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Lakers Still Trying To Find ‘Ideal Rotation,’ Discuss Doncic’s First Games With Team

February 20th, 2025 at 8:56pm CST by Tristan Tucker

When the Lakers returned from the All-Star break on Wednesday, they did so with nearly every player on the roster available. Outside of Maxi Kleber, the Lakers fielded a healthy roster for pretty much the first time this season, Khobi Price of The Orange County Register writes.

In that game against Charlotte, the Lakers used a starting lineup of LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes, with Gabe Vincent, Alex Len, Dalton Knecht, Dorian Finney-Smith and Jarred Vanderbilt playing as reserves. That left Shake Milton, Markieff Morris, Bronny James and Cam Reddish on the outside looking in, but head coach JJ Redick acknowledged that the rotation is a work in progress.

“We’re still trying to develop the ideal rotation,” Redick said before the game. “But again, as we’ve said all year, the ideal rotation may change night to night, depending on the opponent. So a lot of guys will get their shot.”

Outside of just which players will earn regular playing time, the massive changes to the roster also open up questions about the game plan. As ESPN’s Dave McMenamin notes, on Wednesday it was James, not Doncic, who got the last shot with the Lakers looking to send the game to overtime. Doncic inbounded a pass to James, who missed a game-tying three against the Hornets.

“[James] had it going, so obviously we’re going to go to him,” Doncic said. “I think it will go both ways. One time it’s going to be him, one time me. So I think it depends how the game is going.”

Doncic has only played three games with the Lakers, and everyone involved knows that integrating a system-changing superstar doesn’t happen overnight. In his three games, Doncic is averaging 14.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 4.0 turnovers and 4.3 fouls.

“Obviously, it’s going to take a little time,” Doncic said. “Today, a lot of rustiness for my part. Started the game with like four or five turnovers. That can’t happen. So just got to play basketball the right way.”

It isn’t just a new environment that might be contributing to rust for Doncic. Those three appearances with the Lakers are his first since Christmas Day due to his calf injury.

“He still doesn’t know all the plays. He doesn’t know all the defensive coverages, all the signals and things that we’ve built since September,” James said. “So obviously we’re trying to fast-track it on the fly. He’s coming back from his injury. He’s getting back into form. So we’re all working through it together.”

It’s still obviously early in the process, but the Lakers acquired Doncic with an eye toward the future. He’s under contract through at least next season and holds a player option worth $48.97MM in 2026/27. He could agree to an extension before then, and by all accounts, he seems in good spirits following the trade. Dallas Hoops Journal’s Grant Afseth (Substack link) wrote more about Doncic’s integration.

“I’m happy to be here, man,” Doncic said. “This is one of the greatest clubs in the world. Just happy to be here. Obviously, I’m gonna need some time, but I’m happy to represent the Lakers.“

Agent: Lakers Shouldn’t Have Failed Mark Williams’ Physical

February 20th, 2025 at 3:25pm CST by Rory Maher

In a statement released via Excel Sports Management (Twitter link), agent Jeff Schwartz pushed back on the Lakers‘ decision to fail his client’s physical.

The Lakers agreed to trade Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, their unprotected 2031 first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap to the Hornets for Mark Williams, but later voided the trade over “multiple issues” with Williams’ physical.

“The overwhelming sentiment, after conferring with multiple, nationally recognized doctors, is that the Los Angeles Lakers should not have failed Mark Williams on his physical.

“Mark was ready and able to play for them and should have been given that opportunity,” Schwartz said.

In his first game back with the Hornets following the nixed trade, Williams recorded 10 points, nine rebounds and two assists on Wednesday in a three-point victory over the Lakers in Los Angeles. After the game, he suggested the Lakers may have had buyer’s remorse over all the assets they gave up to acquire him, according to Mark Medina of Sportskeeda.

“I don’t know for them, if it was what they gave up or went into that reasoning. But I don’t think it was solely because of my physical,” Williams said. “I’ve been playing all year. And I think my minutes and production on the court speak for itself.”

