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Lakers Rumors: Trade Deadline Approach, Vanderbilt, Reaves

January 21st, 2025 at 9:06am CST by Luke Adams

With the February 6 trade deadline approaching, the Lakers could take one of three general paths, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic. They could use one or both of their tradable first-round picks to try to significantly upgrade the roster; stand pat or make a relatively minor trade, perhaps using their two remaining second-round picks; or launch a rebuild by tearing down the roster and trading LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

That last option is clearly the least likely, according to Buha, who suggests that trading away James and/or Davis if they haven’t asked to be moved would be against the organization’s “ethos.” And there’s no indication that either player will seek a deal out of Los Angeles within the next couple weeks.

As Buha said a few days ago in a YouTube video, his sense from talking to rival scouts and executives around the NBA is that the Lakers are more likely to do something small than to take a big swing at the deadline.

While that could change if certain players unexpectedly become available, the Lakers aren’t in a great position to address all three of their most glaring needs – a two-way wing, another play-maker and ball-handler, and a center who can protect the rim and rebound – using their remaining assets, given their limited trade chips and their lack of mid-sized expiring contracts, Buha writes.

Here’s more from Buha on the Lakers:

Los Angeles is “cautiously optimistic” that the impending return of forward Jarred Vanderbilt will help give the team more clarity on which areas and positions represent its greatest need(s), per Buha. If Vanderbilt’s return goes well, the expectation around the league is that the Lakers will focus on adding either a big man or a ball-handler, especially since there likely won’t be impactful two-way wings available in their price range.
The “all-in” approach, which would involve trading the Lakers’ 2029 and 2031 first-round picks, has long been the one favored by James and Davis, Buha notes, but acquiring another impact player would be difficult, in part due to their cap situation — the club can’t take back more salary than it sends out and can’t aggregate Dorian Finney-Smith‘s salary since he was recently acquired, so stacking contracts for a Jimmy Butler-type star earning the max would be challenging.
As Buha observes, Austin Reaves‘ strong play since D’Angelo Russell was traded has also lessened the need for the club to acquire a high-level third option. In the nine games since Russell was moved, Reaves has averaged 20.4 points and 7.3 assists per game with a .450/.390/.915 shooting line.

LeBron James: “We Don’t Have Room For Error”

January 20th, 2025 at 8:00am CST by Arthur Hill

With the trade deadline 17 days away, LeBron James may be sending a message to the front office that something needs to be done. The Lakers star talked about the limits of the team’s current roster after a 116-102 loss to the cross-town Clippers on Sunday night, according to Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times.

James said the team has a razor-thin margin for error because of the way the roster has been put together. Asked if there is a way to improve that internally, James responded, “Nah. That’s how our team is constructed. We don’t have room for error — for much error.”

Presented with a follow-up question about whether the Lakers have to be nearly perfect to have a chance to win, James said, “We don’t have a choice. I mean… that’s the way our team is constructed. And we have to, we have to play close-to-perfect basketball.”

Woike points out that even though the Lakers are sixth in the West at 22-18, their underlying numbers haven’t been good. Despite the winning record, their net rating is minus-2.9, which ranks 12th in the conference.

They’re also failing to capitalize on a favorable part of the schedule, as Sunday was their 10th time playing in Los Angeles over a 12-game stretch. The Lakers are just 5-5 so far and are in danger of slipping out of a guaranteed playoff spot and maybe even the play-in tournament.

Adding to James’ point about roster construction, he probably didn’t expect to be playing such a major role at age 40. He’s logging 34.9 minutes per night, which is roughly in line with his playing time since he came to L.A. seven years ago, and is averaging 23.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 8.8 assists. He has only missed four games this season, and the Lakers usually need a huge effort from him to be competitive.

It’s also worth noting that part of the roster construction issue stems from taking James’ son, Bronny James, with a second-round pick and giving him a standard contract rather than a two-way deal. The 20-year-old guard has spent much of his rookie season in the G League and has averaged just 2.4 minutes in nine NBA games.

The Lakers have already made one significant deal, acquiring Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton from Brooklyn last month in a four-player trade. That hasn’t been enough to spark the team in a tight Western Conference playoff race.

Making pointed remarks close to the trade deadline has been a pattern throughout James’ career, but he’s not the only one who believes the Lakers are in a difficult position. A longtime scout tells Woike that the Lakers appear “stuck,” and coach J.J. Redick expressed similar concerns Sunday night.

