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Lakers Notes: Vincent, Ayton, LaRavia, Smart

October 7th, 2025 at 9:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Lakers didn’t have their “big three” available for their second preseason contest, a 111-103 loss to Golden State. It was an improvement from their 22-point loss to Phoenix. With Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves sitting out, Gabe Vincent led the way with 16 points and five assists.

“We came with more intention,” Vincent said, per Thuc Nhi Nguyen of the Los Angeles Times. “We were more focused. Obviously it’s different with those three not playing. They’re a huge part of our team and everything that we do. But next man up.”

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They were outscored by 25 points by Golden State with Deandre Ayton on the court but it’s going to take time for the Lakers to incorporate his skills, Law Murray of The Athletic writes. Murray notes Ayton is going to be very dependent on his play-makers to get him shots, unlike Anthony Davis. He’s not going to get a lot of touches to create shots for others or spread the floor with outside shooting, but it’s not time to panic about Ayton’s ability to help the team, Murray adds.
Jake LaRavia contributed 10 points and three assists against the Warriors and said he’s “already pretty comfortable with the role that I have” with his new team, Dave McMenamin of ESPN tweets. LaRavia left the Kings and signed a two-year deal with the Lakers at the start of free agency.
Marcus Smart participated in the live play portions of practice on Tuesday, per coach JJ Redick, Khobi Price of the Orange County Register tweets. Smart has been limited in camp due to Achilles tendinopathy. “He looked great. He was moving great,” forward Jarred Vanderbilt said, per Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. “But like I said, his main power is that he’s vocal. So being able to help the guys. Communicate, that’s a big part of defense also. Being physical is one of them, but also being vocal, being able to communicate. I think he does both at a very high level. So, he can definitely help us on that end of the floor.” Smart signed with the Lakers after getting bought out by Washington.

L.A. Notes: Doncic, Lakers, Lopez, Clippers

October 3rd, 2025 at 8:03pm CST by Eli Cohen

Getting the Lakers into peak physical condition appears to be head coach JJ Redick‘s primary goal entering the season, writes ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. Redick refers to it as being in “championship shape,” and notes that the directive is not only aimed at star Luka Doncic, though Doncic is one of the more visible examples of the fitness push.

As McMenamin writes, remaking his body through dieting and rigorous exercise routines has been the focus for Doncic this summer, both for himself and for the team as a whole.

“It’s not just physical shape, it’s mental shape, too,” the Slovenian star said. “Both are very important. We’re doing it in practice. It was great. Everybody’s in great shape. Everybody’s running a lot, so it’s been great so far.”

Despite Doncic’s efforts to reshape his body this offseason, he will not play in the Lakers’ preseason games this weekend, according to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter), who calls it a collaborative decision with the Lakers’ performance team. Redick had previously said he’d be careful about overextending Doncic too early after the 26-year-old’s run with the Slovenian national team in EuroBasket.

While Doncic isn’t playing this weekend, Redick is expecting him to play at some point during the preseason, tweets Sportskeeda’s Mark Medina.

LeBron James, Marcus Smart, Adou Thiero, and Maxi Kleber are all expected to miss tonight’s game against the Suns as well.

