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Los Angeles Notes: George, Leonard, Zubac, Beverley, KCP, Vaccine

May 29th, 2021 at 12:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Clippers averted a three-game deficit by defeating the Mavericks 118-108 in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series on Friday. Paul George says the Clippers’ victory is meaningless unless they build on that victory, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times tweets. “We’ve yet to show anything. We’re down 2-1,” George said. “We’re not the favorites, we’re not the defending champs. We haven’t showed anything. We’ve got to continue doing it.”

We have more on the Los Angeles teams:

  • George and Kawhi Leonard took a lot of heat after the Clippers dropped the first two games of the series at home but they combined for 65 points in Game 3. Teammate Marcus Morris defended the superstar forward duo afterward, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN writes. “Those guys are killers,” Morris said. “No matter what’s being said in the media and what’s being said in the outside world, them guys come in and work their (butts) off every single game.”
  • Ivica Zubac only played 11 minutes in Game 3 even though Serge Ibaka was sidelined by a back injury. Patrick Beverley only saw six minutes of action with Reggie Jackson moving into the starting lineup. Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said Zubac and Beverley handled their reduced roles in a “professional manner,” Medina tweets.
  • Kentavious Caldwell-Pope underwent an MRI on his bruised left quad Friday and the results were promising, Dave McMenamin of ESPN tweets. The MRI revealed no tear. The Lakers guard will see how he responds to rest and treatment on Saturday in order to determine his status for Game 4 against Phoenix on Sunday.
  • The Lakers reached the vaccine threshold earlier this week, which allowed them to utilize their film room for the first time this season on Wednesday. They also didn’t have to wear face masks, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. “You don’t realize how important and productive it is to have film sessions in an intimate setting until you lose it,” a Lakers player told Haynes.
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Lakers Rumors: Lowry, Schröder, THT, Caruso, Gasol

March 25th, 2021 at 7:40pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Lakers were open to dealing point guard Dennis Schröder and longtime wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for veteran Raptors guard Kyle Lowry ahead of today’s trade deadline, but were resistant to including ascendant shooting guard Talen Horton-Tucker in a deal, according to Jovan Buha and Bill Oram of The Athletic.

Buha and Oram note that Schroder, KCP, and “some draft compensation” were being discussed in exchange for the six-time Toronto All-Star. Los Angeles team president Rob Pelinka apparently balked at including Horton-Tucker, a promising 20-year-old second-year combo guard.

The Lakers continue to negotiate a possible long-term contract extension with starting point guard Schröder, currently earning $15.5MM in the last season of an expiring four-year deal, but remain far apart in those talks. The 27-year-old veteran is hoping to net at least $20MM annually, according to Buha and Oram, who note that this price tag contributed to the front office being open to moving Schröder in a deal for Lowry.

The Lakers’ willingness to trade valuable two-way swingman Caldwell-Pope appear to be about prioritizing re-signing Horton-Tucker and point guard Alex Caruso during the 2021 offseason. A league source tells Buha and Oram that both players could garner deals worth the full mid-level exception, which projects to be worth more than $9.5MM next season.

With Schröder now sticking with LA through the trade deadline, sources tell Buha and Oram that the club hopes to re-sign the point guard this summer, too.

The Lakers currently still have two open roster spots, and are going to use the buyout market to acquire new additions heading into the home stretch of the season. Los Angeles appears to be one of the top finalists in the race to acquire 27-year-old Cavaliers center Andre Drummond, a two-time All-Star, once he finalizes his expected buyout with Cleveland. In addition to a veteran center, Buha and Oram anticipate that the Lakers will seek a defensive-oriented free agent swingman for their other available roster position.

In other Lakers news, starting center Marc Gasol will be back on the court for the injury-depleted club tonight against the Sixers, Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times tweets. The veteran big man will only be allowed to play about 15 minutes tonight during his first game action this month, after being placed in the NBA’s coronavirus-related health and safety protocols.

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Trade Rumors: Lowry, Knicks, Ball, Suns, Nuggets

March 25th, 2021 at 1:19pm CST by Luke Adams

Kyle Lowry‘s future is the focus around the NBA right now, Shams Charania said on Stadium’s live trade deadline show on Twitter.

