Mitchell Robinson Increasing Value Ahead Of Free Agency?
Mitchell Robinson appears to be increasing his value ahead of unrestricted free agency, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), who reports that the Knicks‘ backup center is expected to receive “significant” external interest this offseason.
Fischer compares Robinson’s situation to that of his former teammate Isaiah Hartenstein in 2024. Hartenstein signed a three-year, $87MM contract with the Thunder that summer, though only the first two seasons were guaranteed (2026/27 is a team option).
It remains to be seen whether Robinson will command that significant of a payday, but sources tell Fischer the Bulls, Hornets, Lakers and Raptors are all considered potential suitors for the 28-year-old big man, who’s a strong, versatile defender and an elite rebounder, particularly on the offensive glass.
Chicago could have up to $56MM in cap room this offseason and Los Angeles could choose to operate under the cap as well. The Hornets and Raptors appear likely to have the full mid-level exception (projected to be worth $64.7MM over four years) available. All four teams are “known to be looking for center upgrades,” according to Fischer.
Robinson’s playing time has been reduced somewhat in the playoffs in part because of his struggles at the charity stripe: he’s only converting 32.0% of his 3.3 free throws per game through 15 postseason appearances (14.1 minutes per contest).
Still, Robinson has been impactful when he’s not being intentionally fouled. He drew praise from head coach Mike Brown and Karl-Anthony Towns for his late-game defense on Victor Wembanyama following New York’s Game 2 victory over San Antonio, Fischer notes, and he stayed pretty healthy throughout 2025/26 (60 regular season games) after missing extended time in recent years due to injuries.
A former second-round pick, Robinson has spent all eight of his NBA seasons to this point with the Knicks, who selected him 36th overall in the 2018 draft. New York holds a 2-0 lead on San Antonio in the NBA Finals, with both victories coming on the road.
The Knicks have Robinson’s Bird rights and there’s technically nothing preventing them from re-signing him, though the team projects to be over the second tax apron next season if it chooses to go that route. Given Robinson’s importance to the Knicks’ success, it would certainly be difficult to replace him.
And-Ones: Westhead, NBA Finals, Mitrou-Long, BAL
Paul Westhead is the 2026 recipient of the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award, the National Basketball Coaches Association announced in a press release.
Westhead’s coaching career spanned five decades and a total of 38 seasons. He spent 12 years as a head and assistant coach in the NBA and also coached in the WNBA, NCAA and internationally. He’s the only head coach in basketball history to win both an NBA (with the Lakers in 1980) and a WNBA championship (with the Phoenix Mercury in 2007), per the statement.
Known as a progenitor of the run-and-gun offense, Westhead also spent time as head coach of the Bulls and Nuggets and had an extensive college career with La Salle, Loyola Marymount (Hank Gathers and Bo Kimble era), George Mason, and Oregon.
“We are honored to recognize Paul Westhead as the recipient of the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award,” said Pistons head coach and NBCA president J.B. Bickerstaff. “Coach Westhead’s impact on the game extends far beyond wins and championships.
“He challenged conventional thinking, introduced ideas that were ahead of their time, and influenced generations of coaches across every level of men’s and women’s basketball. His commitment to innovation, teaching, and the growth of our game has left a lasting mark on our profession, making him truly deserving of this recognition.”
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Wednesday’s contest between the Spurs and Knicks was the most-watched NBA Finals Game 1 since 2018, when the Warriors and Cavaliers faced off for the fourth straight year, according to ESPN PR (story via Ronce Rajan). Viewership was up 90% compared to last year, when a pair of small market teams (Oklahoma City and Indiana) squared off. Wednesday’s game was also the most-viewed Finals game overall since Game 6 in 2019 (Warriors-Raptors).
- Canadian guard Naz Mitrou-Long has signed a three-year contract with PAOK BC, the Greek team confirmed in a press statement. The 32-year-old spent parts of three NBA seasons with the Jazz and Pacers and has spent the past several years in Europe, playing in Italy, Greece and Lithuania.
- Deputy NBA commissioner Mark Tatum recently spoke to Marc J. Spears of Andscape about the next steps for the Basketball Africa League (BAL). “We are in the process now of transitioning the BAL from a completely open league and model where every year, 12 different teams could participate in the league,” Tatum told Andscape in a phone interview. “In order to qualify now, you have to win your national championship. So, we basically take 12 national champions. And of course, those national champions can change every single year. So, after the first six seasons, we’ve decided that now is the right time to transition the BAL from an open model to more of a franchise model and a semi-closed model.”