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The Lakers remade their roster this offseason, but there are still significant questions to answer, writes Eric Pincus for Bleacher Report. Health will play a key role in the team’s outlook, along with the natural wear and tear that can be expected for the 40-year-old James. However, the most pressing unknown revolves around the fifth starting spot. Pincus names Smart, Rui Hachimura, and Jake LaRavia as three players most likely competing for the role. Hachimura has experience with the team and has shown himself to be a consistent shooter, having made 41.8% of his three-point tries over the last two seasons in L.A. Pincus calls LaRavia a high-effort defender who can also shoot the ball at 6’7″, while Smart brings a perimeter defensive toughness that a team built around Doncic, James, and Austin Reaves could use. Pincus also throws Jarred Vanderbilt‘s name into the mix as a potential dark-horse option.
The Clippers brought Brook Lopez into the fold in an effort to reduce the burden on breakout defensive stalwart Ivica Zubac this season, writes Janis Carr for the Orange County Register. “We didn’t really have a backup center (last season), so when things got tough, we always had to get Zu back in the game,” head coach Tyronn Lue said. “I thought he played for too many minutes. If you asked him, he didn’t play enough, but for me it’s just too many minutes.” While Zubac was always up for the challenge and turned in the best season of his career, the Clippers now have the luxury of bringing a longtime starter and multi-time Defensive Player of the Year candidate off the bench in Lopez. As an added bonus, Lopez and Zubac have a Los Angeles-based history together. “I played with Zu with the Lakers almost 10 years ago now. I think it was his second year in the league, and he was a very talented, raw young player then,” Lopez said. “But to see his growth, it’s astonishing.“
Lopez wasn’t the only big-name acquisition for the Clippers this summer. They also added Bradley Beal, John Collins, and brought back Chris Paul. They now have one of the deepest benches in the league, but that brings with it questions about how the rotation will shake out, writes Law Murray for The Athletic. Murray predicts that Beal will be the starting shooting guard and suggests that Collins could have a chance to start at the four, sliding Kawhi Leonard to the three. However, with so many talented players, some will likely be squeezed from the rotation. When asked about his role with the team, Nicolas Batum said, “Ask (Lue) that question, I don’t know… I mean, I’m here to play basketball.” Murray writes that he considers Batum the most likely odd man out when everyone is healthy.

Lakers Notes: LeBron, Reaves, Ayton, Hachimura, Smart, Thiero

September 29th, 2025 at 4:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Lakers forward LeBron James didn’t offer any specifics on Monday when asked at media day about his retirement plans, but admitted the end of his record-setting career is coming “sooner than later,” writes Dan Woike of The Athletic.

After making it a priority to play with son Bronny James in the NBA, LeBron made it clear on Monday that he won’t necessarily stick around in an effort to do the same thing with Bryce James, who is a freshman at Arizona this year.

“I am not waiting on Bryce,” James said, per Woike. “I don’t know what his own timeline is. I got my timeline, and I don’t know if they quite match up.”

James also said that the opportunity to play with a superstar like Luka Doncic in his prime provides some additional “motivation,” but he said that won’t have a material impact on his retirement decision, which will be made by LeBron and his family (Twitter link via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin).

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Lakers guard Austin Reaves turned down a four-year, $87MM extension offer from the Lakers earlier this offseason and admitted to Woike that he was nervous that decision might cause the team to move him. “I thought that there was a good chance for, like, a week after I declined the extension that there was a possibility I’d get traded,” Reaves said. “I mean, it’s still a possibility.” The Lakers guard wants to remain in Los Angeles, but will be eligible for a more lucrative deal if he waits until at least 2026, when he could become an unrestricted free agent. Team and league sources who spoke to The Athletic believe Reaves could receive an annual salary of $35MM+ on his next contract.
New Lakers center Deandre Ayton said on Monday that coming to L.A. represents the “biggest opportunity of my career” and said repeatedly that he’s not taking it for granted (Twitter links via McMenamin and Khobi Price of the Orange County Register). The former No. 1 overall pick has faced questions about his compete level in recent years.
Forward Rui Hachimura and guard Marcus Smart both told reporters at media day on Monday that it doesn’t matter to them whether they start or come off the bench (Twitter links via Jovan Buha and Khobi Price). James, Doncic, Reaves, and Ayton are probable starters, but that leaves one spot open in the starting five. For what it’s worth, Hachimura did point out that he has established chemistry with James and the starters over the past couple seasons, but stressed that he’s more concerned about his overall minutes than whether he’s on the court to start the game.
Lakers rookie forward Adou Thiero has experienced swelling in his knee and hasn’t been cleared for the start of training camp, according to McMenamin (Twitter links), who hears from a source that Thiero’s rehab process is on schedule and he should be cleared in another week. The second-round pick didn’t play in Summer League after injuring his knee in his final college season at Arkansas.

