Los Angeles Lakers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Lakers Maintain Brandon Ingram Is Not Available

June 16th, 2017 at 1:45pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers reportedly haven’t ruled out the possibility of trading this year’s second overall pick, but last year’s No. 2 pick is staying put. The Lakers have maintained during recent discussions with teams that Brandon Ingram is not available, according to Mark Medina of The Orange County Register.

Ingram’s status doesn’t come as a surprise, as 2016’s second overall pick was viewed as perhaps the only untouchable player on the Lakers’ roster heading into the team’s first offseason with Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka at the helm. Although Ingram’s rookie season wasn’t exceptional, the Lakers are encouraged by the “steady growth” he has shown with his defense, shooting, and aggressiveness, per Medina.

In 79 games (40 starts) last year, Ingram averaged 9.4 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 2.1 APG. The former Duke Blue Devil looked better down the stretch — after entering the starting lineup for good on February 6, he averaged 12.2 PPG and shot 46.6% from the field. He had made just 35.9% of his field goal attempts up until that point.

Medina also reports that the Lakers have heard from prospects that they would like to play alongside Ingram, who is still just 19 years old.

Lakers Rumors: No. 2 Pick, Ball, Kennard

June 16th, 2017 at 9:26am CST by Luke Adams

On Thursday, we learned that the Lakers are “taking and making calls” about the No. 2 overall pick, and according to ESPN’s Chad Ford (Insider-only link), one scenario in particular has piqued the team’s interest. Ford reports that the Lakers have had internal discussions about trading back to No. 4 if the Suns are willing to offer them a 2018 first-round pick. The Suns are currently in line to have two first-rounders next year, with Miami’s top-seven protected pick coming their way, but that’d still be a steep price to move up two spots.

According to Ford, the Lakers are unwilling to trade their No. 2 overall pick if it involves dropping out of the top five entirely, since they want to land at least one prospect with star potential next Thursday. The most likely scenario involves the team simply keeping the pick, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com, who hears from team sources that a trade remains a long shot.

Lonzo Ball, who will work out for the Lakers again on Friday, is considering talking to other lottery teams that want to meet with him, according to Ramona Shelburne. Ball’s preference is to land in Los Angeles, but if the team doesn’t give him any indication after Friday’s meeting that he has “separated himself” from other contenders for that No. 2 pick, he may explore more options, per Shelburne.
Former Duke sharpshooter Luke Kennard is starting to be considered alongside several second-tier prospects in this draft, according to Chad Ford, who reports that the Knicks are “seriously considering” Kennard at No. 8. One GM tells Ford that his team has Kennard ranked higher than Monk on its board, while a Lakers source says Kennard would be the favorite for L.A. if the club could acquire a second top-10 pick.

Pacific Notes: Griffin, Divac, Suns Pre-Draft Workouts

June 15th, 2017 at 7:04pm CST by marksuleymanov

The Clippers could be a drastically different team next season as Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, and J.J. Redick could leave for greener pastures this offseason. While Paul is a long shot to depart, Griffin and Redick are far from guaranteed to stay in Los Angeles. James Blancarte of Basketball Insiders examines Griffin’s options as he considers potential suitors.

The Celtics are an intriguing possibility as they have the No.1 pick in the NBA Draft, a budding superstar in Isaiah Thomas, and a young core of talented assets. Griffin, 28, can think long-term with a younger team in Boston and if Thomas departs after next season, he could become the primary option in Beantown.

Additionally, the Heat are a possibility as the team’s history luring LeBron James and Chris Bosh to Miami shows a commitment to winning. While the Heat lack Boston’s young assets, Blancarte explains that playing under Erik Spoelstra — who is known to bring out the best in his players — and being the definitive centerpiece in South Beach is an appealing proposition.

