LeBron James Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Lakers Notes: Monk, LeBron, Handy

February 21st, 2022 at 9:58pm CST by Rory Maher

Malik Monk has found redemption and a home with the Lakers, writes Jovan Buha of The Athletic. It’s an interesting, in-depth profile/interview with the 24-year-old guard and his older brother Marcus, a former NFL player, who serves as Monk’s agent.

As Buha relays, Monk had a bumpy road with Charlotte and his value was depressed due to inconsistent play and violating the league’s anti-drug program in 2019/20. The Lakers tried to trade for Monk in ’19/20 and ’20/21, but the Hornets didn’t budge and said Monk was part of their future.

After the Hornets refused to trade him, Monk was then surprised that they didn’t tender him a qualifying offer or re-sign him last summer after he had the best season of his career to that point. Those moves further hurt his reputation around the league, according to Buha.

“Teams don’t have access to all the information on the character of a person and who the person is,” Marcus said. “They’re not in the locker rooms. … I think all of that stuff played into why there wasn’t much interest. And, from me looking at it as if I’m the other 29 teams, I don’t blame them. … All of those things needed to happen. If those things wouldn’t have happened, he would be in the mindset that he’s in right now.

“He’s literally trying to kill every time he touches the floor. Because there are 29 other teams that had the opportunity to sign him.”

Monk thought he’d receive several multiyear offers above the league minimum, but only the Lakers and Mavericks called and offered him a minimum deal. He chose the Lakers because VP of basketball operations Rob Pelinka‘s pitch was both flattering and compelling to a young player looking for a consistent role.

“The Lakers just let me be me,” Monk said. “Let me play free. I’m going out there with a free mind, not worrying about a mistake, and if I’m gonna come out if I make a mistake. They just give me all the confidence to be me.”

Although the Lakers have had a disappointing season, Monk has been a bright spot. He’s averaging career-highs of 13.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 27.1 minutes per game, with a shooting slash line of .471/.399/.772 through 52 games. Monk will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and it might be a challenge for the Lakers to retain him — they only have his Non-Bird rights, so they’ll be limited to an offer of 120% of his minimum salary.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (Insider link) thinks that LeBron James is trying to force L.A. into major offseason moves with his recent comments and actions. James was reportedly unhappy that the team stood pat at the trade deadline and then was further upset by Pelinka’s comments stating that James and Anthony Davis had been consulted and were aligned with the inaction.
In his latest column for Substack, Marc Stein says he isn’t convinced the Lakers will bend to LeBron’s will. As Stein explains, the franchise thinks highly of Pelinka, and James and agent Rich Paul are “still outsiders when it comes to the Lakers’ power dynamics.”
Assistant coach Phil Handy says James has always done his best to create cohesion with teammates. “His approach has always been about, ‘Let me embrace the guys that are around me and how can we figure out ways to win? How can we figure out ways to get better?’ He’s always been a guy that is all in with whoever is in uniform with him,” Handy said, per Mark Medina of NBA.com.

And-Ones: LeBron, 2022 Cap Room, Maker, Rookies

February 21st, 2022 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Lakers superstar LeBron James has been the face of the NBA for the better part of the last two decades and is happy to continue in that unofficial role until he retires, as Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports writes.

“I’ve held that title of ambassador,” James said. “Nobody told me to do it, but I felt like if I wasn’t gonna do it, who was gonna do it? So I took that responsibility, and I’ll continue to do it till I’m done playing the game.”

NBA commissioner Adam Silver tells Goodwill that he’s “not prepared to talk about the post-LeBron era” yet, since James is still playing at an All-NBA level and presumably has multiple strong seasons left in him. However, he’s not worried about having to prepare for a leadership void among the game’s superstars.

“At some point, a new player or players will emerge, I think, [to] take that leadership mantle in the league. It seems they always do,” Silver said. “I’m just not prepared, even in the slightest, to start thinking about the league without LeBron, because he continues to be as committed as ever to the competition, to the league overall.”

