Lakers Rumors

Lakers Notes: Doncic, LeBron, Hayes, Kleber

Luka Doncic wasn’t happy with his first experience in the Lakers-Warriors rivalry, taking the blame for Thursday’s loss to Golden State following a poor shooting night, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Doncic went 6-of-17 from the field and missed all six of his three-point attempts, ending a 114-game streak of making at least one three-pointer, which McMenamin notes was the fifth longest in NBA history.

The loss knocked L.A. back into fourth place at 46-30, a half-game behind Denver in the tight race for Western Conference seeding. The fifth-place Warriors moved to within a game of the Lakers at 45-31.

“That performance from me was unacceptable,” Doncic said. “When I play like that, that makes [it] harder [for the team] to win, so just got to figure that out.”

After the game, Doncic had ice on his left elbow, which was heavily wrapped in kinesiology tape, McMenamin states. However, Doncic refused to blame the injury for his shooting woes.

“It’s fine,” he said. “That’s my left [arm], so it’s fine. I was shooting with the right. It [just] looked like [the] left.”

There’s more on the Lakers:

  • LeBron James isn’t showing any effects from the groin strain that sidelined him for two weeks in March, McMenamin adds. In his seventh game since returning, James played 40 minutes and finished with 33 points, five rebounds and nine assists. “That was the best I’ve felt since before the injury, for sure,” he said. “I just tried to press, get downhill. My rhythm, as far as my jump shot, felt pretty good today. I have been shooting it from the free throw line extremely well as of late. But that was probably the best physically I’ve felt so hopefully I can build off of that.”
  • Jaxson Hayes saw his scoring numbers rise after the Doncic trade in early February, but opponents have adjusted to take away the lob threat, notes Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. Hayes averaged 9.6 PPG and shot 78.4% from the field in his first 19 games with Doncic, but defenses are now focusing on keeping their low man close to the basket. “When teams do that, man, it’s either Luka’s gonna get a bucket or one of the shooters gonna get a bucket,” Hayes said. “They’re pulled in trying to help on my rolls and tackle on my rolls, that means the corner man’s open. So it’s just all about making the right reads. I just gotta continue to force overs and continue to roll hard so people come pull into the paint and can try to bring more of their defense in to get other guys open.”
  • Maxi Kleber, who was acquired from Dallas in the Doncic deal, has been cleared for on-court activities, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic (Twitter link). Kleber is recovering from surgery on his right foot in late January.

Pacific Notes: Payton, Beal, Hayes, Carter, Kings

Golden State should have one of its top defensive players back in the near future. While veteran swingman Gary Payton II has been ruled out for Thursday’s game against the Lakers, he is making “good progress” from the partially torn ligament in his left thumb is now considered day-to-day, according to an announcement from the Warriors (Twitter link).

Initial reports on Payton’s thumb injury indicated he would be sidelined indefinitely, but the Warriors announced last Thursday that he’d be reevaluated in one week and it sounds as if that exam went well. While the defensive specialist won’t suit up on Thursday, he has yet to be ruled out for the second end of the team’s back-to-back set, so it’s possible he could return as soon as Friday vs. Denver.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