According to Charania, the Raptors remain seriously engaged with the Heat and Lakers, having been offered packages headed by Duncan Robinson (Miami) or Dennis Schröder and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (L.A.). Toronto is pushing for the inclusion of Tyler Herro or Talen Horton-Tucker in any deal with the Heat or Lakers, says Charania.

Charania adds that the Heat are believed to be Lowry’s preferred destination.

Here’s more from around the league:

  • The Knicks have remained engaged with the Pelicans today about a possible Lonzo Ball trade, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv. New York is also receiving inquiries on center Mitchell Robinson, according to Begley, though it’s not clear if the team is open at all to moving Robinson.
  • As of earlier this afternoon, the Suns weren’t close to making any deals, and all signs pointed to them standing pat at the deadline, tweets John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7.
  • The Nuggets are likely done dealing after agreeing to trades for Aaron Gordon and JaVale McGee, tweets Mike Singer of The Denver Post.
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Lakers In Mix For Kyle Lowry?

March 24th, 2021 at 2:28pm CST by Luke Adams

After mentioning the usual suspects – the Heat and Sixers – in his look at potential Kyle Lowry suitors during today’s Woj & Lowe Trade Deadline Special on ESPN, Adrian Wojnarowski offered up an interesting wild-card trade destination for the Raptors guard. According to Wojnarowski, the Lakers shouldn’t be ruled out as a possible suitor for Lowry.

While the idea of Lowry teaming up with LeBron James and Anthony Davis in Los Angeles for a Lakers team looking to defend its title is a fascinating one, it will be tricky to make a deal work.

To match Lowry’s $30.5MM salary, the Lakers would almost certainly have to include two veteran rotation players from the trio of Dennis Schröder, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Montrezl Harrell. That lines up with a report from Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, who says (via Twitter) that the Lakers became open to discussing those three players in trades as of Monday night.

If the Raptors are moving Lowry though, it’s probably safe to assume it won’t be for win-now veterans like Schröder, Caldwell-Pope, and Harrell. At least one of Talen Horton-Tucker and the Lakers’ 2027 first-round pick would also presumably need to be included to get Toronto’s attention.

While a deal along those lines could technically work, it’s hard to find a combination that makes sense for both teams. As such, Lowry ending up with the Lakers is probably a long shot unless perhaps they can get a third team involved.

Los Angeles’ other team also reportedly has interest in Lowry, but matching the point guard’s cap number and offering up enough assets to pique Toronto’s interest would be a major challenge for the Clippers as well.

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Lakers Notes: Trade Deadline, Center, Caruso

March 18th, 2021 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Several key Lakers contributors, including Dennis Schröder, Alex Caruso, and Talen Horton-Tucker are up for new deals this offseason, and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN said in the latest episode of The Woj Pod that he has the sense the team would like to move some long-term money off its books to create more flexibility to re-sign those players.

“I do think they would like to free up some of that money they owe down the line to put themselves in position to keep the guys they have there,” Wojnarowski said, per RealGM. “I think that’s kind of at the center of some of their talks here around the trade deadline.”

While Woj didn’t specifically name Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as players the Lakers are discussing in trades, he observed that they’re the non-stars on the roster who have multiyear contracts. Kuzma would be tricky to move this year because he has a contract extension going into effect in 2021/22, so if L.A. wants to move some long-term money, KCP could be the team’s top trade candidate by default.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

  • Jovan Buha of The Athletic breaks down the defensive performance of Marc Gasol and Montrezl Harrell, weighing whether the Lakers need to pursue a center upgrade via trade or on the buyout market. Buha contends that the concerns about the club’s interior defense have been overblown and that the return of Anthony Davis could sufficiently address the issue.
  • Lakers guard Alex Caruso, who has missed the team’s last two games, has been cleared from the NBA’s concussion protocol and will be available vs. Charlotte on Thursday night, as ESPN’s Dave McMenamin relays (via Twitter).
  • In case you missed it, the Lakers are reportedly among the teams to watch if free agent Isaiah Thomas gets another NBA opportunity.
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Pacific Notes: Lakers, Poole, Kennard, Ramsey