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

Danny Leroux of The Athletic takes a look ahead at the 2022 offseason, identifying the teams that project to have the most cap flexibility. As Leroux outlines, the Pistons and Magic remain the best bets to create significant cap room, while teams like the Spurs, Trail Blazers, Pacers, and Grizzlies could potentially join them, but have more variance.
Veteran big man Thon Maker spoke to Alec Strum of NetsDaily about his role with the Long Island Nets – Brooklyn’s G League affiliate – and his efforts to make it back to the NBA. Maker has played a limited role in Long Island so far, averaging 5.8 PPG and 5.1 RPG in 15 games (17.4 MPG), with a dismal .360 FG% (.133 3PT%).
Mike Schmitz of ESPN (Insider link) updated his NBA rookie power rankings over the All-Star break, providing best-case comps for Evan Mobley (Anthony Davis), Cade Cunningham (Luka Doncic), Scottie Barnes (Scottie Pippen), and other standout rookies.

Northwest Notes: Towns, Presti, LeBron, Jazz, Jokic

February 20th, 2022 at 9:31pm CST by JD Shaw

Timberwolves All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns staked his claim of being the greatest shooting big man ever by winning the three-point contest on Saturday, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic writes.

Towns defeated several guards and wings to win the contest, including Trae Young, Zach LaVine and Patty Mills. He’s averaging 24.4 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game this season, shooting 41% from three-point range. Prior to this season, he’s shot above 40% from deep in three of his six campaigns.

“I remember everyone told me to do the same way. ‘Have your back to the basket. Why is Karl shooting 3s? There’s no reason for him shooting 3s. We’re experts. We know better than you,'” Towns said. “Me and my dad said screw them. We’re going to do it our way.”

Here are some other notes from Northwest:

Thunder general manager Sam Presti recently received praise from LeBron James, who called him the MVP of Oklahoma City’s franchise, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com writes. “The MVP over there is Sam Presti. He’s the MVP,” James said when asked about Josh Giddey and the Thunder. “I mean, Josh Giddey is great. But Sam Presti, I don’t understand this guy’s eye for talent. He drafted [Kevin Durant], Russ [Westbrook], Jeff Green, Serge Ibaka, Reggie Jackson, Josh Giddey and the list goes on and on and on. This guy is pretty damn good.”
The Jazz will have many questions to answer after the All-Star break, Sarah Todd of the Deseret News writes. Utah is 36-22 on the season, dropping a 106-101 road game to the Lakers before the break. “Come back ready to go,” Donovan Mitchell said on what needs to happen. “We have no choice. It’s not like we can say anything else. We have no choice but to be ready.”
Mike Singer of The Denver Post explores the story of how Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic once hated a Denver assistant coach. Jokic and the coach, Ogi Stojakovic, are now great friends. “He’s like a big brother, like a mentor, father, he’s like a really good friend,” Jokic said of Stojakovic. “He’s really everything. … How much he helps me on the court, he helps me off the court just to get out of the basketball … We hang out, for real. When we have a day off, my family is always with his family.”

Rob Pelinka Reportedly Frustrating Klutch Sports

February 20th, 2022 at 4:06pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Klutch Sports, the sports agency run by LeBron James‘s agent and friend Rich Paul, is reportedly frustrated with Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report.

Multiple league sources inform Pincus that Klutch, which represents Los Angeles players James, Anthony Davis, and Talen Horton-Tucker, has grown agitated with Pelinka’s team-building after he opted not to send out underperforming $44.2MM point guard Russell Westbrook and a future Lakers first-round draft pick to the Rockets in exchange for inactive Houston point guard John Wall, currently netting a comparable salary of $44.3MM. Notably, Wall is a Klutch client, though Westbrook is not.

The 31-year-old Wall averaged 20.6 PPG, 6.9 APG, 3.2 RPG and 1.1 SPG in just 40 games for a lottery-bound 2020/21 Rockets team. He and the Rockets mutually agreed that he would sit this season. Though Westbrook, 33, has been mostly healthy this year while averaging 18.3 PPG, 7.8 RPG and 7.5 RPG, his struggles as a shooter, defender, and late-game decision-maker haven’t helped the 27-31 Lakers’ cause this season.

James certainly seems to have had an impact on L.A.’s choice to trade for Westbrook in the first place. Though Pelinka had been planning to make a trade with the Kings for shooting guard Buddy Hield, he eventually opted to make the deal for Westbrook after Westbrook met with James over the summer.