  • Bradley Beal isn’t listed on the Suns‘ injury report for Friday’s game in Boston and is on track to make his return after missing eight games with a left hamstring strain. He shares fans’ frustrations about his inconsistent availability this season and is hopeful he won’t have to miss any more games this spring, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “It’s not ideal, obviously, it’s not fun,” Beal said. “You don’t enjoy it. You control what you can control. That’s all I can do. I always preach about being available and that’s something I’m definitely kicking myself about, but that’s sometimes how the cookie crumbles. All I can do is keep my head up and keep getting better. The staff has been great, my body is in a better place and I feel really good right now. Hopefully it continues to stay that way.”
  • Jaxson Hayes averaged a career-low 12.5 minutes per game in his first season with the Lakers in 2023/24, but has taken on a significantly more important role in the second year of his minimum-salary deal following the trade sending Anthony Davis to Dallas. Hayes, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, is looking to make the most of the chance to start at center alongside an elite pick-and-roll play-maker like Luka Doncic. “I just view it as opportunity to make a name for myself, an opportunity to go win some games and win a ring,” Hayes said on Wednesday, per Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. “And I just look at it as I gotta come in locked in every day and just try to make the most out of every day, be the best version of myself.”
  • The Kings got good news on Devin Carter after the rookie guard exited Saturday’s game early due to a right shoulder injury. Carter is considered day-to-day due to a shoulder contusion and is being listed as questionable to play on Friday in Charlotte (Twitter link via James Ham of The Kings Beat). Carter has a history of shoulder issues, so the team can breathe a sigh of relief now that the injury appears to be relatively minor.
  • While the Carter update was a positive one, there hasn’t been much else to celebrate in Sacramento as of late. As Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee writes, the Kings‘ loss in Washington on Wednesday represents a new low for a team struggling to separate itself in the play-in race from a Phoenix squad that has lost four games in a row. The 36-40 Kings have a one-game lead on the Suns for the No. 10 seed in the West.

Rory Maher contributed to this post.

NBA Announces Finalists For Sportsmanship, Teammate Of The Year Awards

The NBA announced the 2024/25 finalists for a pair of awards on Wednesday, naming the six players who are eligible to win the Sportsmanship Award for this season, as well as the 12 players who are in the running to be named Teammate of the Year.

The Sportsmanship Award honors the player who “best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court,” per the NBA. Each of the league’s 30 teams nominated one of its players for the award, then a panel of league executives narrows that group to six finalists (one from each division) and current players voted for the winner.

The trophy for the Sportsmanship Award is named after Joe Dumars, the Hall-of-Fame guard who won the inaugural award back in ’95/96. This season’s finalists are as follows (via Twitter):

Holiday is the only one of this year’s finalists for the Sportsmanship Award who has earned the honor in the past — he won it in 2021. Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey won the award last season.

Meanwhile, the NBA also announced its finalists for the Teammate of the Year award for 2024/25. According to the league, the player selected for the honor is “deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, on- and off-court leadership as a mentor and role model to other NBA players, and commitment and dedication to team.”

The voting process is similar to the Sportsmanship Award — a panel of league executives selects 12 finalists (six from each conference) for the award, then current players vote on the winner.

Holiday is a three-time Teammate of the Year, while Timberwolves guard Mike Conley has also won the award twice, including in 2024. However, neither of those veterans is a finalist this season.

The Teammate of the Year finalists are as follows (via Twitter):

Award Candidates Who Still Need To Reach 65-Game Mark

There are just 12 days left in the 2024/25 regular season, which means time is running out for certain end-of-season award candidates to meet the 65-game minimum to qualify for consideration.

A player doesn’t need to reach that 65-game mark in order to be eligible for Sixth Man of the Year, Rookie of the Year, or All-Rookie teams, but it’s a necessary requirement for most of the marquee awards: Most Valuable Player, All-NBA, Defensive Player of the Year, All-Defense, and Most Improved Player.

According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link), the following players who could be in the mix for one or more of those awards haven’t yet met the 65-game criteria, but still have a chance to do so:

In some cases, a player’s actual games played total doesn’t match up with the figure noted above. That’s because in order for a game to count before the 65-game minimum, the player must be on the court for at least 20 minutes. A player is also permitted to count a maximum of two games between 15 and 20 minutes toward that minimum.

Let’s use Mobley as an example. The Cavaliers big man has technically appeared in 66 games this season, but he played just 12 minutes in one of those games, 18 minutes in two of them, and 19 minutes in one. That means he only has 64 games that actually count toward the minimum — all 62 games in which he played 20-plus minutes, along with two of those games between 15-20 minutes.

Mobley will have to play at least 20 minutes once more this season in order to be eligible for awards like Defensive Player of the Year, All-Defense, and All-NBA. Given that he’s healthy and the Cavs still have seven games left on their schedule, Mobley should have no problem meeting that requirement. But it’ll be a taller order for some of the other players on this list.