2026 NBA Offseason Preview: Los Angeles Lakers
Even though they were quickly dispatched in the first round of the 2025 playoffs, the Lakers entered last summer on a positive note, still riding the high of their mid-season Luka Doncic acquisition. While Doncic spent the offseason getting into peak condition and committing to a multiyear extension with his new team, the front office began working to try to find the types of complementary pieces that would best suit Los Angeles' new franchise player.
Armed with no cap room and a limited number of valuable trade chips ahead of the 2025/26 season, the Lakers' options to fortify their roster were limited. As a result, Deandre Ayton, Jake LaRavia, and Marcus Smart, each of whom signed a short-term contract that paid in the $5-10MM range, headlined the club's relatively modest list of newcomers.
In the process of making room to fit those players below a first-apron hard cap, L.A. let Dorian Finney-Smith walk in free agency and waived Jordan Goodwin, whose minimum-salary contract was mostly non-guaranteed.
The returns on those roster maneuvers during Doncic's first full season as a Laker were mostly positive. Ayton, a former No. 1 overall pick who likes to be a primary scoring option, wasn't a perfect fit for a Lakers team looking for a center willing to do more of the dirty work - including protecting the rim, rebounding, and setting screens - but he eventually bought into his role. Letting Finney-Smith get away to a conference rival earned the club some criticism at the time but ultimately paid off when his recovery from ankle surgery extended well past opening night, leading to a career-worst year in Houston.
LaRavia's three-point shooting dropped off in 2025/26, but he provided solid defense on the wing and was the only Laker to appear in all 82 regular season games. Los Angeles' biggest roster misstep was waiving Goodwin, who had a breakout year for the division-rival Suns. Still, that move was necessary to bring in Smart, whose own bounce-back season on a pretty team-friendly deal mitigated the effects of losing Goodwin.
Perhaps most importantly, the Lakers' "big three" of Doncic, Austin Reaves, and LeBron James ultimately thrived together, with James settling into a new role as a third option and letting the two younger guards function as the team's primary offensive weapons. Everything seemed to come together for the Lakers during a 16-2 stretch between the end of February and the end of March, with Doncic, Reaves, and James combining to average over 76 points and 20 assists per game while role players like Ayton, Smart, and Luke Kennard played some of their best basketball of the season.
Unfortunately for the Lakers, that stretch came to an abrupt end on April 2 when both Doncic and Reaves suffered significant muscle strains (a hamstring for Doncic and an oblique for Reaves) in a blowout loss to Oklahoma City. The Lakers still managed to pull out a first-round series win over Houston with Doncic sidelined and James reclaiming his role as the offensive alpha, but without their MVP available, the Lakers couldn't hang with the Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals and were on the wrong end of a second-round sweep.
Sixteen months removed from the shocking Doncic blockbuster, a Lakers team looking to reestablish itself as a title contender can no longer get by on the residual good vibes of that deal, but there are more reasons for optimism entering the 2026 offseason. That March run represented a proof of concept for this version of the Lakers, and the front office will be better equipped this summer to pursue upgrades and reshape the roster.
The Lakers' Offseason Plans
James is an all-time great whose jersey will eventually hang from the rafters in Crypto.com Arena, but at age 41, he's no longer the most important part of the Lakers' future. In fact, he's not even their most important free agent of the 2026 offseason from a long-term perspective, given that Reaves is also on track to reach free agency once he formally passes on his $14.9MM player option for 2026/27.
Still, the Lakers' next move with James could largely determine which direction their offseason takes.
Austin Reaves To Seek Max Deal In Free Agency?
Lakers guard Austin Reaves is expected to decline his 2026/27 player option and become an unrestricted free agent in a matter of weeks. At that point, he’ll be one of the top players on the market and will likely be seeking a contract that reflects that fact, Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times said during an appearance on Spectrum SportsNet (Twitter video link).
“Based on what I understand, what I keep hearing, Austin wants the max,” Turner said. “Is he willing to give the Lakers a hometown deal? I’m not so sure about that. Maybe he does, but maybe his reps don’t want to.”
