LeBron James became eligible on Thursday to sign a one- or two-year contract extension. While the Lakers and James have next June 30 — the day before James would become an unrestricted free agent — to reach an agreement, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin indicated on NBA Today that there’s mutual interest in getting an extension done (video link).
“All signs point toward both sides looking to extend their partnership together,” McMenamin said, adding “Overall, both sides recognize they can help one another get to their mutual goal, which is to compete at a high level and stay relevant.”
James and his representative, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, met with Lakers GM Rob Pelinka and head coach Darvin Ham at the team’s practice facility on Thursday. Paul told McMenamin that they were “productive talks” and he “expects them to continue.”
We have more on the Lakers:
- The start of training camp could be a soft deadline to trade Russell Westbrook, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Buha says both sides would like to avoid the massive off-court distraction of a media circus constantly speculating about Westbrook’s future.
- In the same mailbag piece, Buha indicates that, for now at least, the Pacers seem more willing to get a Westbrook deal done than the Nets or another other possible suitor.
- Despite issues of spacing and long-term contract concerns, Julius Randle would still be a better fit with James and Anthony Davis than Westbrook as a third star, Buha argues. However, Westbrook is mainly a fallback option for the Knicks if they’re unable to acquire Donovan Mitchell.
- Talen Horton-Tucker isn’t likely to be a regular member of the team’s rotation due to his skill set, in Buha’s view. His primary strengths are ballhandling and shot creation and the team already has plenty of players who can provide that.
- Free agent acquisition Lonnie Walker will fill Malik Monk‘s former role of instant offense off the bench, Buha adds. Walker is a streaky shooter but shot selection and defense are concerns.
I dont know if yall could tell, but I think Lebron James is up for an extension on his contract…
I haven’t heard anything about that on this site lately
I was just going to say…Do we really need another Lebron extension story?
Must be a slow week.
Didn’t know that. Thanks for the heads-up.
They should wait because who knows what his body would be like in two or three years and making 50 million a year and if he gets hurt and with anthony davis always hurt. I would go for it this year if not trade and rebuild.
Wait…the Knicks can actually swing a trade for Randle? Where do I sign up for that. Between whining, playing zero defense and, zero hustle down court, I’ve had enough of seeing this guy in a Knicks uniform.
Good news you can trade Randle?—- the bad news you bring in Westbrook? Would think you buy him out or merge him into line up for one yr? As of now without Mitchell trade , Westbrook, Brunson, RJ, OBI, Robinson… off bench…. Grimes, Fournier, Cam, Rose, Hartenstein—- My opinion, Danny Ainge trying to pull draft pick heist, plus young talent… wait him out, price goes down as contract ages, Mitchell with ask out soon enough, let it self implode on Utah…
Knicks get Mitchell
Lakers get Cam, Randle,
Jazz get Westbrook and
2 Firsts from Lakers
6 Firsts from Knicks
Sallary filler if needed
Imagine Westbrook in the Jazz uniform :D
“Westbrook is mainly a fallback option for the Knicks if they’re unable to acquire Donovan Mitchell.”
The Knicks seem to lose most trades, but why would they ever trade for Westbrook?
Nobody wants Westbrook but there is nothing else for sport writers to talk about. Everyday I read these horrible trade proposals that you know is just made up stories for click bait. Just like KD trade talk or Lebron trade talk none of those things are happening.
Julius randle isn’t good either ! He’s like a younger version of the current Russ with the same problems for a team on a awful contract! If they did this trade it would be for finances only
Problem with Randle he is not a build your team around player. He is a 2nd allstar on a team with 3 all star players. He is like Wiggins a good player to put up stats but not your #1 player on a team.
Exactly ARC.
This is the quietest month of the NBA season and so the writers are making the vast majority of this stuff up (vs. the rest of the year when they only make about half of it up).
A lot of front offices go on vacation after the first week of August and only a few deals ever get done after that until September.
Most of these rumors are so one sided you know the sport writers are just hoping their team gets a good player for bad players.
Westbrook sacrifices
That is what the Knicks need
Westbrook locker leader
That is what the Knicks need
Randle and Fournier for Westbrook and 2027 First
Exactly. I can’t imagine the Knicks would ever want to acquire Russell Westbrook to actually play basketball for them. If they could trade Randle and/or Fournier for Westbrook as a means of clearing salary for next year, and then giving Westbrook the John Wall treatment, great. But the idea that he’s a ‘fallback option’ for Mitchell makes no sense. A Westbrook/Brunson backcourt would be horrible.