Durant is currently sidelined with an ankle sprain and has been ruled out for at least two more games. He would have to play 20-plus minutes in three of the Suns‘ final four games to be award-eligible. Brunson, on the shelf due to his own ankle sprain, is in a similar boat, though the Knicks guard has a chance to return before Durant does.

Lillard, who is out indefinitely after being diagnosed with a blood clot in his calf, seems pretty unlikely to play in six of the Bucks‘ last seven games. Holiday is healthy but has no wiggle room to miss any of the Celtics‘ remaining seven games.

Many of this year’s other top award contenders have already met the 65-game criteria. Nuggets center Nikola Jokic did so in style on Tuesday night — his 65th game of the season was an incredible 61-point triple-double in a 140-139 double-overtime loss to Minnesota.

However, according to the latest straw poll conducted by Tim Bontemps of ESPN, Jokic is the clear runner-up to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (who has played 72 games) in the MVP race. Of the 100 media members polled by Bontemps, 77 picked the Thunder guard as their Most Valuable Player, while just 23 chose Jokic. The three-time MVP may need a couple more performances like Tuesday’s in order to close that gap by the end of the season.

Besides Jokic, one other notable player who has narrowly eclipsed the 65-game minimum is Cade Cunningham. The Pistons guard has missed four games in a row with a left calf injury and is considered doubtful to return on Wednesday, but he played his 65th game on March 19, prior to his recent absence.

That’s especially important for Cunningham and the Pistons because, as Bontemps notes, the fourth-year guard is considered a virtual lock to earn a spot on one of this year’s All-NBA teams, which will ensure that his maximum-salary rookie scale extension begins at 30% of the 2025/26 salary cap instead of 25%. That would increase the overall projected value of Cunningham’s five-year deal from $224.2MM to $269.1MM.

Pacific Notes: Lakers, Redick, Beal, Carter

Saturday’s win over the Grizzlies in Memphis represented perhaps the best overall showing to date for the Lakers‘ trio of LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves. They combined for 85 points, 25 assists, and 21 rebounds, with Reaves (31 points, eight assists, seven rebounds) leading the way.

The performance came on the heels of head coach J.J. Redick gathering James, Doncic, and Reaves for a meeting on Saturday morning, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com.

“We challenged all three of them when we get to their three-man actions to play with a little more force and a little more thrust and a little more creativity,” Redick said of that meeting, noting that it paid immediate dividends. “We played as well as we’ve played so far, offensively.”

“I think the meeting was just still trying to build that chemistry amongst the three of us to help the team be successful,” Reaves added. “(Saturday’s game) just showed that when we play the right way and trust one another, especially offensively, we can have open looks on almost every possession. … It was really just a conversation about how bad all of us want to win and win at a high level.”

James, Doncic, and Reaves have all missed multiple games this month due to new health issues and/or management of old injuries, but they’ve all been available for each of the past five contests. While the Lakers lost the first of those two games, they’ve won two of the past three, with their only loss in that stretch coming on Josh Giddey‘s half-court buzzer beater on Thursday.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

  • Within a feature story about Redick, Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times writes that the first-year head coach has expressed a strong affinity for Los Angeles and hopes his job with the Lakers gives him a reason to remain there for the long term. “I’m not moving again. I’m not moving my kids again,” Redick said. “We’re in it for the long haul. I would love to be the Lakers coach for the next 15 to 20 years. If I’m not the Lakers coach, I’m in it for the long haul in L.A.”
  • Suns guard Bradley Beal missed a seventh consecutive game on Sunday due to a left hamstring strain. As Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic writes, Beal is pushing hard in the hopes of returning to action sooner rather than later. “He wants to get back,” rookie guard Ryan Dunn said over the weekend. “He’s working his butt off.” Phoenix is 1.5 games back of a play-in spot and will be without leading scorer Kevin Durant for at least the next three games.
  • Kings guard Devin Carter exited Saturday’s game against Orlando early after injuring his right shoulder (Twitter video link via Sean Cunningham of FOX 40 Sacramento) and had his right arm in a sling after the game, tweets Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee. Carter, who has a history of shoulder issues, has been ruled out for Monday’s game in Indiana due to a right shoulder contusion, tweets James Ham of The Kings Beat.