“We don’t have a huge margin for error. Nor can we create that margin organically,” Redick said. “It has to be emphasized daily to touch the paint, to play paint-to-great mentality, make the extra pass. We don’t have a guy on our team that’s going to necessarily always draw two to the ball. We don’t have a guy on our team that’s going to be able to get past his guy one-on-one and get to the paint and spread it out to the perimeter. Like, that’s just not our team. So we have to do it through connectivity, through execution. And when we do that, we’re really good.”

And-Ones: All-Star Voting, New Leagues, Midseason Awards

January 17th, 2025 at 11:59am CST by Dana Gauruder

The third update on fan voting for the All-Star Game has Nikola Jokic, LeBron James and Kevin Durant heading the list of Western Conference frontcourt players, the NBA announced on Thursday (via Twitter). Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Stephen Curry and Luka Doncic have received the most votes among Western Conference backcourt players.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum and Karl-Anthony Towns are the top three vote-getters among Eastern Conference frontcourt players, while LaMelo Ball, Donovan Mitchell and Damian Lillard have the most votes among the conference’s backcourt players.

The fan vote counts for 50 percent regarding All-Star starters. Player voting and a media panel’s selections are weighed at 25 percent apiece. Fan voting ends Monday and the All-Star starters will be revealed on Thursday during a TNT broadcast.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Will a new basketball league to challenge the NBA come to fruition? According to Bloomberg.com, a group of investors being advised by Maverick Carter, LeBron’s business partner, is seeking to raise $5 billion from private capital sources to form an international basketball league. James himself is not part of the efforts to form this new league, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The investors, which includes multiple private equity funds, are looking to form a league consisting of six men’s teams and six women’s teams playing games around the world, Charania adds.
Speaking of international games, NBA commissioner Adam Silver confirmed on Shaquille O’Neal’s podcast that discussions have been held regarding a new European league, Eurohoops relays. “One of the things we’ve been discussing is whether, before adding NBA franchises in Europe, there’s an opportunity to create an independent league there. This could leverage the enormous interest in basketball in major European capitals like Paris, London, Berlin, and Madrid— and other major cities that love basketball,” Silver said. Discussions between the NBA and FIBA regarding the proposed league have previously been reported.
Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix and Liam McKeone hand out their midseason awards, including Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year and Coach of the Year. Mannix chooses Gilgeous-Alexander as his midseason MVP, while McKeone selects Jokic. They also take a look at the highs and lows of the season so far.

Lakers Notes: Redick, Reaves, Bronny, Jemison

January 16th, 2025 at 7:24pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Lakers coach JJ Redick challenged the Lakers to prioritize connectivity and communication on Wednesday before playing the Heat, but they faced a big deficit at halftime. According to Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times, Redick got it through to his team that they needed to talk more and play harder.

The Lakers fared better against Miami’s zone defense in the second half and came back to register their first win since Jan. 3.

“I challenged the team across the board today in our meeting about leadership,” Redick said. “And leadership — people think about talking, obviously being vocal, talking in the huddles, whatever it may be. That certainly is a form of leadership. But leadership takes many forms. And I think talk is a requirement of the job as a basketball player. Talk is a requirement of the job.”

According to Woike, Los Angeles’ Wednesday win was a sign of growth, with players taking accountability for things they hadn’t been doing.

We have more from the Lakers:

Guard Austin Reaves played a huge role in the win against Miami and he’s continuing to grow as a play-maker. Reaves is averaging 9.6 assists per game since Christmas, including a career-high 16 on Dec. 29 and 14 against the Heat. According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin (Twitter link), Redick said Thursday that Reaves is playing at an “All-Star level.” His season-long averages of 17.9 points and 6.2 assists per game would be career highs if they hold.
LeBron James continues to be thrilled about having Bronny James on the roster, even if the younger James isn’t playing much, Chuck Schilken of the Los Angeles Times writes. “Bronny doesn’t have to play basketball at all,” LeBron James said on the New Heights podcast (YouTube link). “It’s not like he needs the money. He can do whatever he wants to do. Like, if he wants to be the CEO of my company, he could be that. I’ll start teaching him right now to be that if he wants to. But he’s like, ‘This is my career … my goals and … aspirations and I want to play ball. This is something I love.’ I love that kid. He’s awesome.” Bronny has played sparingly at the NBA level, but he’s averaging 14.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game in the G League.
The Lakers signed Trey Jemison to a two-way contract on Wednesday, replacing Quincy Olivari. That deal is for two years, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
According to McMenamin (Twitter link), the addition of Jemison coincides with the coaching staff’s desire to play Anthony Davis with another center on the floor. Outside of Jemison, the Lakers’ centers on the roster consist of Christian Wood, Jaxson Hayes and Christian Koloko. Wood hasn’t played all season due to a knee injury, while Hayes has also battled health issues and Koloko (on a two-way) has had a limited role.