The embattled team is currently the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference, a far cry from its anticipated standing when Pelinka traded for Westbrook during the 2021 offseason.

Pincus notes that James will become eligible to ink a two-year, $97.1MM contract extension with the Lakers on August 4 this year, that would keep him in Los Angeles through the 2024/25 NBA season. Should James and his representatives opt not to sign the extension, James would reach free agency in 2023. James is currently in the first season of a two-year, $85.7MM maximum-salary extension he signed with the Lakers ahead of 2020/21.

LeBron James: “The Door’s Not Closed” On A Potential Return To Cleveland

February 19th, 2022 at 6:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

With LeBron James back in Cleveland for All-Star Weekend, he offered a hint that he might consider returning for one more stint with his hometown team, writes Jason Lloyd of The Athletic. When asked about playing for the Cavaliers again before he retires, James gave an open-ended response.

“The door’s not closed on that,” he said. “I’m not saying I’m coming back and playing, I don’t know. I don’t know what my future holds. I don’t even know when I’m free.”

James has one season remaining on his current deal with the Lakers at $44,474,988. He could be back on the free agent market in the summer of 2023 at age 38.

James emphasized that he hasn’t specifically pondered a return to Cleveland, but he also hasn’t ruled anything out. Lloyd notes that he could be referring to a simple one-day contract so he could retire as a Cavalier, but he could also mean something more.

The Cavs selected James with the first pick in the 2003 draft, and he spent seven years with the team before leaving for Miami as a free agent in 2010. He returned four years later and took the Cavaliers to four straight NBA Finals, capturing the franchise’s only championship in 2016, before departing for Los Angeles.

Although the Lakers won a title in 2020, Cleveland may have a brighter future than L.A. The Cavaliers have rebuilt since James left and are fourth in the East at 35-23 with plenty of youth on the roster. The Lakers, whose roster is stocked with veterans, are ninth in the West at 27-31.

“I think (Cavs general manager Koby Altman) and those guys have done an unbelievable job drafting and making trades,” James said. “I think big fella (Jarrett Allen), that acquisition was amazing for them to make that trade. Obviously Darius Garland is a big-time player. And I think the role that Kevin (Love) is playing right now has kind of uplifted those young guys, seeing a veteran that could sacrifice, a champion that’s won a championship, all the things that he’s done, to come off the bench and play this role. I am not surprised by anything that they’re doing right now.”

As Lloyd points out, it wouldn’t be easy for Cleveland to open enough cap room to sign James without tearing apart its current core. And James made it clear that he wouldn’t be interested in providing a hometown discount so the Cavs could sign him with their mid-level exception.

“I don’t play mid-level basketball,” he said. “I don’t come back for anything below the top.”

James also revealed today that he plans to play his final NBA season for whichever team winds up with his son, Bronny. Currently a junior in high school, the earliest that Bronny could be draft-eligible is 2024.

“My last year will be played with my son,” James said. “Wherever Bronny is at, that’s where I’ll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It’s not about the money at that point.”

Lakers Notes: LeBron, Westbrook, AD, Vogel, Reaves

February 13th, 2022 at 3:05pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Lakers All-Star forward LeBron James has to live with the consequences of the disastrous Russell Westbrook trade he pushed his team’s front office to make, opines Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. Goodwill writes that, whether James cooked up the Westbrook deal or merely advocated for it, his interest in the idea ultimately compelled Los Angeles team president Rob Pelinka to pull the trigger, and the team is now struggling to stay afloat, currently the ninth seed in the West.

After the team used many of its remaining assets to acquire Westbrook from the Wizards and opted not to re-sign stellar defensive guard Alex Caruso over the summer, it had its hands tied at the trade deadline this past Thursday, ultimately deciding to stand pat. Beyond the maximum salaries of James, the tough-to-trade Westbrook, and big man Anthony Davis, the Lakers had just two players, Talen Horton-Tucker and Kendrick Nunn, making more than the veteran’s minimum. Horton-Tucker has struggled in an expanded role, while the injured Nunn has yet to play a single game with L.A.