Community Shootaround: Western Conference Playoff Race

The Thunder already secured the top seed in the Western Conference and seem on their way to clinching the top overall seed entering the 2025 playoffs. However, the five remaining guaranteed playoff spots in the West are still up for grabs.

The Rockets have been playing excellent basketball over the past few weeks and have surged up to No. 2 in the West with a 48-26 record. Only a catastrophic collapse would prevent them from earning a top-six seed, as they hold a 5.5-game lead on the No. 7 Warriors with eight games remaining.

The Nuggets, who are currently the No. 3 seed with a 47-28 record, are also in a strong position to earn a guaranteed playoff berth, as they’re four games up on Golden State with seven games remaining. It’s worth noting that Houston and Denver have among the most difficult remaining schedules, per Tankathon, but both clubs have a decent cushion on their closest competitors.

Saturday’s game between the Lakers and Grizzlies was a key matchup for both teams. The No. 4 Lakers (45-29) emerged victorious and earned the head-to-head tiebreaker on the No. 5 Grizzlies (44-30).

Even after the win though, the Lakers are just 5-8 over their past 13 games. They also have the second-hardest remaining schedule of any team, including four matchups against Oklahoma City and Houston over their final eight games.

The slumping Grizzlies are just 1.5 games ahead of the Clippers and Warriors, who hold identical 42-31 records, and two games up on the No. 8 Timberwolves (42-32). The Clips hold the tiebreaker on the Dubs, which is why they’re currently the No. 6 seed.

To word it in a different way: Only three games separate the Nos. 4-8 seeds in the West. And by opponent winning percentage, Minnesota has — by far — the easiest schedule left of the group.

Of the five teams bunched together in the standings, the Clippers and Warriors are the only ones with nine games left; the other three each have eight.

Securing a top-six seed is critical, as it ensures teams will make the playoffs outright. Those who fall outside of the top six will have to compete in the play-in tournament to try and claim the final two playoff spots in the West. Dallas, Sacramento and Phoenix are essentially in a three-way race for the ninth and tenth seeds and thus the final two spots in the play-in.

We want to know what you think. Aside from the Thunder, which other five teams will secure top-six seeds in the West? Which teams will be heading to the play-in tournament? Head to the comments section to weigh in.

Lakers Notes: Playoff Picture, Goodwin, Koloko, Jemison, Bronny

“Devastation” is how coach J.J. Redick described the feeling after the Lakers let a lead slip away on Thursday and lost in Chicago on Josh Giddey‘s half-court shot at the buzzer (Twitter video link), writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. L.A. led by 18 points in the fourth quarter and was up by five with 12.6 seconds left, but couldn’t close out the game.

Patrick Williams hit a corner three-pointer for the Bulls with 9.8 seconds remaining, then Giddey stole a LeBron James inbounds pass that James called a “horrible turnover.” Coby White nailed a three to put Chicago in front, but Austin Reaves responded with a layup with 3.3 seconds left, setting the stage for Giddey’s heroics.

“It sucks,” Reaves said. “We probably had a high-percentage chance of winning after my layup went in. There’s not many half-court buzzer-beaters to lose a game. And it’s just, it’s frustrating.”

It’s a loss that could have huge playoff implications for the Lakers as the season winds down. L.A. dropped into a tie with the Grizzlies for fourth place at 44-29 ahead of a trip to Memphis on Saturday. Both teams are two losses ahead of the Clippers and Warriors and three losses ahead of the Timberwolves as the race for the six automatic playoff spots in the West becomes tighter.

“There’s another game in two days, less than two days, that’s how you do it,” James said. “That’s the NBA. You can’t go into a game on Saturday thinking about what happened on Thursday.”