The only thing I could think of is to have all that cap space next year which if you trade randle and fournier in that deal they would have over 60 million in extra cap space next year . Now there’s alot they could do with that.
I honestly have to wonder why the Lakers and Spurs don’t hook up on trading THT for Josh Richardson. The Spurs need a primary ball-handler now that they traded Murray, and THT is still only 21, so he fits the Spurs timeline now that they’re rebuilding. He has borderline All-Star upside; he just needs a chance at consistent minutes. Meanwhile, Richardson is a veteran guard-forward and combo guard who is a good off-ball player, 3pt shooter, and defender with no real weaknesses. He’s basically a perfect fit for the Lakers. Win-win, and the financials match up too.
Spurs would have to give up a 1st to make this happen but if they’re willing to do so this could be sweet for both teams
Absolutely no chance whatsoever that the Spurs have to give LA a first. THT isn’t good enough to warrant that yet. He isn’t as good a player as Richardson currently, THT just has higher upside.
That 1st rd pick isn’t as good as THT. It is literally all upside & will contribute zero. It’s debatable whether Richardson or THT is better rn but obv 1yr of Richardson isn’t nearly as valuable as the rest of THT’s career. If SAS wanted to move Richardson for THT they’d def need to give up a pick
I”ve wondered as well
Id take TRoss as well straight up for Tht
Mainly I just want the open cap next year but both would be better fits for 22′ as well. Done w Tht
Another day, another terrible Knicks trade rumor. Who would hire such inept writers?
Westbrook, AD, Bron played in 21 gms last yr. Lakers were 11-10 in those gms. They were 1gm out of play in. And 3gms out of 8th seed.
Westbrook may not be a good mix in LA. But how can you really know. Cause 61 gms makes a big difference. Truth is even with everyone healthy. Lakers were all hype. And now they are throwing Russ under the bus. Like the true whiners they are.
The window is Slammed Shut. You got lucky on a COVID Title. If you had any real ones. You’d do what Jazz are doing clean house. And rebuild the right way.
smh how does a team with a title by being lucky? They beat teams with Harden, Adebayo, Lillard, Jokic, McCollum, Butler, Murray, Westbrook & more to win & were never even down in a series except after losing gm1 of rd1. They were dominant in that postseason. Don’t be a hater
luck·y
[ˈləkē]
ADJECTIVE
having, bringing, or resulting from good luck:
“you had a very lucky escape” · [more]
synonyms:
fortunate · in luck · blessed · blessed with good luck · favored · [more]
Only one hater here. We all know who that is.
Give me a real team please. West didn’t have one then. Rockets best challenge. This only speaks of your knowledge. Cause Harden couldn’t runaway fast enough from this team. How fortunate.
East best was hurt. Only reason a young Heat team got in. Hence a Lucky run
Lakers were one of few teams that held its core together. It was smart. Bron knew it. Title was there for taking. Luck is not hating. It’s an Honest observation. Plenty of title winners have gotten lucky to win one. Only you can see hate in an observation.
Nobody lucks into a nba title smh. If that was the case these guys wouldn’t be getting paid so much. Skill, hard work, preparation, team chemistry, these are what make champions. Try not to view the game with such a negative slant fr you shield yourself from fully appreciating how great these guys/teams are when you just instinctively hate on anything the Lakers/whoever do
Like Celtics weren’t lucky that Middleton went down. Only who has a negative stand is the Race man himself. I’m talking about one yr with e tremendous circumstances. That you can’t get around. Without seeing hate or some hidden agenda. Grow up child. Some things are just simple to see.
Lol so Boston won the East this yr bc of luck. Milwaukee won the East last yr vs a Hawks team that was down 3 starters & a Brooklyn team with no Kyrie & a hobbled Harden I guess they won bc of luck too. Should every champion have an asterisk that says *only won bc they got lucky? Or maybe injuries are/have always been part of the game & that’s why rosters aren’t 5,6 players deep.
Held its core together???? Tf are u talking about? They traded majority of their core for Anthony Davis the previous off-season. The team was extremely different than it was the previous season when they didn’t even make the playoffs
What core child. Their picks and drafted picks …… this not about the year before. This is about a COVID title.
You are obsessed with delusion of the truth. Lakers were one of teams who held it together those playoffs. That yr.