As Medina notes, Williams missed the majority of last season with a back injury as well as the first 20 games of 2024/25 due to a left foot injury, but he has bounced back by posting some of the best numbers of his career this season, averaging 15.3 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 blocks per game in 24 appearances (25.2 minutes). The 23-year-old called the past few weeks “crazy” and “tough,” but he’s happy to be back with the Hornets.

“Obviously the last two weeks have been national attention. It’s not really something that happens very often,” Williams said. “So I think just the rest of the way being able to show the player that I am, I feel like I’ve been doing that all year and I’ll just try to continue to do that.”

Williams (return to competition reconditioning) and LaMelo Ball (right ankle injury management) are among several Hornets who will be sidelined for Thursday’s back-to-back against Denver, the team announced (via Twitter).

For the Lakers, Luka Doncic (left calf injury management) and Jarred Vanderbilt (right foot surgery management) will be sidelined for tonight’s back-to-back in Portland, while LeBron James (left foot injury management) is questionable (Twitter link via Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group). According to NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link), the Lakers are “pleased” with Doncic’s recovery progress and are confident he’ll soon be able to play both ends of back-to-backs.

And-Ones: 2025 FAs, College Jobs, MCW, WNBA, More

February 20th, 2025 at 7:31am CST by Luke Adams

A series of contract extensions have depleted the star-level talent in the NBA’s 2025 free agent class, but there will still be some notable names to watch this summer, as Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report and ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link) detail.

Both Pincus and Marks have longtime NBA stars LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden atop their lists of 2025 free agents, with Marks positing that no player will have more leverage this offseason than Irving, given how badly the Mavericks need to retain the veteran point guard following the trade of Luka Doncic.

After James, Irving, and Harden, who have combined for 41 career All-Star appearances, the next tier of free agents consists of players like Myles Turner, Fred VanVleet, Jonathan Kuminga, Josh Giddey, and Timberwolves power forwards Julius Randle and Naz Reid. Interestingly, Pincus has Reid ranked ahead of the three-time All-Star he backs up, placing Reid at No. 5 and Randle at No. 7 in his early FA rankings.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

As is typical at this time of year, a number of NBA coaches and executives are receiving interest for jobs at the college basketball level, notes Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). Fischer mentions Hornets executive Buzz Peterson and veteran player agent Jim Tanner as possible candidates for UNC’s general manager job and says Heat assistant Chris Quinn, Suns assistant David Fizdale, and Bucks assistant Dave Joerger are among the names to watch for the University of Miami’s head coaching position. Fischer adds that Kings assistant Luke Loucks has been linked to Florida State’s head coaching opening.
Former NBA Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams is involved in a bid to bring an WNBA expansion franchise to Boston, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. With expansion teams lined up for San Francisco, Portland, Toronto, and Cleveland, the WNBA will have 16 clubs by 2028, so it’s unclear whether or not the league will be looking to expand beyond that number right away.
Passing along the results of a player poll from All-Star weekend, Joe Vardon of The Athletic notes that the 14 respondents were unanimously against the idea of 10-minute quarters floated last month by commissioner Adam Silver. However, 12 of those 14 players liked the new All-Star tournament format.
The Lakers‘ and Pistons‘ G League affiliates completed a trade on Wednesday, with the South Bay Lakers acquiring forward Cole Swider from the Motor City Cruise in exchange for Chris Silva‘s returning rights and a 2025 first-round pick, per a press release. Silva is currently playing overseas, but Swider has been active in the G League and will begin suiting up for South Bay.

Lakers Notes: LeBron, Doncic, Reddish, Paul

February 19th, 2025 at 5:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

LeBron James is listed as questionable for tonight’s contest as the Lakers resume their season against Charlotte, according to Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. James sat out Sunday’s All-Star Game, citing “ankle and foot discomfort.” He was able to practice on Tuesday, but the team is being careful not to aggravate his condition.

“It’s something that we managed all year and it was sore over the weekend,” coach J.J. Redick said after the practice session. “He was able to do most of practice today. But, like it’s been all year, like it’s a day-to-day thing. It’s just something that we’ve had to manage and we’ll continue to manage throughout the rest of the year.”

