lakers teammates have been working to prop him up as he takes on an important role. “We know the type of talent he is,” Davis said. “He can be a big-time player for us and he has shown that, what we want from him, in the past couple of games.”
Jovan Buha of The Athletic wonders why Ham decided to remove Reaves from the starting lineup rather than D’Angelo Russell. The former starting backcourt was a bad fit together, but Buha points out that Reaves is one of only three Lakers with a contract that extends past three seasons.

Pacific Notes: Booker, Beal, Goodwin, Mann, Powell, Lakers, Warriors

November 1st, 2023 at 11:47am CST by Luke Adams

There’s no specific timetable for the return of either Devin Booker (ankle) or Bradley Beal (back), Suns head coach Frank Vogel said on Tuesday, per Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports (Twitter links). Both players have been doing some on-court work, but it has mostly been light shooting, so they haven’t fully ramped up for game action yet.

While Beal has yet to make his Suns debut, Jordan Goodwin – the other player the team acquired in that blockbuster summer deal – has been playing regular minutes in his first four games in Phoenix.

Known known more as a defender, Goodwin has provided some scoring and play-making off the bench with Booker and Beal out, writes Dana Scott of The Arizona Republic. He has made just 34.3% of his shots from the floor, but has posted solid averages of 8.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 21.0 minutes per night.

“Just take advantage of the opportunity. Once we get all of our guys back, those shots, the ones I’m taking right now are gonna be even more open,” Goodwin told Scott over the weekend.

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Clippers wings Terance Mann and Norman Powell were mentioned frequently in James Harden trade rumors in recent months, so they were relieved not to be on the move in the deal L.A. eventually made for the star guard, per Mark Medina of Sportskeeda. “It shows the value that they see in us,” Powell said. “You always want that as a player in a league like this: to find a team, organization, and front office that believes in your ability, believes in what you bring to the table, and believes you can help them win at a high level.”
After promising to make tweaks to his rotation following Sunday’s loss to Sacramento, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham leaned on bigger lineups in Monday’s victory over Orlando, writes Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Both Christian Wood (27) and Jaxson Hayes (10) set new season highs in minutes played, as the team frequently deployed a second big man alongside Anthony Davis. “Whenever (Wood is) in there with (Davis), they’re just two huge presences on the defensive glass,” Ham said. “Christian gets some of the toughest defensive rebounds I’ve ever seen anyone get. So, he and (Davis) being combined for, I think it was 25 defensive rebounds, we needed every one of them.”
Although it’s a small sample size, the Warriors‘ second unit is thriving and the team’s depth has been a strength in the early going this season, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic and Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. Stephen Curry believes the strong play of the second unit – led by Chris Paul – is having a ripple effect on the starters. “That’s different for us, when that unit is so impactful,” Curry said, per Slater. “We’re over on the bench enjoying what we’re watching. When you’re watching good basketball, you feel good about how we’re all playing. It flows.”

L.A. Notes: Brogdon, Clippers, Westbrook, Wood, LeBron

October 27th, 2023 at 11:36am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon was preparing in June to join the Clippers before three-team trade talks also involving the Celtics and Wizards fell apart. Now a member of the Trail Blazers, Brogdon tells Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints that he preparing for a move to Los Angeles again this fall when Portland was shopping Jrue Holiday after acquiring Holiday from Milwaukee.

“Once Jrue was traded from Milwaukee, I knew Boston had a lot of interest in him and I figured Boston would have a good run at getting him because I was a guy that they were open to trading,” Brogdon said. “… I was preparing myself for both [the Blazers and Clippers] because I thought I might be in Portland and I thought I might be flipped straight to L.A. So I didn’t know, but I was preparing myself.”

The Trail Blazers ended up hanging onto Brogdon, stressing that his veteran leadership will be welcomed in a young locker room, and as part of a young backcourt. However, there’s no guarantee that he’ll finish the season in Portland. For his part, the guard tells Azarly that he’ll remain prepared for any scenario.

“For me, it’s all about me staying sharp,” Brogdon said. “It’s less about the scenario or the situation of the teams.”

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While the Clippers have been linked for months to James Harden, do they already have the right play-making guard on their roster in Russell Westbrook? Janis Carr of The Orange County Register (subscriber link) and Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times explore that topic, with Hernandez noting that head coach Tyronn Lue said Westbrook has “bought in 100%” to what the team needs from him.
Christian Wood‘s limitations as a defender were considered one key reason why he was unable to land more than a minimum-salary deal as a free agent this offseason, but the Lakers big man impressed the team in his second game on Thursday with the defense he played against Kevin Durant and the Suns, writes Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. “I thought he did about as good as anyone can do,” Ham said of Wood, who grabbed 10 rebounds and was a plus-23 in 21 minutes. “He made a commitment to me when we signed him that that is a part of his game that he wants to get better at. And with his length, his agility, he’s able to contest at a high rate.”
The Lakers showed in their second game of the season that they’re viewing their 28-to-30-minute plan for LeBron James as more of a loose guideline than a hard cap, as ESPN’s Dave McMenamin and Jovan Buha of The Athletic detail. James played the entire fourth quarter and 35 minutes in total on Thursday to help the club secure a win over Phoenix. “I understand that we definitely have a system put in place, but tonight called for me to go outside the box,” he said after the victory.