Lakers Notes: Trade Deadline, Christie, Reaves, LeBron

January 5th, 2025 at 10:01am CST by Rory Maher

The Lakers have gone 8-3 since they moved Max Christie into the starting lineup last month, ranking sixth in the league in defensive rating over that span, writes Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. That makes the third-year guard highly unlikely to be moved prior to the February 6 trade deadline, according to Woike.

In fact, Christie is just the type of player the Lakers should be targeting, someone who can provide off-ball shooting, athleticism and perimeter defense. However, people around the NBA are quick to point out that just about every team is looking for players in that mold, Woike notes.

As Woike writes, the Lakers have frequently been linked to centers like Jonas Valanciunas and Walker Kessler, but acquiring a big man seems less likely after the acquisition of Dorian Finney-Smith, a floor-spacing forward who is capable of defending multiple positions. Rival teams are skeptical that the Jazz would even trade Kessler, preferring to keep the 23-year-old.

Los Angeles would also like to get a look at a second unit featuring a healthy Gabe Vincent and Jarred Vanderbilt — the latter is expected to make his season debut in January, while Vincent is currently dealing with an oblique injury.

Making an all-in move for a maximum-salary star seems very far-fetched, per Woike, as the failed Russell Westbrook experiment and the restrictions of the new tax aprons has made acquiring another massive contract unpalatable and impractical, if not impossible.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

Trading D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis and three second-round picks to Brooklyn acquire Finney-Smith and Shake Milton wasn’t just about adding complementary role players — it was also a way for the Lakers to see if Austin Reaves can develop into the third offensive star they’ve long been searching for, contends Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times (subscriber link).
As Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group details, Reaves’ usage rate has skyrocketed over the past few weeks, with the 26-year-old given more opportunities to run the offense. The Lakers have been far more efficient offensively when Reaves is on the court, especially lately, but he acknowledged there will be an adjustment period, Price adds. “I’m excited,” Reaves said. “I’m going to do dumb things. I’m going to mess up. I’m going to do dumb things and I’m going to learn from them. That’s all I can really do. I’m taking on this role on the fly, trading D-Lo, getting more on-ball reps. I’m just gonna learn. This is my fourth year in the league. Every day I can still learn something new. I’m really excited to continue to learn, to continue to grow and become a better player.”
Anthony Davis jokingly pointed out that it took him seven more seasons to accomplish the feat, but LeBron James broke Michael Jordan‘s NBA record for the most regular season games (563) scoring at least 30 points in Friday’s victory over Atlanta, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN relays. “It’s very humbling,” James said. “Anytime I’m mentioned with any of the greats, and arguably the greatest ever to play the game, super cool. It’s someone I idolized in my childhood, and I wear 23 because of him.”

And-Ones: All-Star Voting, NBAGL Standouts, Diamond Sports, Rookies

January 3rd, 2025 at 8:30pm CST by Luke Adams

MVP candidates Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks and Nikola Jokic of the Nuggets are the leading vote-getters in their respective conferences in the first All-Star fan voting results announced by the NBA on Thursday (Twitter link).

Jayson Tatum, Karl-Anthony Towns, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James are the other stars who rank among the top three frontcourt players in their respective conferences. In the backcourt, LaMelo Ball and Donovan Mitchell lead the way in the East, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic are the top vote-getters in the West.

Fan voting counts for 50% of the total to determine All-Star starters, with players and the media each getting 25%. The fan vote will close on January 20.

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

What do Trey Burke, T.J. Warren, and Jaylen Nowell have in common? They’re NBA veterans who are thriving this season in the G League and making strong cases for call-ups as the 10-day contract window for 2025 opens on Sunday, Keith Smith of Spotrac writes. Smith and Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link) also identify some other G League players who deserve to be considered for NBA promotions, with Valley Suns guard Jaden Shackelford topping Murphy’s list.
Diamond Sports Group announced on Thursday that it has exited bankruptcy and will be known as Main Street Sports Group going forward, tweets Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. The company that was once $9 billion in debt has reduced that figure to $200MM, Vorkunov adds. Diamond Sports Group’s regional sports networks – once known as Bally Sports and now branded as FanDuel Sports Network – broadcast games locally for 13 NBA teams.
Kelly Iko and Sam Vecenie of The Athletic discuss their impressions of some of the notable members of the 2024 rookie class from the Southwest Division, including Spurs guard Stephon Castle, Grizzlies teammates Zach Edey and Jaylen Wells, and Rockets guard Reed Sheppard. Vecenie explains that he’s not worried about Sheppard’s slow start because it’s rare for one-and-done rookies to make an impact for a team like Houston, the West’s No. 3 seed.