Anthony Davis Will Wear Protective Glasses For Remainder Of Career

September 29th, 2025 at 12:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Like Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did in the 1970s and 1980s, Anthony Davis will not take the court without protective eyewear. The Mavericks big man will require protective glasses the rest of his career, per his doctor’s mandate, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon (Twitter link).

Davis underwent a procedure in July to repair a detached retina in his right eye. He reportedly played through “multiple hits to the face” last season.

Most notably, the big man visited an ophthalmologist last November after getting poked in his other eye — reporting at the time indicated he was experiencing swelling and had difficulty keeping that eye open. That injury, which occurred when Davis was a Laker, was referred to last fall as a corneal abrasion and didn’t cost him any games.

Davis says his vision is now clear and he has no limitations entering camp, MacMahon tweets. However, there is significant redness in his right eye, which he says is caused by eye drops that he has to use.

Davis, who was traded from Los Angeles to Dallas in the controversial Luka Doncic blockbuster in February, was only able to make nine appearances during his first half-season as a Maverick due to an adductor injury.

The 32-year-old averaged 20.0 points, 10.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 2.2 blocks in just 29.6 minutes per night in those nine outings. He’s entering the first year of a three-year extension he signed with the Lakers in 2023. It’s worth approximately $175MM and includes a third-year player option.

Lakers Notes: LeBron, Redick, Luka, Reaves, Buss Brothers

September 26th, 2025 at 4:28pm CST by Rory Maher

How and where will the NBA’s all-time leading scorer end his career? Yaron Weitzman explores that topic in a story for Bleacher Report, writing that most people around the league expect LeBron James to eventually retire with the Lakers.

If James does leave Los Angeles, the Cavaliers are viewed by agents and executives as the “only team LeBron would seriously consider joining,” Weitzman writes.

“If he wants to do a farewell tour like Kobe (Bryant) did, it’s the only other team that makes sense,” a league executive told Weitzman. “LeBron cares about narratives. He doesn’t want to be like Michael Jordan on the Wizards.”

Still, James potentially joining the Cavs is highly unlikely during the upcoming season for several reasons, Weitzman notes. If LeBron decides to return to Cleveland, it would likely occur in 2026 free agency, and would require the 40-year-old to take a major pay cut.

For his part, Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka continues to insist the team wants LeBron around as long as he wants to be in L.A., per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

“We would love if LeBron’s story would be he retired a Laker,” Pelinka said about the possibility of re-signing James next summer. “That would be a positive story.”

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According to McMenamin, Pelinka explained why the team decided to extend the contract of head coach J.J. Redick after just one season at the helm. “We think he’s a special coach with a special voice that’s really helping us define the culture of Lakers excellence,” Pelinka said. “We just wanted to make a clear statement that this is what we believe in, what we’re going to lean into and what our players are going to mold into as we continue to develop the identity. I think having long-term planning is helpful as we build this team and go forward.” Redick said he was grateful for the Lakers’ support, McMenamin adds.
Redick also touched on his offseason conversations with James and Luka Doncic, expressing confidence in both of the team’s stars, as McMenamin writes. “[James is] in a great spot mentally and know he’s going to give us his absolute best,” Redick said. “… I expect the best version of Luka, and it’s my job as a coach to bring that out on a daily basis.”
Doncic told Dan Woike of The Athletic he feels “way more comfortable” being a Laker now compared to when he was first traded to Los Angeles in February and is looking forward to the season. The Slovenian guard said he made progress becoming a more vocal leader during EuroBasket 2025. “(Being a leader), sometimes it’s comfortable, sometimes not,” Doncic said. “Sometimes it’s great to be a leader and sometimes you have to say things that you don’t want to, but that’s part of being a leader.”
Evidently Doncic isn’t the only Laker who worked hard at getting in better physical shape this offseason, as Redick said Austin Reaves has improved his “burst” and “athleticism,” tweets Law Murray of The Athletic. Redick added that Reaves has been the best player in the gym when he has participated in informal activities.
Lakers alternate governor Joey Buss and his brother, assistant GM Jesse Buss, are launching an investment firm called Buss Sports Capital, McMenamin and Shams Charania report for ESPN. “Our vision is to really go after strategic investments and good partners — specifically sports-related investments,” Joey Buss told ESPN. “Buss Sports Capital is not going to compete with our interests in the Lakers or the NBA. This is our first step towards where the future of sports is going to lead us. It is exciting to see what growth opportunities exist — particularly opportunities that we can add value to, given our skill sets.” Both Joey and Jesse are expected to remain with the Lakers following the sale of the team to Mark Walter.
Athlon Sports contributor Mark Medina shares five takeaways from Thursday’s joint press conference with Pelinka and Redick.