What core? Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Brandon Ingram & Josh Hart. They decimated their core to bring in Anthony Davis. And then they went & win the title. This was only 2yrs ago lol you couldn’t have forgotten already
“This only speaks of your knowledge”… what does that even mean lol?… in the best league in the world & the best conference in that league you’re saying there were zero good teams. Even with all the future HOFers I just called out? Even the worst nba team is extremely good. This is something that all of u guys somehow miss. The Lakers that year were the best of the best. They slayed legends to get that title. I’m extremely certain that you love & respect Jokic. They ran right thru him & the best team he’s ever played on. Was that luck? Did Anthony Davis outplay Jokic bc of luck lol? Was Bron the best player in the postseason (for like the 10th time in his career) bc of luck? If not for DGreen missing a wide open trey in gm5 of the Finals LAL would’ve won all 4 of their postseason series in 5gms which is about as dominant a run as you’ll see in the modern nba
Yeah so dominant they traded for Westbrook. Most dominant run ever ????
They traded for Westbrook after Schröder didn’t fit & they got bounced in the 1st rd the yr AFTER they won the title. Are you asking if they had the most dominant run ever or is that what you think I said?
Yeah it wasn’t luck. It was Schroder fault. Ok
Lol what? Schröder came the yr AFTER they won the title. Neither him nor Westbrook have anything to do with LAL winning the title. Lol fr should really try to avoid debating with me. You know how it goes every time
You are debating a COVID title team. That went 42-30 the next yr a 7th seed. A true champion.
Then went 33-49 last yr last yr.
Yeah they put together a champion. That was so dominant your standards. That they blew up the following two yrs. Yeah that’s not luck at all.
I mean they were up 10 pts game 4 with a 2-1 lead vs Phx when AD went down AL
Who knows what woulda happen that year if AD was healthy but they were handling PHX (who went to the finals that year)
Ill play fact checker here
The Pho/LAL series from the next yr has nothing to do with the 2020 Lakers title tho. That Lakers team was obv great & has the hardware to prove it
Great run. Not great. Get a grip..
Great teams don’t disappear after a title
Great teams often disappear after a title lol what are you talking about? Look at the team that won right before the Lakers
If Lakers lost Bron like Raptors lost Kawhi. They would have been worst team in NBA. Not like Raptors who were 2nd best team in East following yr. Only teams who get old go away after winning.
Daaam sounds like Lakers. Wasn’t even trying lol. That’s funny.
10 pts ????? almost had it.
actually being up 2-1 was impressive. Then reality sunk in. The Great (according to a poster) Lakers lost next 3 gms by 8, 30, 13.
And the Great Champion (Not Lucky) Lakers. Were never to be heard from again.
I mean somehow Al you failed to mention AD getting injured in that time period of question. I certainly don’t think they were a great team but they certainly didn’t disappear as you are framing it as well
So luck and players not playing against the Lakers. Is called great and dominant. But AD getting hurt. Now that’s an issue.
Again if this was a great dominant team. Like it was posted. Then why would they blow it up. COVID Title was luck. Plenty of so called experts and media have said same thing. All after me of course. I said it when they were in Florida playing it.
Lol you’re talking about 3 different teams dude. You initially said the Lakers won the title in 2020 bc they got lucky. That team was 52-19 & was even more dominant in the postseason vs the best teams in the league. What you said was dumb & I’ve made that pretty clear for everyone, including you, to see. Just bc you say something dumb doesn’t mean you have to keep doubling down lol you just make yourself look worse fr. Face facts & try to learn from your mistakes.
It was very lucky.
1. Short season
2. Rare below .500 Blazers opponent in the 1st rd
3. Rockets with Capela out and Brickbrook and Green’s bad shooting dooming them
4. Nuggets worn down by two 7 game series
5. East 5 seed Heat in the Finals were missing a starter for 2 games
He is not interested in facts.
well done
Sank, you coulda just stopped at Smh
That’s his problem. Got shook too much.
You’d think at some point the guy will see how wrong he is lol. This isn’t just for him tho. So many guys on here are just like him & just can use a lil educating
I’ve forgotten more ball than you will learn in two lifetimes. Don’t think I or this board has forgotten what you teach. There isn’t a bigger Real hater than you.
I’m all about basketball and NBA. You seem to think life has subliminal messages in our posts. Only a fool doesn’t realize his posts are here for all to read. Your responses say more about you than the opinions posted. You might want to think before you post child.
I gotta say your confidence (as wildly misplaced & undeserved as it is) is pretty impressive. It’s mind boggling that you truly believe that you know more about basketball than even the average male, much less me lol
Mine is well earned and deserved. Unlike you. I only talk ball. There are opinions and there facts. Try not to confuse them
Like most do here.
Ummmmmm……. Good luck I guess ?
