Los Angeles Lakers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Lakers Abandon Hope Of Luol Deng Trade

December 24th, 2017 at 8:56am CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers have given up hope of trading veteran forward Luol Deng, deciding the price would be too steep, Adrian Wojnarowski said on ESPN’s Full Court Press. Other teams are aware of L.A.’s desire to unload Deng’s hefty salary and are demanding a lot in return for taking it on.

“You talk to teams around the league, no one is bailing the Lakers out with Deng’s contract,” Wojnarowski said. “They’re not. Teams have asked for multiple first-round picks. They’ve asked for Brandon Ingram. They’ll ask for Kyle Kuzma. The Lakers have essentially given up on the idea that they can trade Deng.”

Deng has two more seasons and $36.81MM left on the four-year, $72MM deal he signed in the summer of 2016. The Lakers have received very little for that money, as Deng was limited to 56 games last season and has only gotten off the bench once this year.

A report this week said the organization is unwilling to part with even one first-rounder to get rid of Deng, so a trade was never realistic. As we outlined on Friday, the most likely step is for the Lakers to stretch the final two years of Deng’s contract. If they do it before August 31 of next year and stretch the money over five seasons, it would provide a $7.362MM cap hit each year. If they hold onto Deng for another year and stretch the final season across three years, it would count $6.27MM annually.

The Lakers are hoping to be major players in the free agent market next summer and would like to clear as much cap room as possible in hopes of offering two max contracts.

Lakers, Mavericks Discussed Randle-Noel Swap

December 23rd, 2017 at 8:23pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers and Mavericks had “initial” trade talks involving Julius Randle and Nerlens Noel, according to Adrian Wojnarowski on ESPN’s Full Court Press special.

Discussions broke off after Noel suffered a torn ligament in his left thumb that required surgery. The team didn’t offer a timetable for recovery after the December 6 operation, but Noel said doctors told him four to six weeks. That would have him back around mid-January, which is well in advance of the February 8 trade deadline. It remains to be seen if the Lakers will still be interested.

Both teams have obvious motives to make a deal. The Lakers are trying to clear cap room in hopes of offering two max contracts in next summer’s free agency, and Randle will have a $12.5MM cap hold. L.A. chose not to extend Randle’s rookie contract in October, and a report last month said it’s “unlikely” he will remain with the team beyond this season. Noel would bring an expiring contract, which is what the Lakers are looking for. Randle, a Dallas native, might have interest in signing long-term with the Mavericks when he becomes a restricted free agent in July.

Noel has been a disappointment in Dallas since being acquired from the Sixers at last year’s trade deadline. He was averaging 4.0 points and 4.1 rebounds through 18 games and had fallen out of the rotation before his surgery. Because he signed a $4.2MM qualifying offer to return to the Mavs this season, Noel has the option to refuse any trade.

Lakers Believe They Can Trade Jordan Clarkson

December 23rd, 2017 at 5:08pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers are confident they can unload Jordan Clarkson at some point to help with their pursuit of free agents next summer, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said during an appearance on the network’s Full Court Press special.

L.A. reportedly wants to be able to offer a pair of max contracts in July, with LeBron James and Paul George considered to be prime targets. To make that possible the team has to trim salaries, including Clarkson, who has two seasons left on the four-year, $50MM contract he signed in the summer of 2016. He will make $12.5MM next season and $13.4375MM in 2019/20.

“They believe they can trade Jordan Clarkson and get his money off,” Wojnarowski said. “They prefer not to do it at the trade deadline. Clarkson has helped them win games this year, and because they don’t have their pick, they want to win as many games as they can. So I think there’s some confidence there that they can find a deal for Clarkson after the season, to get his money off. But there’s got to be a sequencing here. And it gets back to, are they going to chase one max-salary slot, or two?”

A former starter, the fourth-year guard has adjusted to a reserve role over the past two seasons and has remained productive. He is averaging 13.8 points through 30 games and shooting a career-best 46% from the field.

To open two full-max slots, the Lakers will also have to get rid of Luol Deng, who has only appeared in one game this season and is owed $36.81MM over the next two years, along with Julius Randle, who will have a cap hold of roughly $12.5MM. L.A. may decide to stretch Deng’s contract after this season, which would make it count $7.362MM against the cap for each of the next five years.

New Lonzo Ball Player Comparison; Free Agency Backup Plans

December 22nd, 2017 at 6:31pm CST by Austin Kent

While Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball has upped his shooting percentages over the course of the last few weeks, his inability to score consistently could prevent him from ever becoming a superstar, Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN writes.

For a number of reasons, ranging from the wonky left-eye-dominant shooting stroke to his instinctive pass-first mentality, Ball may never develop into the scorer that he’d likely need to be in order to have his jersey raised in the Staples Center, as Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson so kindly requested at his introduction press conference.