L.A. Notes: Covington, Hyland, Russell, Ham, Wood

October 13th, 2023 at 10:34pm CST by Rory Maher

After signing a two-year, $24MM extension in May 2022, Robert Covington didn’t play much for the Clippers in 2022/23, appearing in just 48 games off the bench while averaging 16.2 minutes per night, his fewest since his rookie season. However, he could be a starter this season, and he’s trying to seize the opportunity, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register.

“(Head coach) Ty (Lue) told me that last year, he wished I got to play more because it was just unfortunate how deep our team was and how I hadn’t really played a lot and he just kept me out,” Covington said. “I just said (to myself), ‘Stay patient, just stay patient.’ I did everything that I was supposed to as far as staying ready whenever my number was called. I was ready for anything. That’s what I love about my professionalism – the fact that I stay ready no matter what.”

According to Carr, Covington kept an upbeat attitude throughout ’22/23, despite the trying circumstances.

“At times it was (hard not to get down), but I know I’m a part of this league,” the 32-year-old forward said. “I’ve had veterans talk (about) that type of stuff before in the past. So, I can understand just being in that moment, and understanding that the team I’m on, it is going to be like that. It sucks sometimes that we’ve got to sacrifice. But like I said, stay patient.”

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Third-year guard Bones Hyland has received positive reviews from teammates in his first Clippers training camp, according to Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times (subscriber link). The Clippers acquired the 23-year-old via trade in February. “He’s fast, he’s talented, he’s a great basketball player, but I think maybe last year he was rushing a little bit too much,” forward Nicolas Batum said of Hyland. “Now he seems even if he’s still fast, he feels like he’s more under control, makes better decisions. … He worked on that. You can see, he watched film, he tried to get better decision-making and he’s doing a good job so far. I love watching him. He’s going to have a great season.”
Hyland added 11 pounds of muscle and focused on improving his defense this offseason, Carr writes for The Orange County Register. “I feel like I’m not like a weak link no more on the defensive side,” Hyland said Friday. “Giving multiple efforts and just trying to improve in the lower areas on the defensive end (is where) I feel like I improved.”
Another player working to change the perception of him being a minus defensively is Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell, per Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. Russell was frequently targeted by the Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals. “Yeah, I mean, last year they found a way to get me off the floor by not playing defense, I guess,” Russell said. “So, (I) try to be a reason to eliminate that. Not give them a reason to not have me on the floor. Try to be as dangerous as I can on offense and try not to be a liability on defense. So, that’s what I’m working on. I’m trying to do it now before the season so I continue to practice those good habits.”
In a conversation with Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham defended Christian Wood from his detractors and said he has long been a mentor to the big man. “I don’t know what happened in Dallas and that’s not my business,” Ham said. “I don’t know. People say s–t. ‘He’s lazy. He doesn’t play any defense.’ I know the kid. I know what he’s going to do for me and he’s done everything that I expected him to do up to this point since camp has been going on.”

Lakers Notes: James, Russell, Wood, Davis

October 2nd, 2023 at 7:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

LeBron James says he’s no longer the face of the Lakers franchise. He gives that title to Anthony Davis, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN writes.

“He is the face [of the franchise],” James said. “You look at all these [retired] numbers that surround this facility, all the greats that have come here and AD is one of them.”

Davis, who signed a three-year max extension in August, says he feels the need to be a leader.

“I think I’m going to be the second-oldest guy here now so guys lean on me a lot,” he said. “I feel like it’s my responsibility, being one of the leaders of the team alongside Bron. It’s my job to help those guys and help the young guys and continuously being on them. Let them know what we need and what we need to get better and giving them advice so we can all be together and unified to be able to compete for a championship.”

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D’Angelo Russell offered a simple explanation as to why he re-signed with the Lakers this summer, McMenamin tweets. “They made me feel wanted,” he said. Russell signed a two-year, $37MM contract at the start of free agency.
Christian Wood says he’s motivated to disprove the “false narrative” about him, he told Spectrum SportsNet (video link). Wood lingered in free agency much longer than expected before accepting a two-year, minimum-salary contract with the Lakers. “Just ready to prove a lot of people wrong,” he said.
Davis believes the Lakers are primed for another championship due to the moves the front office made this offseason, according to Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times. “A lot of teams around the league have made a lot of good moves to improve their teams. We did as well,” Davis said. “So we know every night, going into every game is going to be a battle. I think we’re prepared for it. Obviously, we have a lot of work to do. But I like our chances against anybody. We have depth, we have speed, we have shooting, we have ball-handling, we have play-making. We have it all. Now it’s just time to get on the floor.”