There’s more out of Lakerland:

Lakers star big man Anthony Davis discussed his sense of relief following the trade deadline, now that the team knows its personnel heading towards the end of the season. “[The deadline passing] lifted weight off the [team’s] shoulders,” Davis said, per Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link). “This is our team, let’s go.”
Following the Lakers’ inactive trade deadline, Los Angeles head coach Frank Vogel also expressed optimism for the home stretch of the 2021/22 season, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “It’s a new day,” Vogel said. “I think there’s just a natural reset energy to our group, knowing that the trade deadline has passed. This is the group that we put together to start the year. This is a group we believe in.” That group has led the Lakers, currently on a three-game losing streak, to a 26-31 record and the ninth seed in the Western Conference.
One of the lone bright spots in this disappointing Lakers season has been the play of rookie shooting guard Austin Reaves, who has emerged as a reliable bench contributor on both ends of the court. Reaves initially signed a two-way contract with the Lakers after going undrafted out of Oklahoma this summer, then saw that deal converted to a standard NBA contract before the start of the season. The 23-year-old has emerged as a clutch role player of late, as Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times details. “He’s got a great computer to process help and see whether if he’s going to shoot or whether he’s going to make the extra pass and obviously he’s got a lot of guts to make big shots,” Frank Vogel said. “And he really competes on the defensive end and has a good IQ down on that end.” LeBron James also raved about the youngster: “Nothing has impressed me anymore on Austin. He’s made big plays over and over offensively and defensively.” In 21.1 MPG, Reaves is averaging 6.1 PPG, 2.6 RPG and 1.3 APG, and has supplanted veterans like Wayne Ellington and Kent Bazemore in L.A.’s perimeter rotation.

Lakers Rumors: Westbrook, Hield, LeBron, Davis, Pelinka, Jordan

February 11th, 2022 at 3:17pm CST by Luke Adams

Last summer, the Lakers appeared to be on the verge of a deal with the Kings for Buddy Hield before pivoting and acquiring Russell Westbrook from Washington. Westbrook’s stint in Los Angeles hasn’t worked out like the Lakers have hoped, which apparently prompted the team to see if it could get a do-over of sorts on that offseason decision.

According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, sources say that one Westbrook trade idea the Lakers discussed earlier in the season would’ve involved Hield coming to Los Angeles. Obviously, that idea didn’t get off the ground — Westbrook ultimately remained in L.A. through the deadline, while Hield was sent to Indiana in a six-player blockbuster.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

As we relayed on Thursday, Lakers VP of basketball operations Rob Pelinka said he had conversations with LeBron James and Anthony Davis leading up to the trade deadline, suggesting there was “alignment” with the stars on the team’s decision to stand pat. However, a source familiar with James’ and Davis’ thinking who spoke to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin disputed that characterization. “Totally false,” that source told McMenamin (video link; hat tip to RealGM). “There was no conversation between Rob Pelinka, LeBron James and Anthony Davis on Thursday. There was no go-ahead of an OK to have inaction at the deadline.”
In a column on the Lakers’ trade deadline activity, Bill Oram of The Athletic suggests that rival teams may be leery of engaging in discussions with Pelinka due to his decision to pull out of what the Kings viewed as a trade agreement for Hield last summer.
As the Lakers peruse the buyout market in search of a player who could improve their roster, center DeAndre Jordan appears to be the most likely candidate to be waived, says Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Jordan is out of the team’s regular rotation and isn’t a fit with the Lakers’ “small-ball ethos,” Buha explains.

Lakers Sought Trades With Knicks, Raptors, Celtics

February 10th, 2022 at 10:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Rival executives tried to take advantage of the Lakers’ predicament, which ultimately led to VP of basketball operations Rob Pelinka standing pat at the trade deadline, according to The Athletic’s Bill Oram.

Other teams wanted the Lakers to take on bad contracts or give up their limited draft capital, including their 2027 first round pick, to facilitate potential deals, according to Oram.

The Lakers were unable to gain any traction on a potential Russell Westbrook deal. They tried to put together some lower-level deals, including a proposed three-way trade with the Knicks and Raptors. Toronto big men Khem Birch and Chris Boucher and Knicks wing Cam Reddish could have been on the move, but those fell apart after the other two teams couldn’t agree on draft compensation.