And-Ones: ESPN Survey, S. Cash, Bargain FAs, More

September 23rd, 2025 at 9:56am CST by Luke Adams

A panel of 20 coaches, executives, and scouts around the NBA polled by ESPN’s Tim Bontemps overwhelmingly picked Nuggets center Nikola Jokic as the current best player in the NBA, with Jokic receiving 19 votes while Lakers guard Luka Doncic earned the last one.

However, the predictions for 2025/26 MVP were more divided — Jokic leads the way with seven votes, but Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (five), Doncic (four), and Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama (two) each received multiple votes, while Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards each got one too.

The panel polled by Bontemps also predicted who will be the NBA’s best player in 2030 (Wembanyama received 16 votes), who will win Rookie of the Year in 2025/26 (Cooper Flagg earned 19 votes), and where LeBron James will be when the 2026/27 season begins — seven respondents expect him to still be a Laker, while five said he’ll be retired and eight believe he’ll be with a new team.

Those coaches, executives, and scouts also believe the Hawks (seven votes) had the best offseason of the NBA’s 30 teams, while the Pelicans (nine votes) had the worst summer. And they nearly unanimously picked the Thunder to repeat as champions. Just two respondents chose the Nuggets to win the 2026 title, while the other 18 stuck with Oklahoma City.

Here are more odds and ends from around the NBA:

After being let go by the Pelicans in April, former WNBA star and veteran NBA executive Swin Cash is joining Amazon Prime Video for the 2025/26 season, according to Richard Deitsch of The Athletic. Cash will have the role of “front office insider” on Prime Video’s NBA studio show, then will become a studio analyst for Amazon’s WNBA coverage.
Thomas Bryant, Precious Achiuwa, Alec Burks, and Delon Wright are among the unsigned players identified by Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report as bargain free agents who are capable of helping any NBA team.
John Hollinger of The Athletic views the Thunder (62.5 wins), Clippers (48.5), Warriors (45.5), Bulls (32.5), and Jazz (18.5) as the five teams who are the best bets to exceed the over/under win projections set by oddsmakers for the 2025/26 season.

Lakers Notes: Doncic, Pelinka, LeBron, Thiero

September 20th, 2025 at 9:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers provided a huge show of support for Luka Doncic as he represented Slovenia at EuroBasket, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Team governor Jeanie Buss and president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka both made the trip to Poland to watch Doncic in action. They were joined by team stakeholders Kurt Rambis and his wife Linda, along with other staff members, and assistant coach Greg St. Jean worked on Slovenia’s coaching staff.

“Luka has a tremendous amount of heartfelt pride and appreciation for his roots and playing for his country,” Pelinka said. “I just think in the partnerships we have with our players, the Lakers want to be mindful of players’ passions and who they are as men and then lean in and support those things. So, around Luka, it was a very easy partnership decision that we wanted to support.”

Even though his team didn’t bring home a medal, Doncic was outstanding. He averaged 34.7 points per game, the highest by anyone since 1989, and raised that figure to 40.5 PPG in two knockout round contests. Team sources tell McMenamin that the Lakers’ coaching staff was impressed by the way Doncic moved after his offseason conditioning program. He was able to jump noticeably higher, split double teams and be more disruptive on defense.