Lakers fans can expect to see more of Luka Doncic in his third game with L.A., Turner adds. Redick limited him to 24 and 23 minutes in his first two outings because he was returning from a calf injury, but the week off for the All-Star break has been beneficial.

“His minutes will be up (Wednesday),” Redick said. “I don’t think there is going to be any sort of restrictions going forward.”

There’s more on the Lakers:

Cam Reddish practiced on Tuesday for the first time since the trade that would have sent him to the Hornets was rescinded, tweets Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. Reddish had been away from the team due to the birth of his daughter. “We talked a little bit. I know he’s in a funky situation,” Dorian Finney-Smith said. “I’ve been traded. I’ve never been part of having to come back after that. It was part of the business. I know he’s just happy it’s all over with and he can get back to playing basketball.”
In a full story, Price identifies three trends to watch for the rest of the season: Doncic’s growing role in the offense, more reliance on small-ball lineups and the effects of lingering injuries to several players.
Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, who represents James and Anthony Davis, is the latest NBA figure to admit that the Doncic trade caught him completely off guard, saying in an interview with Pickup Hoop (Twitter video link), “99.9% of the time, I’m going to know what’s going on. The one time I didn’t was the one time we all didn’t. … I’m glad I didn’t know because it probably wouldn’t happened if you did know.”

Pacific Notes: Doncic, Lakers Offense, Suns Arena, Durant

February 18th, 2025 at 7:01pm CST by Dana Gauruder

With the shock of getting traded wearing off, Luka Doncic is eager to see how this Lakers season will play out. The time off during the All-Star break should have him at full throttle. Doncic averaged only 15 points in his first two games with the club after recovering from a calf injury.

“I think we can go very far,” Doncic said, per Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal (Substack link). “Obviously, (last week) I felt a little bit rusty, two games in after my injury—turnovers, missed free throws, so I’ve got to do way better.”

Doncic was encouraged that he had no health-related setbacks after playing two games.

“It’s good. Still getting back in rhythm,” Doncic said. “You can’t really practice that five-on-five stuff. It’s way different in the game, but I’m just happy to be back out there and trying to win and play games.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

With Doncic developing chemistry with LeBron James and Austin Reaves, the Lakers should become a top-three offense and aim for home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, Jovan Buha of The Athletic writes. He notes in that limited sample of back-to-back games against Utah, the Lakers scored 116.7 points per 100 possessions with Doncic on the court, higher than their season average. That could improve to the 120 points per 100 possessions range once Doncic settles in, in Buha’s estimation.
The Suns’ arena will be called PHX Arena on an interim basis as the naming rights go on the market, John Gambadoro of 98.7FM Phoenix tweets. The arena will be the host site for the 2027 All-Star Game. The franchise ended its naming rights agreement with Footprint.
Could Kevin Durant finish out his playing career in Europe? The Suns superstar didn’t dismiss the possibility during All-Star weekend. “I play in the NBA, but I also love watching the EuroLeague,” he said, according to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net. “Barcelona would be a great place. Monaco would be nice too. For now, I love Phoenix. I’m staying.”

Lakers Notes: LeBron, Luka, Center, Vanderbilt, DFS

February 17th, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Asked at All-Star weekend whether the the Lakers‘ acquisition of Luka Doncic might affect his timeline for retirement, star forward LeBron James neither confirmed nor denied that the opportunity to play alongside Doncic would prompt him to try to extend his career.

“I have not given it that type of thought,” James said, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “Just the excitement of being able to add a caliber player like that, a generational talent like that to our franchise, it’s something that’s given me energy. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do. … I think we could be really good going down the stretch. But we’ll see what happens.”

As McMenamin relays, James discussed a wide variety of topics during his 15-minutes press conference on Sunday, including Saturday’s dunk contest. LeBron said it would be “pretty cool” to see stars like Ja Morant and Giannis Antetokounmpo compete in the event, as they teased on social media on Saturday night, but he said he’s fine with the fact that it’s not something on his own career résumé.

“No, there’s no part of me that has regrets about not doing it,” James said. “Obviously, I had a couple moments where I wanted to do it, and it just never worked out that way.”