Based on the latest salary cap estimate provided by the NBA, a five-year, maximum-salary deal for Reaves with the Lakers would be worth a projected $239.3MM, while a four-year max deal with a rival suitor would be worth $177.4MM.
While Reaves is certainly in line for a lucrative payday this summer, he’d likely need a rival team with cap room, such as the Bulls or Nets, to get involved in the bidding in order to drive his price up to – or near – his maximum. Without another suitor putting pressure on them, the Lakers would regain some leverage in contract negotiations.
Reaves has spoken in the past about wanting to stick with the Lakers, and while Turner is certainly right that the guard’s representatives will seek the best possible offer for their client, that doesn’t mean he’d be obligated to leave Los Angeles if another team is offering a slightly higher annual salary. The 28-year-old would have to determine in that scenario what his priorities are and what makes the most sense for his long-term future.
For what it’s worth, ESPN’s Bobby Marks recently suggested that a four-year, $155MM offer might be enough for the Lakers to re-sign Reaves, though NBA scouts and executives who spoke to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps believe the former undrafted free agent could do a little better, projecting something in the range of $200MM over five years.
“I’d be pretty surprised if the first year starts with a three instead of a four,” one Eastern Conference scout told Bontemps, “but the Lakers need to keep him, and by all accounts he wants to be there, so I think they make it work.”
Reaves was limited to 51 appearances in 2025/26 for health reasons but put up excellent offensive numbers when he was available, averaging a career-high 23.3 points per game on .490/.360/.871 shooting. He also contributed 5.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per contest.
Pacific Notes: Lakers, Warriors, Curry, Kings
The Lakers enter the offseason with Luka Doncic under contract, as well as a whole lot of questions outside of the Slovenian star.
One of the key inflection points is what comes next for LeBron James. He could re-sign with the team, leave in free agency, or retire. If he does re-sign with the Lakers, how much does he command on his next contract?
Whether there is a right price to be found between the team and the 41-year-old star, who projects to be the third option offensively, is a topic of debate in the recent Los Angeles Times roundtable, with columnist Bill Plaschke believing that the two sides will be at odds in terms of what they’d want in a potential deal, though others disagree.
The panel found consensus in the desire to bring back free agent Austin Reaves and in the need to upgrade the center spot, regardless of whether or not Deandre Ayton picks up his $8.1MM player option for next season.
We have more news and notes from the Pacific Division:
- The Warriors hosted six players in pre-draft workouts on Tuesday, the team announced (via Twitter): Donovan Atwell (Texas Tech), Quadir Copeland (NC State), Josh Dix (Creighton), RJ Godfrey (Clemson), Ugonna Onyenso (Virginia), and Oziyah Sellers (St. John’s). Golden State has the 11th and 54th overall picks in the 2026 draft. Onyenso is the highest-rated player on this list, coming in at 43 on Jeremy Woo’s big board for ESPN due to his impressive shot-blocking ability.
- Stephen Curry‘s new deal with the Chinese shoe company Li-Ning is worth over $400MM over 10 years, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (via Twitter), who notes that the Warriors‘ star had other companies making competitive offers. Charania previously reported that the deal would allow Curry to sign other athletes to his brand and expand beyond sneakers (Twitter link).
- While the Spurs and Knicks prepare to face off in the Finals, the Kings are stuck with reminders of where they’ve been and where they’re going. The year after Tyrese Haliburton led the Pacers to the Finals, the Kings now prepare to watch the coach they fired, Mike Brown, face off against the other point guard they traded, De’Aaron Fox, while they’re stuck trying to navigate the same type of dysfunction that defined the franchise for 20 years, writes Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee (subscriber link).
Stein’s Latest: Giannis, Magic, Braun, C. Johnson, Sixers
The Magic‘s decision to hire Sean Sweeney as their next head coach has led to increased speculation about Orlando potentially pursuing Giannis Antetokounmpo, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link), who says some people around the league already viewed the Magic as a possible suitor for the two-time MVP.
Antetokounmpo has a known affinity for Sweeney, a former Bucks assistant who spent four seasons with the Greek forward in Milwaukee. Stein writes that the two “worked closely” together.
As Stein observes, Sweeney isn’t Antetokounmpo’s only connection to the Magic, as senior advisor John Hammond selected the 31-year-old with the 15th overall pick in the 2015 draft. Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman still regularly contacts Hammond for advice, Stein reports.