March 6th, 2021 at 1:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

As a hard-capped team lacking in tradeable pieces, the Lakers will find it difficult to make a significant deal before this month’s deadline, according to Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register. Their best bargaining chip heading into the season, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, hasn’t lived up to his $12MM contract. Goon suggests the best the team could hope for is to sign Andre Drummond if the Cavaliers choose to buy out the exiled center.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

  • Warriors guard Jordan Poole made a strong impression after being recalled from the G League and he could eventually supplant Brad Wanamaker as the backup point, Anthony Slater of The Athletic writes. Poole had 26 points in 26 minutes in a loss to Phoenix on Thursday. The 2019 first-round pick averaged 22.4 PPG in 11 G League contests with Santa Cruz.
  • Luke Kennard‘s last outing was a promising development for the Clippers, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times notes. Kennard contributed 14 points and four assists in 21 minutes against Washington. After acquiring Kennard in a multi-team trade during the offseason, the Clippers signed Kennard to a four-year, $64MM extension in December.
  • The Kings recalled rookie guard Jahmi’us Ramsey from the G League’s Agua Caliente Clippers, according to a team press release. Ramsey appeared in 12 games at the Orlando bubble and averaged 9.8 PPG in 21.0 MPG. The second-round pick has seen action in four games with Sacramento this season.
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Pacific Notes: Schröder, Bjelica, Barnes, Holmes, Bazemore

February 19th, 2021 at 5:06pm CST by Dana Gauruder

After being held out of his team’s game against Brooklyn on Thursday due to the league’s health and safety protocols, Lakers point guard Dennis Schröder was not at practice Friday and it’s “uncertain” if he will be available against Miami on Saturday, per head coach Frank Vogel (Twitter link via Dave McMenamin of ESPN). “There’s no timeline,” Vogel said.

The Lakers started Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Wesley Matthews in the backcourt with Schröder sidelined.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

  • The Heat continue to have interest in Kings forward Nemanja Bjelica, according to the Sacramento Bee’s Jason Anderson, and they got a good look at him on Thursday. With Richaun Holmes and Harrison Barnes sidelined, Bjelica made his first start of the season and scored 25 points with eight rebounds, three assists and two steals. Bjelica is making $7.15MM and the Heat have a $7.6MM trade exception to absorb Bjelica’s contract, Anderson notes. Bjelica has temporarily rejoined the rotation the last four games. “To be honest with you, I work my (butt) off,” Bjelica said. “That’s what everybody’s supposed to do when you’re out of the rotation or you don’t play or you play less.”
  • Barnes sat out with a left foot strain and Holmes missed his second game in a row due to right knee soreness. Kings coach Luke Walton said both players are expected back “very soon,” Anderson notes in the same story.
  • Veteran swingman Kent Bazemore erupted for 26 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals for the Warriors against Miami on Wednesday. He’s become a valuable option for coach Steve Kerr, Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic notes. “He’s frenetic out there and plays with great energy,” Kerr said. “He’s kind of all over the map. He has his moments where he makes plays where he gets out of control but also makes really athletic, powerful moves to the rim, with steals, and fast-break layups, dunks.” Bazemore joined the Warriors on a veteran’s minimum contract in November and will return to free agency this summer.
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Lakers Notes: Horton-Tucker, Caldwell-Pope, Davis, 2020

January 2nd, 2021 at 7:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

Preseason sensation Talen Horton-Tucker hasn’t seen significant playing time since the regular season began, but that might change soon, writes Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. The Lakers are low on wing players with Alex Caruso in the NBA’s health and safety protocol and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope dealing with a sprained left ankle he suffered Friday night.

“He’s a guy who’s young but seems like he’s been in the league for a while,” Anthony Davis said of the second-year shooting guard. “He likes to learn. He’s not afraid of the moment, and we have a guy who’s 19, 20? – something like that – where you can throw him in the fire and he’ll be ready to go, so we for sure got a steal in the draft with him.”