There’s more on the Lakers:

  • Jordan Goodwin had eight points, a steal and two blocks in his first game since being promoted to the 15-man roster. Speaking to reporters before Thursday’s contest, Redick cited “competitive spirit” and “toughness” as the main things Goodwin brings to the team, per Khobi Price of The Orange County Register (Twitter link). “I joked with him this morning, he can’t get soft on us now,” Redick said. “He’s been a banshee for us since he’s been with us on the two-way and has provided not just the attitude, the toughness on the court, but he’s played some really good basketball for us. We’re very confident in him.”
  • Two-way players Christian Koloko and Trey Jemison could be battling for another promotion before the season ends, Jovan Buha of The Athletic states in his latest podcast (hat tip to BasketNews). Buha notes that Koloko is more of a rim protector, while Jemison contributes on both ends of the court. He expects both players to be given minutes over the final nine games to help the coaching staff determine who would be more valuable in a playoff series.
  • Bronny James turned in his best G League performance this week with a 39-point outing for the South Bay Lakers, per Chuck Schilken of The Los Angeles Times. James admits being motivated by those who doubt that he can succeed at the highest level. “Just that I belong out there,” he said. “That’s all I’m trying to prove. A lot of people say I don’t, but I just come out, work every day, try to get better every day and prove myself every day. … All the criticism that’s thrown my way, it’s just amazing to shut all that down and keep going.”

Lakers Add Jordan Goodwin To 15-Man Roster, Waive Reddish

12:35pm: The moves are official, according to a team press release relayed by The Athletic’s Jovan Buha (Twitter link).


11:03am: The Lakers are converting Jordan Goodwin‘s two-way contract to a standard deal, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets. Goodwin will become playoff-eligible as a result of the promotion.

It’s a two-year deal with a team option for next season, NBA insider Chris Haynes tweets. To make room for Goodwin on the 15-man roster, the Lakers are waving Cam Reddish, Haynes adds in another tweet.

Not only are two-way players ineligible to play in the postseason but Goodwin had reached his active game limit on Tuesday when he played against Indiana. The 6’5″ guard, who played for three different organizations in his first three NBA seasons, has emerged as a steady contributor the last two months for the Lakers.

Goodwin appeared in eight February games, averaging 6.1 points and 3.8 rebounds in 16.9 minutes per contest. He’s seen action in 11 games this month, posting averages of 6.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 23 minutes per night.

The 26-year-old signed his two-way deal in early February after toiling for the G League’s South Bay Lakers until he landed another NBA contract.

Reddish was part of the rescinded Mark Williams deal with Charlotte. After being returned to the Lakers, Reddish appeared in just two games. His most recent appearance came last Thursday when he logged 22 minutes of action against Milwaukee, his highest single-game total since Christmas Day.

Reddish was playing on an expiring contract after exercising his minimum-salary option on this season’s contract. Overall, he appeared in 33 games with the Lakers in 2024/25, including eight starts. He averaged 3.2 points in 17.8 minutes per game. The 2019 lottery pick has played for four organizations.

Since the deadline for two-way signings was on March 4, the Lakers won’t be able to add a new two-way player to fill the opening created by Goodwin’s promotion.

California Notes: Luka, LeBron, Goodwin, Kings, Dunn

Following the Lakers‘ seventh loss in 10 games, a 118-106 defeat to Orlando on Monday, All-Star guard Luka Doncic took some accountability for the club’s recent struggles. As Dave McMenamin of ESPN writes, Doncic believes that it falls to him and fellow All-Star LeBron James to lead the Lakers out of this stretch.

Both players missed multiple contests during this 3-7 run, which also included a rough slate of six games played in eight days. Doncic sat out two games due to an ankle ailment, while James was shelved for seven with a groin issue.

“I think me and Bron, think we should be the guys to do that,” Doncic said. “That’s on me. Obviously, I’ve got to do better, I’ve got to talk more. I talked in the first half, then just kind of [let my] voice down and I shouldn’t do that.”