LeBron James Plans To Retire As Laker

December 30th, 2024 at 8:20pm CST by Dana Gauruder

LeBron James said on his 40th birthday that he plans to retire with the Lakers, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

“I think that’s the plan,” James told a swarm of reporters on Monday. “I would love for it to end here. That would be the plan. I came here to play the last stage of my career and to finish it off here. But I’m also not silly or too jaded to know the business of the game as well, to know the business of basketball. But I think my relationship with this organization speaks for itself. And hopefully, I don’t got to go nowhere before my career is over.”

James is in his seventh season as a Laker. He signed a two-year, $101.4MM contract with a no-trade clause during the offseason but could become a free agent again in the summer. He holds a $52.6MM player option.

No one his age in league history has posted the kind of numbers he has this season. He’s averaging 23.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 9.0 assists in 35 minutes per game while appearing in 28 of 31 Lakers contests so far.

“If I really wanted to, I could probably play this game at a high level probably for about another — it’s weird that I might say this — but probably about another five to seven years, if I wanted to,” James said. “But I’m not going to do that.”

When will James retire? If he has a notion, he didn’t reveal it on Monday. He did declare that once he leaves the game, he’ll resist the urge to make a comeback.

“I would miss the hell out of (basketball), for sure,” James said. “But no, I won’t walk away and come back.”

Lakers Notes: James, Christie, Finney-Smith, Trade Assets

December 29th, 2024 at 10:59pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Lakers forward LeBron James, who’s been the league’s oldest active player since the start of the 2023/24 season, turns 40 on Monday. As Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press notes, James will become the first player in league history to suit up during his teens, 20s, 30s, and 40s. James will also become only the 30th player ever to appear in a regular season contest in his 40s.

“In some ways he’s a freak of nature,” league commissioner Adam Silver said of James. “I’ve been around a lot of great players and he’s one of the hardest-working players I’ve been around. I mean, he doesn’t take a day off. He seems to not take an afternoon off. He’s always working on some part of his body. You meet with him and he’s always soaking something or eating something with some contraption attached to him.”

The four-time league MVP continues to look like an All-Star while playing in his 22nd NBA season for the 18-13 Lakers. He’s averaging 23.5 points on .496/.357/.767 shooting splits, along with 9.0 rebounds and 7.9 boards per game.

There’s more out of Los Angeles:

Although Lakers swingman Max Christie started his third season a bit unsteadily, he has rounded into form of late. Prior to L.A.’s trade for three-and-D wing Dorian Finney-Smith and point guard Shake Milton, Christie had emerged as a regular part of head coach JJ Redick‘s starting five. The arrival of Finney-Smith may change his role, but Christie has begun to deliver on the promise of the four-year, $32MM deal he signed to stay with Los Angeles over the summer. In a lengthy interview with The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, Christie acknowledged he felt increased pressure to perform after signing his first big NBA contract. “There are a lot of things that happen in the offseason where you get re-signed, I have expectations for myself,” he said. “I think I had too much emphasis on trying to play perfectly [early in the season], do all the right things, and that led to me kind of thinking all the time when I’m out there. I wasn’t flowing. I wasn’t free.” Christie has really made the most of his time back in the rotation over the past month. “It’s been really good so far, honestly. I look back at it and reflect on my whole career up to this point,” he said. “I hadn’t really played a lot, and then I was just trying to work and work and work.”
The Lakers surrendered three second-round draft picks to acquire Finney-Smith and Milton, in addition to the expiring $18.7MM deal of reserve guard D’Angelo Russell and second-year forward Maxwell Lewis. Zach Harper of The Athletic praises the deal for head of basketball operations Rob Pelinka and projects that the 6’7″ Finney-Smith will immediately join the Lakers’ starting lineup, with Christie being moved back to the bench. Finney-Smith will add defensive length along the perimeter, plus a solid three-point shooting stroke. Harper is pessimistic that Milton will crack Redick’s rotation ahead of reserve point guard Gabe Vincent.
Just who gets demoted to the Lakers’ bench has yet to be determined. Jovan Buha of The Athletic thinks forward Rui Hachimura could become a reserve, meaning Max Christie would play alongside Finney-Smith in a new starting unit. Buha notes that the deal will help free up a little cap flexibility for Los Angeles, with the team now $3.5MM below the league’s restrictive second tax apron. Losing Russell means the Lakers are sacrificing some play-making while gaining defense and off-ball shooting. Los Angeles still has some trade assets at its disposal if it wants to continue making deals. In addition to two remaining second-round picks and three first-round pick swaps, the Lakers technically have three tradable future first-round draft selections, but can move only two at most due to the Stepien rule.