Arnovitz suggests that while there may be hurdles for Ball to become the next Stephen Curry, he could still have an instrumental impact on the Lakers by becoming their Draymond Green. His feel for the game and style could inspire the team to play the right way, in line with head coach Luke Walton‘s vision, even if he never becomes a dominant offensive weapon.

If it’s a “long shot” for the Lakers to sign LeBron James next summer, as has been reported, the franchise would be wise to start targeting Paul George and DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report writes.

Lakers Not Interested In Using First-Round Pick To Move Deng

December 22nd, 2017 at 9:57am CST by Luke Adams

While clearing Luol Deng‘s salary from their books would be the most effective way of clearing cap room to sign two maximum-salary free agents in 2018, the Lakers don’t intend to sacrifice any future first-round picks to facilitate a Deng deal, source tell Bobby Marks of ESPN (Insider link).

As Marks notes, this past offseason, the Lakers were able to move one of the two ill-advised contracts they signed in the summer of 2016, sending Timofey Mozgov to Brooklyn. However, that deal cost the team a former second overall pick in D’Angelo Russell.

Deng’s four-year, $72MM deal was the Lakers’ other misstep from 2016’s free agent period, with that massive contract quickly turning into a negative asset. Moving it in a trade similar to the Mozgov swap would likely mean attaching at least one future first-round pick, if not more. For a rebuilding team, parting with so many first-rounders would be “reckless,” Marks writes.

Assuming the Lakers’ stance on Deng doesn’t change, working out a buyout and/or waiving him via the stretch provision look like the most viable paths to creating cap room. I examined the stretch provision in detail on Thursday, using Knicks center Joakim Noah as a case study, but Deng – whose contract is very similar to Noah’s – is another top candidate to be stretched.

Deng is owed $18MM in 2018/19 and $18.81MM in 2019/20. If the Lakers stretch him anytime before August 31, 2018, his salaries for those two seasons would be spread across five years at a rate of $7.362MM annually. If L.A. decides to roll its cap room over to 2019, the team could keep Deng for one more season, then waive him later and spread the final year of his deal across three seasons at a rate of $6.27MM per year.

There’s also a scenario in which the Lakers could extend and stretch Deng, potentially further reducing his annual cap hits by stretching them across more seasons. Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report broke down that idea last month, though it’s not clear if the franchise is considering it.

Latest On Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

December 22nd, 2017 at 8:56am CST by Luke Adams

Lakers shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is in the midst of serving a 25-day jail sentence as a result of violating his probation, writes Tania Ganguli of The Los Angeles Times. As part of a work-release program, Caldwell-Pope is allowed to leave the Seal Beach Police Department Detention Center to participate in Lakers’ practices and games, but he’s not permitted to leave the state during his 25-day sentence.

Caldwell-Pope was stopped on suspicion of driving under the influence back on March 29, and was sentenced to a 12-month probation period. He was required submit to and pay for random drug testing during that time as part of the agreement. However, according to Ganguli, court records show Caldwell-Pope failed to comply with those terms, having missed several drug and alcohol screenings.

Per Ganguli, court records show that Caldwell-Pope must wear a GPS monitor whenever he leaves the detention facility, and must submit to a breath test upon returning. If he violates any of the terms of his new agreement, KCP will be sentence to 93 days in Oakland County Jail.

Caldwell-Pope’s 25-day sentence initially had him ticketed for Oakland County Jail, but he petitioned the court to serve his sentence at the Seal Beach Detention Center instead, and that petition was approved. Ganguli describes the pay-to-stay Seal Beach facility as one that has “a reputation as a refuge for wealthy offenders.” It costs $120 per day for inmates who are part of the work-release program.

While Caldwell-Pope’s current situation is a rare one for NBA players, his 25-day jail sentence was fortuitously timed — nine of the Lakers’ next 12 games are at home, and tonight’s road game is in California (Golden State). As such, KCP should only miss two more road games: December 31’s contest in Houston and January 1’s game in Minnesota.

Lakers GM Pelinka Feels Team Can Lure Free Agents To LA

December 19th, 2017 at 10:37pm CST by marksuleymanov

The Lakers elected to go in a completely new direction last season and Kobe Bryant‘s former agent turned general manager, Rob Pelinka, was at the forefront of that change. With young talent in abundance and ample resources, Pelinka feels the team can soon lure the right players to the city of angels, USA TODAY’s Sam Amick writes. “We have as much cap flexibility, or cap health, as any team in the league. We know that this is a destination city for players to want to be in,” Pelinka said. “We have a legacy with our franchise that really can’t be duplicated, and we’ve got a pass-first, ball-sharing point guard (in Lonzo Ball), which players want to play with. So I think the culmination of all those forces is, like you said, we feel like we’ve become a destination again. Now it’s going to be Magic’s job, and my job with Jeanie’s guidance to complete the puzzle with the right pieces as we move forward.”