“Players playing basketball in the offseason is something that, from a leadership standpoint, I support,” Pelinka said. “I think you could say in some sense that some of the offseason and sort of the current basketball lens, especially in the States, is on individual work. And I think that sort of the team environment can get lost.”

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Multiple stories have indicated that L.A. is prioritizing cap room for the summer of 2027, but Pelinka indicated that plans could change if the right opportunity comes along, McMenamin adds in the same piece. The team will face important financial decisions soon with Rui Hachimura ($18.3 million), Gabe Vincent ($11.5 million) and Maxi Kleber ($11 million) all on expiring contracts and Austin Reaves likely heading for free agency after declining a four-year, $89MM extension in June. Sources tell McMenamin that the Lakers would consider trading for a contract that extends beyond 2026.“In terms of team building, we’ve talked about the importance of having optionality and when I use that word, it’s not to say in the future,” Pelinka said. “I think optionality is also in the now.”
Among his many accomplishments, LeBron James last season became the first player ever to reach 50,000 combined points in the regular season and playoffs. During a visit to China, he talked about what it took to achieve that record in an interview with CBV Game (YouTube link, hat tip to Lakers Nation). “I don’t think it’s about the record, I just think it’s a microcosm of my career, of my hard work and dedication to my craft, and my love for the game,” James said. “I put so many hours into trying to be the greatest of what I can become and the best I can become. That moment is there is an indication of that, of hard work paying off. It’s always pretty cool when you can have those moments that show that the work does pay off.”
Rookie forward Adou Thiero told NBA on Prime (Twitter link) that he chose No. 1 as his uniform number as a tribute to Derrick Rose. “My first favorite player was Derrick Rose,” Thiero said. “So then I tried to go with the number I was throughout college (3) and everything. I wasn’t able to get that number so, you know, why not go back with what we started with.”

Luka Doncic Contemplates Finishing Career With Real Madrid

September 19th, 2025 at 9:02am CST by Arthur Hill

Luka Doncic has a lot of NBA seasons left, but he’s interested in someday finishing his basketball career with his first professional team, Real Madrid. In an interview with Jason Gay of The Wall Street Journal (subscription required), Doncic addressed the possibility of wrapping up his playing days in Spain (hat tip to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops).

“To play with Real Madrid, you have to be so good,” Doncic said. Asked about potentially returning to the Euroleague and ACB power, he responded, “For sure. They raised me.”

Doncic was only 13 years old when he signed with Real Madrid in 2012. He starred at the junior level for three seasons before being promoted to the senior team and officially beginning his professional career. He was the youngest player ever to take the court for Real Madrid and the third-youngest in ACB history.

He quickly became one of the league’s top stars, capping off his career in Europe in 2018 by winning the EuroLeague scoring title, along with regular season and Final Four MVP honors.

Doncic doesn’t envision himself playing into his 40s like LeBron James, but he hopes to emulate his Lakers teammate in another way. He tells Gay that he would like to become involved in owning a sports franchise, even if it’s not in basketball. James is a minority owner with Fenway Sports Group, which controls the Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Penguins and Liverpool F.C.

Doncic also discussed his new emphasis on conditioning, which he said was inspired by teaming up with James. Doncic was noticeably lighter and more mobile as he represented Slovenia in the just-completed EuroBasket tournament.

He used resistance bands, deadlifts and dumbbells to build his strength and added in some agility drills. He hired a private chef to help with a new nutrition routine that included intermittent fasting.

He also stepped away from the basketball court for a while to place his full focus on fitness.

“For the first time, I stopped playing basketball for a month,” Doncic revealed. “Pure training and fitness. And padel tennis.”

Los Angeles Notes: Jones Jr., Clippers, Silver, Doncic

September 16th, 2025 at 8:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Clippers forward Derrick Jones Jr. didn’t provide his former agent written notice of 15 days prior to firing him before he signed a free agent contract last year. That was a key reason why an arbitrator ruled that Jones’ former agent, Aaron Turner, was entitled to his full 4% commission of $1.2MM on the three-year, $30MM contract that Jones inked, Michael McCann of Sportico reports.