Horton-Tucker spent most of last season in the G League and didn’t make a strong impression on the coaching staff until the restart in Orlando. He was awed by the chance to match skills with veteran J.R. Smith in practice, but now he’s gotten used to facing NBA stars.

“It’s great just being around those guys to see where you are every day,” he said. “For me, it gives me a measuring stick. I wouldn’t say I’m still star struck.”

There’s more Lakers news to pass along:

  • Caldwell-Pope didn’t need a walking boot as he left the arena Friday and isn’t concerned that the ankle will be a long-term problem, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic. “Ankle is fine,” he said. “X-rays was negative, just a little sprain. And hopefully I can go in a couple days. We’re gonna treat it for the next couple days until we get to Memphis and see how we go from there.”
  • Davis is one of the best shooting big men in the league, and coach Frank Vogel wants him to put up more shots from long distance, Buha adds in the same piece. Davis shot a career-high 3.5 three-pointers per game last season and the plan is for him to increase that number. “Coach wants me to shoot at least five, average five, a game this year,” Davis said. “… Sometimes I pass up for a better shot. But I just got to shoot it. Any time I can shoot a high volume, I usually shoot pretty well from the field.”
  • Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times talks to Lakers players about the highs and lows of 2020, which included a 17th NBA title, the shocking death of Kobe Bryant and the havoc created by COVID-19.
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Western Contract Details: Grizzlies, KCP, Hood, Thunder

November 24th, 2020 at 5:21pm CST by Luke Adams

John Konchar‘s new deal with the Grizzlies, which will use part of the team’s mid-level exception, is guaranteed for the first two seasons, according to Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). In 2022/23, only $840K of Konchar’s full $2.3MM salary is guaranteed, and his $2.4MM salary for ’23/24 is non-guaranteed, Smith adds.

Konchar was one of a handful of Grizzlies who signed a multiyear contract that isn’t fully guaranteed on the back end. As Smith explains (via Twitter), De’Anthony Melton‘s four-year contract, which has a descending structure, only has a partial guaranteed of $1.5MM on his $8MM salary for 2023/24.

Meanwhile, Jontay Porter, who got a three-year deal, has a partial guarantee of $300K on his $1.95MM salary for 2021/22, then has a non-guaranteed $2MM salary in ’22/23, per Smith (Twitter link). Porter’s contract also came out of Memphis’ MLE.

Here are a few more contract details from around the Western Conference, all courtesy of Smith:

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Lakers Re-Sign Kentavious Caldwell-Pope To Three-Year Deal

November 21st, 2020 at 6:57pm CST by Luke Adams

NOVEMBER 22: The Lakers have officially re-signed Caldwell-Pope, the team announced in a press release.

NOVEMBER 21: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is returning to the Lakers, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), who hears from agent Rich Paul that the free agent swingman will get a three-year, $40MM deal to return to the defending champions. The third year of the contract will only be partially guaranteed, Charania notes (via Twitter).

Having put up relatively modest numbers (9.3 PPG on .467/.385/.775 shooting) during 69 regular season games (25.5 MPG), Caldwell-Pope made some big shots in the playoffs, knocking down 42.1% of his three-point attempts in the first three rounds and then averaging 12.8 PPG in the Finals, the third-highest scoring average on the team behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

The Lakers’ trusted three-and-D wing turned down his $8.54MM player option in search of a raise in free agency and it wasn’t clear for the last 24 hours whether or not a reunion was in the cards.

According to Charania (via Twitter), KCP drew interest from several interested teams — previous reports indicated that the Knicks were among his potential suitors. However, Paul’s strong relationship with the Lakers helped seal the deal on a new agreement.

Having already committed to sign Montrezl Harrell with their mid-level exception and Wesley Matthews with their bi-annual exception, the Lakers will be hard-capped and don’t have a ton of room to maneuver, given the terms of Caldwell-Pope’s new deal.

As Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report tweets, it may mean Los Angeles is unable to offer Markieff Morris more than the minimum or that the club is unable to carry a full 15-man roster. Still, KCP was a priority, given his importance in the postseason, so the team will be satisfied to get him back and do what it can to fill out the rest of the roster.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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