League sources tell Stein that the Heat and Trail Blazers are “already in pursuit” of Antetokounmpo, with Miami considered a top trade contender for the nine-time All-NBA member.
There’s a growing belief around the league that Antetokounmpo’s future will be resolved in the next few weeks after owner Jimmy Haslam set a soft deadline of the NBA draft, Stein adds.
Here’s more from Stein’s latest rumor round-up:
- Rival teams are expecting the Nuggets to make Christian Braun and Cameron Johnson available in trade talks this summer, according to Stein. Denver has said re-signing restricted free agent Peyton Watson will be a priority this offseason and there’s technically nothing preventing the team from doing so while keeping its other higher-priced players, assuming ownership is willing to pay the luxury tax bill. However, the Nuggets project to be well over the second apron if they bring back the same group, with Braun and Johnson among their trade candidates. Johnson’s expiring $23.1MM contract is considered far more appealing than Braun’s five-year, $125MM rookie scale extension, which begins next season, Stein notes.
- One of the reasons the Nuggets prioritized a long-term deal with Braun last offseason is he’s “routinely described” as one of Nikola Jokic‘s favorite teammates, league sources tell Stein. Jokic has finished either first or second in MVP voting each of the past six seasons.
- Vice president of player personnel Prosper Karangwa is expected to remain with the Sixers after the team hired Mike Gansey as its new head of basketball operations, according to Stein, who previously linked Karangwa to the Lakers and Mavericks. Stein reiterates that 76ers assistant GM Jameer Nelson is expected to be promoted to GM and that current GM Elton Brand is considered likely to be offered a new role in Philadelphia.
Cavaliers Notes: Mobley, Allen, Harden, Mitchell, LeBron
The Cavaliers figure to be active on the trade market this summer, whether it’s to remake a roster that got overwhelmed by New York in the Eastern Conference finals or just to escape the second apron. The problem for president of basketball operations Koby Altman is that he doesn’t have many assets to offer unless he’s willing to part with a big name, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes in a subscriber-only story.
Fedor states that teams calling Altman typically express interest in Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Jaylon Tyson or Max Strus. Mobley and Allen are linchpins of a team that has become one of the best in the conference, while Tyson at 23 is one of the Cavs’ top young talents and Strus is a reliable shooter who’ll have a $16.7MM expiring contract next season. Cleveland also owns the 29th pick in this year’s draft and can offer its first-rounder in either 2031 or 2032.
Mobley would be the most valuable asset if the Cavaliers decide to pursue Giannis Antetokounmpo or another huge name, but Fedor states that the front office still views the former No. 3 overall pick as a future star and appears to be committed to keeping him as part of the future.
“All I can tell you is, since Evan’s been here, we’ve had the third best record in the league,” Altman said Friday at his end-of-season press conference. “Now we don’t have a championship to show for that yet, right? Boston and Denver, the other two ahead of us, they have a championship to show for that. But all Evan has done is impacted winning. He’s been remarkable for us in terms of our ascent the last five years. He’s a huge part of what we do.”
Altman also expressed support for Allen, saying he’s a good fit alongside Mobley and they provide a “cheat code” on defense.
There’s more from Cleveland:
- The Cavaliers considered a few other options before deciding to trade for James Harden at the deadline, according to Fedor. One was Celtics guard Derrick White, which became unrealistic with Jayson Tatum‘s fast return from his Achilles injury. Another was Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday, a former Celtic, but they decided he doesn’t he doesn’t provide enough offense. There were also “internal discussions” about Antetokounmpo. Altman said they understood what they were getting with Harden, who holds a $42.3MM player option for next season and is expected to sign a multi-year contract this summer. “I think people need to take a step back and realize we didn’t trade for MVP James Harden,” Altman said. “We traded for James Harden at the end of his career that has transformed himself to becoming one of the best point guards in the league. He helped stabilize us. He helped re-galvanize the group. We were kind of shaky there, in terms of our belief. We’re not in the conference finals without James.”
- Altman called Donovan Mitchell “uniquely ours” during his end-of-season press conference, but the team could face a difficult decision if he doesn’t agree to an extension this summer, Fedor adds. Mitchell will become eligible in July for a four-year deal worth up to an estimated $272MM, but that will increase to five years at around $350MM if he waits until next offseason. That would mean taking him into potential free agency, which the Cavs may be hesitant to do.