The Lakers also mulled a possible reunion with Dennis Schröder, though there was some pushback from some members of the organization. The Lakers still pursued a deal with the Celtics but Boston’s high asking price ended those negotiations. The Celtics wound up trading Schröder to Houston.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis were consulted on potential trades and understood why Pelinka chose to stand pat, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.

“You can’t force another team to present yourself with a deal that is going to make your team be better. That’s up to them,” Pelinka said. “And throughout this process we had different things we looked at and like I’ve done in the past had conversations with LeBron and Anthony about it and I would say there’s alignment here. And that’s all that matters.”

The Lakers will monitor the buyout market but would have to waive a player since their roster is full.

LeBron Chooses Giannis, Curry In All-Star Draft; Durant Picks Embiid, Morant

February 10th, 2022 at 7:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

After James Harden was traded away from the Nets on Thursday, former teammate Kevin Durant opted not to pick him in the All-Star draft conducted on Thursday night. Harden was the last player chosen by LeBron James for Team LeBron, as the league announced (via Twitter).

LeBron’s starters, besides himself, are Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Jokic.

Durant, who won’t play in the All-Star Game at Cleveland due to his knee injury, chose Joel Embiid, Ja Morant, Jayson Tatum, Trae Young and Andrew Wiggins as Team Durant’s starters.

James selected Luka Doncic as his top reserve. His guard-heavy team also features Darius Garland, Chris Paul, Jimmy Butler, Donovan Mitchell, Fred VanVleet and Harden.

Team Durant’s bench includes Devin Booker, Karl-Anthony Towns, Zach LaVine, Dejounte Murray, Khris Middleton, LaMelo Ball and Rudy Gobert.

Thus, numerous teammates will be on opposing clubs for the All-Star game, including the Jazz’s Gobert and Mitchell and the Suns’ Paul and Booker.

The game will be played February 20 in Cleveland.

Frustration Mounting Between Lakers, Russell Westbrook

February 9th, 2022 at 5:37pm CST by Rory Maher

As we discussed earlier today, the Lakers are feeling urgency to make moves to get their season back on track. One major factor in that urgency has been the poor fit of Russell Westbrook, and there’s a growing sense of frustration between the player and team, writes Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

Westbrook has been abysmal through four games in February, averaging 10.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 3.5 turnovers on .275/.154/.550 shooting in 31.1 minutes per contest. As Buha details, Westbrook was benched not just for the last few minutes, but for the final 14:34 of the 131-116 loss to Milwaukee Tuesday, showing L.A.’s decaying confidence in the guard.

Head coach Frank Vogel couldn’t pinpoint why Westbrook has struggled so much of late, but said the trio of Westbrook, LeBron James and Anthony Davis hasn’t meshed well in the limited games they’ve played together.

“It’s tough to say,” Vogel said. “He wasn’t that bad. The group that was making a run, we just left them in there in the fourth, aside from bringing Bron back. Had a tough night the other night, and a tough night shooting the ball tonight, but I thought he was competing. And the lineups have changed. He’s playing without AD one time on the road, and without AD and Bron, and without Bron, he’s got the ball a lot more, and it’s easier to get in a rhythm. And that’s how he’s played.

“But all those three guys are out there at the same time, it’s different. There’s less touches, and everybody’s out there sharing. So maybe tougher to get into a rhythm, but that’s one of the things we’re working through.”

For his part, Westbrook believes the team’s inconsistency is due to Vogel’s constantly fluctuating lineups, per Buha.

“It’s difficult,” Westbrook said. “You never know when you’re coming in. You never know when you’re coming out. You never know when you’re playing. You never know a bunch of things. And I’m speaking for me personally. It’s a difficult process to be able to figure out and (create) a rhythm, (create) some consistency where we can actually see what we’re able to do as a team. But those decisions are made by him (Vogel) and this coaching staff, and you’ve gotta live with it and move on.”

Westbrook tried to offer to support to Davis and James in the closing seconds of the dispiriting loss, a gesture that didn’t appear to go over very well, although that could have been poor timing rather than ill-will. Still, it was a telling moment of potential dissatisfaction with how the gamble to acquire Westbrook has played out, Buha opines.

The Lakers are unlikely to find any takers for Westbrook at the trade deadline, which could increase the tension and awkwardness between the two sides, according to Buha.

At 26-29, the Lakers are currently the No. 9 seed in the West.