Los Angeles got back in the win column on Wednesday, defeating Indiana 120-119 on the road with a buzzer-beating James tip-in off a Doncic miss. They’ll face off against Chicago on Thursday night in the second game of a back-to-back slate.

There’s more out of California:

  • Lakers two-way guard Jordan Goodwin reached his active game limit on Tuesday vs. Indiana, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). Marks observes that Goodwin’s deal will need to be converted to L.A.’s standard roster if the contending club wants him to suit up in any more regular season or postseason contests. All 15 standard roster spots are occupied, meaning the Lakers would need to cut a player to promote Goodwin.
  • After losing four straight and eight of their last 10, the Kings are struggling to finish their 2024/25 regular season strong. Pricey new trade acquisition Zach LaVine called out the energy in the team’s locker room earlier this week, per Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. “The vibe is not good,” LaVine said following a Monday defeat to Boston. “It shouldn’t be. We’re not happy with the way we’ve been performing individually and as a group.” Interim head coach Doug Christie disagreed with LaVine’s characterization of the vibe in the locker room. “He was incorrect,” Christie said. “I think when you ask a question like that when you go through a little bit of a losing streak, it’s more about not being happy that you lost, like I’m upset that I lost.”
  • Clippers reserve guard Kris Dunn is bringing the same acumen he displayed as an on-ball defensive specialist with lottery-bound Chicago and Utah clubs to a fringe West contender, as he tells Grant Afseth of Sportskeeda. “I think it’s probably just being on a bigger stage,” Dunn said. “I’ve done this in Chicago, I’ve done this in Utah. I think also me being healthy plays a part in that — from my earlier years to now, I’ve been doing the same thing for sure.”

Return Of James, Hachimura Gives Lakers Fully Healthy Roster

The results weren’t good Saturday night, but the Lakers can take solace in having all their rotation players available for the first time in several weeks, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. LeBron James returned after missing seven games with a groin strain, and Rui Hachimura was back after sitting out 10 games with patellar tendinopathy in his left knee.

Saturday’s 146-115 loss to the Bulls dropped L.A. into fourth place in the West, a half-game behind Denver and three ahead of the Clippers and Timberwolves in the battle for a top-six seed and an automatic playoff berth. Coach J.J. Redick said finishing in the top six is his goal for the stretch drive so his team can have a week to rest and prepare for the playoffs.

“I think that’s a good way to look at it. … ground zero,” Redick said. “These next 12 games, you’ve got to refind your way. It’s a perpetually flowing river that we’ve all of a sudden run into a beaver’s (dam) … and we got to get ready to get the water flowing again.”

James logged 31 minutes in his first game action in two weeks. After finishing with 17 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals, he told reporters that he’s taking it “day by day” in his recovery process.

Hachimura, who had five points and two rebounds in 18 minutes, said his knee is only about “70-80%.” He’s expected to be on a restriction of 20-24 minutes per game for the rest of the season.

“My knee is going to be like that for a while, I think,” he said. “I can’t really get back to 100% right away. I got to rest for a long time to get back to normal. But I don’t think we have that, so we just got to maintain and manage it.”

Continuity appeared to be an issue for the Lakers on Saturday as they turned in their worst defensive performance of the season and committed 21 turnovers, including five by James and seven by Luka Doncic. They were outscored 81-53 in the second half, and the 146 total points they surrendered matches a franchise record for a non-overtime home game, according to Josh Dubow of The Associated Press (Twitter link).

McMenamin points out that the Lakers are entering another tough portion of their schedule as they fight for playoff seeding. They’ll start a four-game trip Monday in Orlando and will play eight of their last 12 on the road. They have three back-to-backs left and just four games remaining against teams that aren’t in the top eight of either conference.

“I think we’re in a great spot,” Doncic said. “Obviously, today wasn’t a good game for us, but I think we’re in a great spot. We’ve got to play hard every game to try not to get in the play-in and try to get the highest seed we can.”