Here’s more on the Lakers:

There’s “no tangible dismay” from Doncic’s camp about the fact that the Lakers’ trade for Mark Williams – who was reportedly “handpicked” by Doncic – ended up falling through, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link). According to Stein, Doncic told Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka he understood the team might not be able to add a starting-caliber center until the offseason, and he was impressed that Pelinka and the front office nearly addressed that need just days after making their deal with the Mavericks.
Doncic has been on a minutes restriction since returning from his calf strain last Monday, playing between 23 and 24 minutes in each of his first two outings as a Laker. According to Stein, L.A. is expected to continue with that “measured approach” coming out of the All-Star break, with Doncic likely to play in just one of the club’s back-to-back games on Wednesday vs. Charlotte and Thursday in Portland.
Jovan Buha of The Athletic considers what the Lakers’ center rotation will look like for the rest of this season, writing that Alex Len‘s first game last Wednesday was “rough” and the veteran’s floor may be lower than initially thought. In Buha’s view, the team may end up having to rely more than it would like on small-ball lineups, especially in the postseason, with Jarred Vanderbilt and Dorian Finney-Smith among the candidates to see minutes at the five in that scenario.

Stephen Curry Named All-Star MVP; Shaq’s Team Wins Mini-Tournament

February 16th, 2025 at 10:26pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Stephen Curry was named the All-Star Game’s Most Valuable Player, Octagon Basketball tweets. Curry was a member of the victorious Shaq’s OGs squad.

Shaq’s OGs defeated Candace’s Rising Stars 42-35 in the semifinals of the four-team mini-tournament. In the final, they faced Chuck’s Global Stars, who had defeated Kenny’s Young Stars 41-32 in the other semifinal. Shaq’s OGs downed Chuck’s Global Stars, 41-25, for the championship.

Shaq’s squad also featured Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, James Harden and Jaylen Brown. Anthony Davis was originally chosen for the squad but was sidelined by an adductor injury and was replaced by Irving.

LeBron James was also on the team but was a late scratch, as he rested his sore ankle and foot.

The championship-winning players received $125K apiece. Each player on Chuck’s team received $5oK, while all other participants collected $25K.

LeBron James Won’t Play In All-Star Game

February 16th, 2025 at 6:17pm CST by Dana Gauruder

LeBron James won’t play in tonight’s All-Star Game, he announced during a pregame press conference (Twitter video link via Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints).

“You won’t see anything from me tonight,” he said. “Unfortunately, I will not be in uniform tonight. Still dealing with ankle and foot discomfort.”

James was slated to make his 21st All-Star appearance. He was part of Shaq’s Team in the new four-team mini-tournament format. He won’t be replaced on that team, leaving seven players available on that squad.

James is hopeful that he’ll be able to suit up for the next Lakers game on Wednesday against Charlotte, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times tweets. He has missed four regular season games.

Pacific Notes: Durant, Edwards, James, Harden

February 16th, 2025 at 5:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Suns got off to an 8-1 start but it’s been a rocky ride since that point. They entered the All-Star break with a 26-28 record, 11th in the Western Conference. At All-Star media day on Saturday, Kevin Durant gave his take on why they’ve faltered, as The Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin relays.

“We started well,” he said. “I feel like we definitely could be playing better. I feel like there’s a couple factors. We had some guys in and out of the lineup. We’re not rebounding well, turning the ball over. I think just fundamental stuff I think we’ll be better. If we fix that coming out of the break, I think we’ll have a better chance to win some basketball games.”

Durant believes the club will finish strong, citing the recent additions of Nick Richards and Bol Bol to the starting five.