- Speculation about another LeBron James homecoming will hang over the franchise until his situation is resolved, Fedor notes. James would solve the team’s most pressing positional need and would bring a wealth of playoff experience, but the Cavs can’t offer more than the $3.9MM veteran’s minimum without making major changes to the roster. Another option is a sign-and-trade, which means giving James a three-year contract with at least one fully guaranteed season. Fedor points out that the Lakers would likely ask for a significant return in that scenario, and the Cavs would need to shed salary in order to operate under the first tax apron for the rest of 2026/27.
And-Ones: Eurocamp Mentors, Doncic, Osman, Condon, Cotton
This year’s Adidas Eurocamp, which serves as a platform for international basketball prospects to gain prominence among decision-makers around the globe, will be well-represented by NBA players who will serve as special guests and mentors in Franz Wagner (Magic), Bogdan Bogdanovic (Clippers), and VJ Edgecombe (Sixers), Johnny Askounis writes for Eurohoops.
Those are not the only NBA representatives who will be present. Bucks assistants Dave Joerger and Rex Kalamian will help run things, as will Sixers coaches Rico Hines and Bryan Gates and Phil Handy from the Mavericks, among others.
As far as participants in the camp go, the biggest names are Oscar Wembanyama, the 6’8″, 19-year-old brother of Victor Wembanyama, along with Australian guard/wing Dash Daniels, French forward Meissa Faye, Italian guard David Torresani, and Swann Penda, brother of Magic draft pick Noah Penda.
The games, which take place from June 5 to 7, will be streamed on Adidas’ YouTube channel.
We have more from around the world of international hoops:
- Lakers star Luka Doncic was approached by former Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson this season and asked if he wanted to help try to move a professional basketball team to Rome, Tani Ganguli writes for The New York Times. It was an easy decision for Doncic to say yes. The pair is now heading up an investment group that is attempting to bring Vanoli Cremona from northern Italy to the capital city as part of the NBA’s continued efforts to get its NBA Europe league off the ground. “Since I came to the N.B.A., my dream was always to own a team in Europe, especially because Europe gave me so much,” Doncic said. “… I am the player I am because of Euroleague.”
- Panathinaikos is headed to the Greek League Finals due in large part to the contributions of ex-NBA player Cedi Osman, who had 29 points with five made threes in the final game of the semi-finals sweep over PAOK BC. Former Knicks point guard Jerian Grant had 15 points, while Nigel Hayes-Davis, who played 27 games for the Suns this season, added 14. On the other side of the box score, Patrick Beverley had 14 points and 11 assists for PAOK. Osman scored 14 points in the third quarter, turning the momentum of the game, per the Eurohoops team. Panathinaikos will face Olympiacos in the Finals.
- The Australian national team selection for the FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers is taking shape, with Alex Condon, who recently withdrew from the NBA draft to return to Florida, Cavaliers rookie Tyrese Proctor, and former NBA guard Bryce Cotton among the bigger names, per Olgun Uluc of ESPN. Cotton, who played two years in the NBA between 2014 and 2016, has been an NBL staple for nearly a decade. He has led the league in scoring nine times, has won six MVPs, and three championships, for which he received two NBL Grand Final MVP awards.
Free Agent Rumors: Duren, Kessler, Reaves, Dosunmu, More
Jalen Duren of the Pistons and Walker Kessler of the Jazz will be two of the top centers on the free agent market this offseason, but both will be restricted and the expectation is that they’ll remain with their current clubs, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
Duren looked headed for a potential maximum-salary contract after a regular season breakout that saw him earn a spot on the All-NBA third team and rank second in Most Improved Player voting. An underwhelming postseason showing may have hurt his earning potential a little, according to Bontemps, but scouts and executives consider him likely to get a new deal that approaches $40MM per year.
“If he wants to get a max, they’ll tell him to go get one,” one Eastern Conference executive told Bontemps. “But he’s Cade (Cunningham)‘s guy, so they’ll have to play it the right way.”
Meanwhile, the Jazz added Jaren Jackson Jr. to their frontcourt during the season, but neither he nor Lauri Markkanen is expected to play the majority of his minutes at center, so Kessler remains an important part of the future in Utah. The belief around the league is that he’ll be able to negotiate a contract worth in the neighborhood of $25-30MM annually, Bontemps says.