Jones stated he directly negotiated with the Clippers last year. Prior to Turner’s dismissal, the Mavericks offered Jones a three-year, $27MM contract. Jones testified he was “furious” by the offer, which was much less than he expected.

On June 26, 2024, Jones sent Turner an email saying he was terminating their Standard Player Agent Contract. Two days later, Jones asked Turner to waive the 15-day notice period and Turner declined.

Here’s more on the Los Angeles teams:

So what kind of penalties could the league hit the Clippers with regarding Kawhi Leonard‘s alleged no-show endorsement deal if it’s determined the team circumvented the salary cap illegally? John Hollinger of The Athletic notes that the league could fine the Clippers up to $7.5MM, fine Leonard up to $350K, forfeit Clippers draft picks, suspend owner Steve Ballmer or other Clipper personnel up to a year and fine them up to $1MM each; void Leonard’s contract and prohibit him from re-signing with the Clippers; and require Leonard to return the money he received from Aspiration. However, if the investigation ends during the season, voiding Leonard’s contract could lead to unintended consequences, with him becoming a free agent and signing with a contender on a minimum contract, Hollinger notes.
Regarding the investigation, commissioner Adam Silver promised at the Front Office Sports conference that “we will get to the bottom of it,” according to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic (Twitter link). Silver added that “I don’t know anything about Kawhi’s deal. Show, no show; we’ll certainly find out.” The league hired a law firm to investigate the matter.
Luka Doncic admits he was shocked when the Mavericks traded him to the Lakers and wasn’t sure how to process it, he told Jason Gay of The Wall Street Journal (subscription required; hat tip to Kurt Helin of NBC Sports). “I didn’t know how to react, how to act, what to say,” Doncic said. “It was a lot of shock. I felt Dallas was my home. I had many friends there. The fans always supported me. I didn’t want to upset Dallas fans. And I didn’t want to upset Laker fans.” Doncic also described his offseason conditioning program, which included one key element. “For the first time, I stopped playing basketball for a month,” he said, replacing that with “pure training and fitness.”

Germany Defeats Turkey For EuroBasket Gold; Schröder Named MVP

September 14th, 2025 at 3:16pm CST by Luke Adams

A back-and-forth battle between a pair of 8-0 teams went down to the wire in Sunday’s EuroBasket championship game, with Kings point guard Dennis Schröder helping to secure a gold medal for Germany by scoring the final six points and turning an 83-82 deficit into an 88-83 victory over Turkey.

Schöder (16 points, 12 assists), former NBA wing Isaac Bonga (20 points, 4-of-4 three-pointers), and Magic forward Franz Wagner (18 points, eight rebounds) were the standout performers for Germany, which has won two of the past three major international basketball competitions.

Although the Germans didn’t make the podium at the Paris Olympics last summer, the country is now the defending FIBA World Cup (2023) and EuroBasket (2025) champion and has posted a 21-2 record in those three tournaments, per HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Germany outlasted a Turkish national team that was led by Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28 points), former NBA forward Cedi Osman (23 points, 6-of-9 on three-pointers), former NBA guard Shane Larkin (13 points, nine assists, six rebounds), and Sixers big man Adem Bona (12 points, 5-of-5 shooting).

While they weren’t able to claim their first EuroBasket championship, Turkey matched their best-ever result by taking silver. The Turkish team lost to Yugoslavia in the 2001 final, which was the only other time the country made the championship game.

Schröder was named the EuroBasket Most Valuable Player after leading the Germans to their first title in the event since 1993. He scored at least 16 points in all nine games, averaging 20.3 points and 7.2 assists per contest.

The 2025 EuroBasket All-Star Five was made up entirely of NBA players, with Lakers guard Luka Doncic (Slovenia) and Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) joining Schröder, Wagner, and Sengun (Twitter link).

Antetokounmpo and the Greek national team beat Finland in the third-place game earlier on Sunday.