“We made a couple lineup changes, too, that will help us out, adding more size to our starting lineup, so that may help, as well,” Durant said. “Our last few games, we’ve just been playing a better brand of ball. Even though we lost two, I feel like we’re just playing a better brand of ball, a more sustainable brand with the lineup switches like that.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

The Timberwolves reportedly made a last-ditch attempt prior to the trade deadline to engage in talks with the Suns regarding Durant. Fellow Western Conference All-Star Anthony Edwards couldn’t believe the Suns even entertained offers for Durant, according to Rankin. “Yeah, I was super surprised,” Edwards said. “Didn’t think Phoenix would be trying to trade him.”
LeBron James will become the third player in NBA history to appear in an All-Star Game after turning 40. James will also be making his 21st appearance in the game and he’s humbled by the opportunity. “Special thanks to my fans that voted me in their portion,” the Lakers forward said, per Khobi Price of the Orange County Register. “The coaches, the players who had anything to do with me being a part of it. It’s always special and very humbling and I don’t take it for granted being an All-Star. It’s something that, when I was a kid, I always watched the All-Star Game and had the opportunity to do and I always wanted to be on that floor. But it’s always special. I’m pretty happy about it.”
James Harden is making his first All-Star appearance since 2022. The Clippers guard was confident he could reach that level again, he told Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times. “I never doubted it,” Harden said. “It was me just, you know, finally being healthy and getting back to my zone. Getting back to who I am and here I am.” Harden is averaging 21.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 8.6 assists per game this season.

Stephen Curry: ‘No Hard Feelings’ Regarding Kevin Durant

February 14th, 2025 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Stephen Curry has “no hard feelings, no resentment” toward Kevin Durant for not wanting to return to the Warriors, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.

As Curry, Durant and LeBron James get ready to reunite at All-Star Weekend for the first time since the Summer Olympics, Youngmisuk examines the failed trade attempts that would have teamed up Curry and James last season and Curry and Durant a week ago. The latest deal was scuttled when Durant told Curry that it “didn’t feel right” and “wasn’t the time” for him to return to the Bay Area.

“You need everybody to be all bought in no matter what the history you have,” Curry said. “And I respect KD. It’s all about having peace of mind and happiness. Neither one of us controlled that [trade] situation. It’s just you want to make sure somebody wants to be somewhere. Other than that, I’m not trying to convince anybody to be somewhere they don’t want to be.”

Durant was reportedly blindsided by the proposed three-team deal, which also involved Jimmy Butler going from Miami to Phoenix. Durant hadn’t considered leaving the Suns, although his future appears less certain this summer as he heads into the final year of his contract.

Durant enjoyed the greatest success of his long career during his three seasons with Golden State, making three straight trips to the NBA Finals and earning Finals MVP honors as the Warriors won titles in 2017 and 2018.

However, there was a downside, as Durant was frequently criticized for leaving Oklahoma City in free agency in 2016 to sign with a Warriors team that was coming off a 73-win season. Durant also had a highly publicized on-court dispute with Draymond Green, and there were reports that he wasn’t fully happy sharing the spotlight with Curry. After suffering an Achilles tear during the 2019 Finals, Durant left Golden State to sign with Brooklyn.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he completely understands any reluctance Durant has to come back.

“I don’t blame Kevin one bit for not wanting to rerun things here,” said Kerr, who also coached Durant in the Olympics. “He took so much s— for like, ‘Oh, you’re jumping on the bandwagon’ [when he signed with Golden State as a free agent in 2016]. And then he’s Finals MVP two years in a row. It’s like he still gets criticized. So why would he want to face all that B.S. again?”

Curry adds that he doesn’t expect things to be awkward “at all” with Durant when they get together this weekend. Instead of focusing on the decision to nix the trade, Curry wants to savor the time he gets to spend with Durant and James, recognizing that there won’t be many more opportunities as they all near the end of their careers.

Youngmisuk notes that things have turned out fine for the Warriors, who were able to acquire Butler directly from Miami when the Durant deal fell through. Golden State is 3-1 since Butler arrived, and Curry is confident that his team can handle anyone in a seven-game series.

“I think it all worked out as it probably was supposed to,” Kerr said. “For Jimmy, it’s a fresh start. For us, it’s a different vibe, different look. Kevin didn’t feel [a reunion], so it wouldn’t have been healthy for him to come here or for us if he didn’t want to be here. Obviously, we would’ve been thrilled with either one of them. But I think it all worked out as it was supposed to.”