“It appears Utah is gearing up to keep him,” an East scout told ESPN. “I don’t see an obvious fit in free agency for someone to try to get him. They’re going to be in an interesting spot next season, and I’m excited to see how they navigate all of it.”
Here are a few more notes and rumors on some of this summer’s top free agents:
- Scouts and executives who spoke to ESPN don’t expect Austin Reaves to get his full max (roughly $239MM over five years) from the Lakers, but they wouldn’t be surprised if he receives $40MM per year. “I’d be pretty surprised if the first year (salary) starts with a three instead of a four,” an Eastern Conference scout said, “but the Lakers need to keep him, and by all accounts he wants to be there, so I think they make it work.” The Nets, one of the few teams with the cap room necessary to make a run at a player like Reaves, is considered a rival suitor to monitor, sources tell Bontemps.
- Sources around the NBA believe guard Ayo Dosunmu will re-sign with the Timberwolves on a deal worth a little more than the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($15MM), though that may require the team to part with injured guard Donte DiVincenzo to avoid going too deep into tax/apron territory, Bontemps notes.
- Rival scouts and executives would be surprised if the Knicks let unrestricted free agents Mitchell Robinson and Landry Shamet get away, especially if they win a title. “You have to bring (Robinson) back,” an East executive said. “If they win the Finals, they’re not losing anybody. And, even if they don’t, I don’t see how they let him walk.” Both players are candidates for two-year deals, since New York projects to operate above the second tax apron for the next couple years anyway, Bontemps observes.
- Trail Blazers center Robert Williams is expected to generate significant interest after his healthiest season in years, given how much teams are valuing size, Bontemps writes, adding that the range for his starting salary may be in the vicinity of $10-15MM. “The injury history will scare a lot of teams off,” a Western Conference executive said. “But when he plays, he’s good. You just can’t expect him to start for you because he won’t be on the court if you play him that many minutes. He’ll be good value if — a huge if — he can stay on the floor.”
- While Peyton Watson‘s recurring hamstring issues this past season are a concern, the expectation is that the Nuggets will find a way to give him a new contract in the $20-25MM range in restricted free agency, per Bontemps. “They could easily just pay him and pay the tax, but we know how the Kroenkes operate,” a West scout said. “That means sending out either (Cameron) Johnson or (Christian) Braun, and I don’t know where that lands. The injury stuff is a concern, but so is how they struggled without him.”
Lakers Notes: LeBron, Firings, Offseason Priorities, Lottery Reform
LeBron James and his representatives are waiting for the Lakers to present an offer for next season, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on the latest edition of The Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link). James will be an unrestricted free agent and hasn’t committed to continuing his career, and he wants to hear the team’s plan before making his next move.
James has a $57.7MM cap hold, so the Lakers will need to resolve his financial situation before making their other offseason moves, Windhorst notes. He cautions that they might have to renounce LeBron’s free agent rights if the four-time MVP isn’t ready to make a decision on his future by the start of free agency, but the two sides could resume negotiations later in the summer after the team’s other business is resolved.
Windhorst addresses the possibility that James could move on to another team and notes that the Cavaliers and Warriors have frequently been rumored as potential destinations. His best outcome in that case is a sign-and-trade to earn a salary above the mid-level, but he needs the organization to work with him to make that happen. Windhorst adds that James’ options increase dramatically if he’s willing to play for the mid-level exception or the veteran’s minimum just to get to the team of his choice.
There’s more from Los Angeles:
- A reorganization plan resulted in the layoffs of more than a dozen Lakers employees on Wednesday, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. He notes that the team has continued to undergo changes since the purchase by Mark Walter was approved in October. Sources tell McMenamin that the layoffs affected marketing, team communications, team content and corporate partnerships.
- General manager Rob Pelinka recently said it’s “not the Lakers’ way” to go through losing seasons and rebuild through the draft like Oklahoma City and San Antonio did, so Melissa Rohlin of The California Post examines how the team can compete with those Western Conference powers. Her answer is to find better role players to mix with James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves so L.A. can match the depth of the Thunder or Spurs in future playoff meetings.
- In a subscriber-only piece, Mirjam Swanson of The Los Angeles Times explains that the 3-2-1 lottery reform proposal might benefit the Lakers, but she still sees it as a mistake for the league. Swanson believes the new system is overly complicated and doesn’t give legitimately bad teams a clear path toward improving.