Slow news day, I guess a local poster squab ain’t the worse thing for today- Better than a Begley or Goon update I suppose
I’ll put some popcorn on the stove
Lol
According to knick he is all knowing, though he lives in the past of willis reed and Patrick Ewing. The Knicks are the worst run organization in the NBA. Poor drafting combined with atrocious free agent signings have left them the laughingstock of the league. Forced to hire the father of a middling free agent, so he would God willing sign with the beleaguered franchise. Their pouting super star wants out,the coach and gm hate each other’s guts and the owner is a buffoon. Any wonder knick is so bitter.
Nothing wrong with loving Ewing & Reed I love those guys too. But it’s not necessary to hate on other teams to be a true fan of your own team & that’s the main thing a lot of guys miss. Historically my Hawks have been just as badly managed as the Knicks if not worse. That don’t make me a hater of other teams tho
Not worse ….
Right on Q. The hater steps up.
Now see Hawk Homer. This is hating.. has absolutely nothing to do with post. Or the debate. If you can call it that. This here is a true genius. That wouldn’t know a thought if he actually got one.
Bitter is your life lol. Amazing a team that hasn’t done anything in 20 yrs. Needs your constant attention. Like your X Wife’s are Knick fans LOL ……
“The window is Slammed Shut. You got lucky on a COVID Title. If you had any real ones.”
I get the objection to the ‘COVID Title’ (not one I share, but I get it). But what does this last sentence mean? That the Lakers don’t have any ‘real’ the titles?
It means what it says. Rebuild like Jazz are doing. You better in another language lol.
I don’t think Al knows what a “real” title is since the last time his team won a title was half a century ago.
Every title-contending team gets breaks, good and bad. Some teams are just better at capitalizing than others.
Yeah that must be it. Since every yr teams win one in every sport.
You said, ‘if you had any real ones’, as in titles. Are you implying that the Los Angeles Lakers don’t have any ‘real’ titles?
When I think of how many different ways Kyrie found to not play last year & I listen to Ben Simmons’ mental & health issues, I find it hard to believe the Nets wouldn’t trade Irving & Simmons straight up for Russel Westbrook.
The Nets would pocket $15M in the process & Westbrook & Durant were successful together and the wining would stop for Steve Nash!
These guys heads would explode if their 3 most hated guys all got traded for each other lol they wouldn’t know what to think but there would be a lot of anger lol
Hopefully THT can get out of Los Angelos in one of the Tradea. His salary should be used on someone who is playing.
He’s all Laker hype to me. He’s done absolutely nothing to deserve his contract or praise. Not a fan
shocker
THT definitely plays lol
What did Payton have to do for his 3 yr 28 mill contract.
What did THT have to do for his 3 yr 31 mill contract.
I say he’s more hype than substance.
I’ll agree w AL here
Tht is more sizzle than steak
Awful shooting technique, plays ball like he’s in Rucker park , terrible terrible to/ast ratio ,doesn’t make anyone better, and somehow his D has slipped the last 2 years
I was gonna say. His D was good but has slipped (new money ?).
And we don’t want to compare D to Payton lol
Ehh most of the D being good mantra was overplayed from a “Harden stopper” nickname he got his rookie year in the playoffs off of about a half dozen well timed plays
It really got exaggerated from there (everything really)
What did Anthony Edwards do to get his contract? Young guys are paid on potential. If you could tell a good basketball player from a bad 1 then you’d see that he has potential to be a big time scorer if he tightens his j up bc h rd s extremely hard to stop going downhill & he’s a very good finisher
You are comparing a #1 pick in the draft. To those players. Why excatly are you even here. Go buy Cams Knick shirt. It’s on sale
Now you gonna tell us what we see. I see a disturbance.
I disagree but I’ll be very happy if your right Sankara
“Free agent acquisition Lonnie Walker III will fill Malik Monk‘s former role of instant offense off the bench”
This is not the right direction for the Lakers, signing Lonnie’s dad to a contract too. I thought they were trying to get younger.
Utah gets Hield, Theis
Nets get Conley, THT, Stanley Johnson, NAW
Lakers get Kyrie
Indiana gets Westbrook
I feel like Utah should get a 1st and a 2nd in this, and either Indiana, the Lakers or both should get a 2nd round pick here
This works best for the Nets though, like by a lot, but considering all the rumors and stuff, this might be the best option to get people certain places. The Lakers come out worst in this as well, but they want Kyrie for some reason, and this gets that done, and then I guess they would need to move Nunn after this and figure out a wing option of some kind