Pacific Notes: Suns, Kuminga, Lakers, Hayes, LeBron

December 28th, 2024 at 9:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns remain short-handed for tonight’s game against Golden State, but they may be close to having a full lineup fairly soon, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. While Devin Booker is missing his fifth straight game with a left groin strain he suffered last week, coach Mike Budenholzer is optimistic that Booker won’t be out much longer. Phoenix has lost three of its last four games without the star guard.

“He’s making good progress,” Budenholzer told reporters before Friday’s game at Dallas. “We feel good about it. He’s still got a little more to go, but he’s progressing as expected.”

Budenholzer added that Grayson Allen is “close” to being ready as he misses his fourth straight game tonight while in concussion protocol. Bol Bol is sitting out a fifth straight game with a contusion that he suffered when he banged knees with a teammate during practice.

The Suns are also without center Jusuf Nurkic, who is serving a three-game suspension for an altercation in Friday’s game. Budenholzer addressed the incident in a pregame session with the media (Twitter link from Rankin), saying it’s dangerous when players continue trying to fight after being ejected.

“You never want these things to even escalate to probably the point that it did,” he said. “The concern about any other continued situations is not good for anybody.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Even though the Warriors lost to the Clippers on Friday night, Jonathan Kuminga turned in one of the best games of his career, notes Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle. Kuminga posted a career-high 34 points, along with 10 rebounds and five assists, and led a late rally that made the game close. Although the Warriors were short-handed with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green both nursing injuries, Kuminga continued to come off the bench as coach Steve Kerr used his 18th different starting lineup of the season.
The first 30 games have shown that the Lakers don’t need to make a desperation trade for Zach LaVine, contends Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register. Swanson views the team’s major needs as a three-and-D wing and a reliable backup center, and recommends pursuing Jazz big man Walker Kessler.
Lakers center Jaxson Hayes, who has only been active for one of the past 21 games because of an ankle injury, has been able to play five-on-five in practice, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link). Hayes hopes to be ready for Tuesday’s game against Cleveland if the ankle continues to improve.
Lakers star LeBron James will miss tonight’s game with an illness that also forced him to skip Friday’s practice, McMenamin adds (Twitter link). Gabe Vincent is taking his place in the starting lineup.

Injury Notes: Booker, Allen, Tatum, Lakers, Wizards

December 25th, 2024 at 8:58am CST by Luke Adams

The Suns will be missing guards Devin Booker and Grayson Allen on Christmas Day. Both players were deemed unavailable for Wednesday’s game vs. Denver after sitting out the team’s practice on Tuesday, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.

Booker was originally ruled out for two games after injuring his groin last Thursday, with the Suns referring to the ailment as groin soreness. On its latest injury report, the team is now listing the star as out due to a groin “strain.” Wednesday will be Booker’s third consecutive absence.

Allen, meanwhile, has been in the concussion protocol since taking an elbow to the head in Saturday’s loss to Detroit. This will be the second game he has missed.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

Celtics star Jayson Tatum was a surprise late scratch for Monday’s game vs. Orlando due to a non-COVID illness, as Brian Robb of MassLive.com details. Tatum has been listed as questionable to play in Wednesday’s Christmas Day game vs. Philadelphia as a result of that illness.
Lakers stars Anthony Davis (left shoulder contusion) and LeBron James (left foot injury management) are both listed as questionable for the team’s Christmas Day game against Golden State (Twitter link via Dave McMenamin of ESPN). However, I’d be surprised if either player missed the game — they were listed as questionable due to the same ailments on Monday before being upgraded to available. Point guard D’Angelo Russell is also considered questionable to play due to a sprained left thumb.
The Wizards were missing starters Bilal Coulibaly (right groin soreness) and Alex Sarr (low back soreness) on Monday, prompting the club to deploy a small starting lineup featuring guards Jordan Poole, Malcolm Brogdon, and Carlton Carrington (Twitter link). While neither of those injuries sounds serious, we’re still waiting for an update on big man Marvin Bagley III, who had to be helped off the court midway through the fourth quarter on Monday after suffering a painful-looking knee injury (Twitter video link).