Brook Lopez Expected To Miss At Least Three Weeks

December 19th, 2017 at 2:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Hampered by knee and leg injuries earlier in his NBA career, Lakers center Brook Lopez has been relatively healthy in recent years, having not missed more than 10 games in a season since 2013/14. However, that streak appears to be in jeopardy.

Lopez left Monday’s game with an ankle injury, and has been diagnosed with a moderate ankle sprain, the team announced today in a press release. According to the Lakers, Lopez will be reevaluated in three weeks, so he’ll be sidelined until sometime in the new year.

X-rays on Lopez’s injured ankle were negative, and an MRI confirmed that the veteran big man isn’t dealing with a more serious injury, but it makes sense that the Lakers would play it safe, given Lopez’s injury history.

With their starting center out of the lineup, the Lakers figure to lean more heavily on Julius Randle, Larry Nance Jr., and Kyle Kuzma in the coming weeks. Andrew Bogut, Ivica Zubac, and Thomas Bryant are also available for frontcourt depth purposes.

Community Shootaround: Kobe Bryant’s Legacy

December 18th, 2017 at 10:36pm CST by clarkcrum

Tonight, Kobe Bryant will become the first player in NBA history to have two different numbers retired by the same franchise. Bryant, who played for 20 seasons, all with the Lakers, is widely considered to be one of the greatest players in NBA history. Together with Shaquille O’Neal, Bryant helped lead the Lakers to three straight championships from 2000 to 2002 before leading the team to two more championships in 2009 and 2010 without the services of The Big Aristotle, with Bryant being named NBA Finals MVP in both 2009 and 2010.

Bryant’s 33,643 career points put him third all-time behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone, his 18 All-Star Game appearances are second only to Abdul-Jabbar, and his 15 total All-NBA selections tie him with Abdul-Jabbar and Tim Duncan for the most all-time. Primarily known as one of the greatest scorers in NBA history, Bryant was also an elite defender, tied for second most all-time with 12 All-NBA Defensive Team selections. Accordingly, there is certainly no debate that Bryant deserves to be ranked in the hierarchy of NBA greats. The only question remaining is where/how high?

Obviously, no list would be complete without household names such as Michael Jordan, Abdul-Jabbar, Duncan, LeBron James, Bill Russell, or fellow Laker great Magic Johnson (in no particular order). Other popular selections often include Bryant himself, former teammate O’Neal, Malone, Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, Hakeem Olajuwon, Jerry West, and Oscar Robertson, again in no particular order.

So what do you think? In light of tonight’s ceremony, tell us where you think Bryant ranks within the hierarchy of the all-time NBA greats. Is he top-5, top-10? Does he even crack your top-20? Join the discussion and let us know!

‘Legal Matter’ To Affect Caldwell-Pope’s Availability

December 16th, 2017 at 4:42pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope missed the Lakers’ game Thursday in Cleveland and will sit out a few more as he resolves a legal issue, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.

Caldwell-Pope was sentenced to 12 months’ probation after pleading guilty in May to a misdemeanor offense of allowing someone to operate his vehicle while under the influence. He had been cited with operating a vehicle while intoxicated, but pleaded down to the lesser charge. On Thursday, he began what Shelburne described as an “intensive” 25-day program that will result in an early end to the probation.

Caldwell-Pope is not permitted to leave California until the program is completed, tweets Tania Ganguli of The Los Angeles Times. The Lakers have just three games outside the state during that time — Wednesday and December 31 in Houston and January 1 in Minnesota.

“While a member of the Detroit Pistons last year, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope plead guilty to a misdemeanor offense of allowing someone to operate his vehicle under the influence,” read a statement released by attorney Jeffrey Lance Abood. “As a condition of that plea, he was subject to extremely strict and challenging compliance terms by the court. Kentavious complied with most of the terms of his probation and he has had no further driving or other infractions since that time.

“As a result of his professional basketball work schedule, the court has modified the sentence and released him from probation early so long as he completes an intensive program over the next 25 days. There will be some travel restrictions, but we are pleased that Kentavious will now continue with his NBA season and move forward in a positive manner from this experience.”

Caldwell-Pope, who signed with the Lakers in July, was suspended for the first two games of the season under the NBA’s personal conduct policy. Shelburne reports that he is expected to rejoin the team this weekend for practice.

He is averaging 14.2 points in 24 games, all as a starter, and is shooting a career-high 42% from 3-point range.

“I am grateful for the Court’s consideration and for the support of the Los Angeles Lakers and all involved in allowing me to continue with my NBA season while I complete the strict requirements set by the Court,” Caldwell-Pope said in a prepared statement. “I understand the seriousness of this matter and I apologize for my past actions that have created this situation. Now I am committed to becoming a better person and professional from now on.”