Here are additional links around the Pacific Division:

The Kings own the fifth and 10th overall picks in the draft and general manager Vlade Divac broke down the team’s strategy heading into next Thursday’s event. Speaking to the Sacramento Bee, Divac explained that the team is confident the fifth pick will yield a player the team likes and that a trade to move up in the draft would cause more headache than results.
The Kings are set to welcome Kobi Simmons (Arizona), Derrick Walton (Michigan), Troy Caupain (Cincinnati), T.J. Cline (Richmond), Jacob Wiley (Eastern Michigan), Reggie Upshaw (Middle Tennessee), and Ivan Rabb (California) for pre-draft workouts tomorrow.
FSU’s Jonathan Isaac and Gonzaga’s Zach Collins worked out for the Suns earlier this week and told reporters, including Doug Haller of The Arizona Republic, about their experience.

Lakers Taking, Making Calls Involving No. 2 Pick

June 15th, 2017 at 2:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers have been “taking and making calls” in recent weeks about the possibility of trading their No. 2 overall pick, a source tells Tania Ganguli of The Los Angeles Times. According to Ganguli, in addition to having trade scenarios presented to them, the Lakers have offered their own.

With Markelle Fultz expected to come off the board first, the Lakers would likely have their choice of players like Lonzo Ball, De’Aaron Fox, and Josh Jackson at No. 2. The club has shown real interest in all three of those players, bringing them to Los Angeles for workouts and meeting them elsewhere.

If the Lakers decide they’d be happy with any of those players – or another top prospect – it would make sense for the team to attempt to move down a little in the draft order and pick up some extra assets in the process. There have been rumblings that the Kings (No. 5) might like to move up to land one of the top point guards in the draft, and at least one report has suggested the Suns (No. 4) are hoping Ball falls to them.

As for what sort of asset the Lakers might be able to acquire if they agree to move down, there are a number of possibilities. While picking up an extra draft pick or a player would be the most logical move, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the club tries to attach a player with an expensive contract – such as Luol Deng or Timofey Mozgov – to their No. 2 pick in any deal.

Lakers Hoping OG Anunoby Falls To No. 28?

June 15th, 2017 at 10:18am CST by Luke Adams

Elsewhere in his piece, Deveney provides updates on OG Anunoby and Luke Kennard, writing that the Lakers are holding out hope that Anunoby will fall to them at No. 28, though he’s receiving interest from plenty of teams picking earlier. As for Kennard, one scout who spoke to Deveney wasn’t overly bullish on Kennard’s ability to sneak into the top 10.

[SOURCE LINK]

Draft Notes: Josh Jackson, Fultz, Smith Jr., Heat

June 14th, 2017 at 10:38pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kansas forward Josh Jackson paid a visit to Kings today, but didn’t go through a workout, tweets Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee. Jackson is expected to be one of the first players selected next week and probably won’t be around for Sacramento’s pick at No. 5. There have been rumors that the Kings would like to move up, but a report today said they aren’t willing to give the Sixers the fifth and 10th picks to get No. 3.

There’s more from a full day of draft workouts:

Washington’s Markelle Fultz, projected as the top pick, has decided not to visit the Kings, according to Voisin (Twitter link).
Paolo Uggetti of The Ringer examines which top three team might have given Jackson a guarantee. A report Monday by John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 suggested that either the Celtics, Lakers or Sixers has promised to take Jackson if he’s still on the board when their pick comes up. Jackson canceled a workout this week with Boston and agreed to a second session in L.A.
Along with a second workout for Lonzo Ball, the Lakers will audition six other players on Friday, tweets Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. Their names have not been released.
North Carolina State’s Dennis Smith Jr. may be in danger of slipping on draft night, tweets Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. However, some members of Philadelphia’s front office are intrigued by Smith and the team may trade down to get him, posts Ian Begley on ESPN Now.
UCLA’s T.J. Leaf will visit Miami on Thursday to work out for the Heat, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. The Heat see him as a stretch four who can hit 3-pointers and rebound and will give him serious consideration with their No. 14 pick, Jackson adds.
Duke’s Harry Giles canceled a workout with the Heat that was scheduled for Thursday, Jackson relays in the same story.
Kentucky’s Bam Adebayo will be part of a group workout for the Nuggets on Friday, tweets Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders.
The Nuggets will host six players Thursday, the team announced in an email. Participating will be Florida’s Canyon Barry, Air Force’s Hayden Graham, Miami’s Kamari Murphy, Baylor’s Johnathan Motley, Arizona’s Kobi Simmons and Gonzaga’s Nigel Williams-Goss.
Wisconsin’s Bronson Koenig, who has upcoming sessions with the Lakers and Warriors, is impressing teams with his shooting, Scotto relays (Twitter link).
Creighton’s Cole Huff has workouts set for the Celtics on Thursday and the Lakers on Monday, tweets Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.
North Carolina’s Justin Jackson has workouts lined up with the Knicks, Hornets, Bucks and Trail Blazers, according to Begley.
Jackson will be part of a Pacers workout Thursday, along with Clemson’s Jaron Blossomgame, Houston’s Damyean Dotson, Marquette’s Luke Fischer, Vanderbilt’s Luke Kornet and Louisville’s Donovan Mitchell, the team announced on its website.
Northeastern’s T.J. Williams has an upcoming workout with the Knicks and has already auditioned for the Jazz, Lakers, Clippers, Timberwolves and Raptors, Begley writes in a separate piece.
Iowa’s Peter Jok, IUPUI’s Darell Combs, Syracuse’s Andrew White III, Connecticut’s Amida Brimah, Siena’s Marquis Wright and Lehigh’s Tim Kempton Jr. will work out Thursday for the Wizards, the team announced on its official blog.
The Hawks hosted six players for a workout earlier today, according to the team. Participants were Kempton, California’s Jabari Bird, Loyola-Chicago’s Milton Doyle, Gonzaga’s Przemek Karnowski, Middle Tennessee State’s Reggie Upshaw and Colorado’s Derrick White.
Six players worked out today for the Jazz, the team tweeted. On hand were Indiana’s James Blackmon, Dayton’s Charles Cooke, Weber State’s Jeremy Senglin, Eastern Washington’s Jake Wiley, Alabama’s Jimmie Taylor and Texas A&M CC’s Rashawn Thomas.

Lonzo Ball To Meet With Lakers Again Friday

June 14th, 2017 at 7:13pm CST by Arthur Hill

Potential No. 2 pick Lonzo Ball will have his final pre-draft session with the Lakers on Friday, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical. The workout will not take place at the team’s facility, according to Tania Ganguli of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).

Ball wants Lakers officials to see his work ethic and training methods, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. Representatives from the team met with Ball’s UCLA coaches this week (Twitter link).

The 19-year-old guard worked out for L.A. seven days ago, with mixed reports coming out of that session. Ball said the messages he received from the Lakers were “very positive,” but some media reports indicated the team wasn’t overly impressed by Ball’s performance and had concerns about his conditioning.

Ball is listed as the second pick in the latest mock drafts from ESPN’s Chad Ford and DraftExpress. Despite the rumors coming out of last week’s workout, most league executives expect him to wind up in Los Angeles.

The Lakers have a workout scheduled for Thursday with Washington point guard Markelle Fultz, who is widely expected to be the first player selected.

Lillard: If Blazers Didn't Want Me, I'd Want To Join Jazz Or Lakers

June 14th, 2017 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran NBA forward Metta World Peace, who said at season’s end that he doesn’t expect to be back with the Lakers in 2017/18, has an uncertain basketball future and intends to put off a decision on his next move until August. As Emiliano Carchia of Sportando details, World Peace told Italy’s La Gazzetta Dello Sport that he’s leaving the door open to the possibility of playing in China or Europe if no NBA opportunities arise for him.

Damian Lillard created some speculation fodder during a Twitter Q&A with fans today when he answered a question about where he’d sign if he had to leave Portland. “If [the] Blazers said they didn’t want me… Utah Jazz or Lakers,” Lillard replied (via Twitter). Lillard is under contract through 2021, so Blazers fans should have nothing to worry about anytime soon.

Lakers Rumors: CP3, LeBron, Jackson

June 14th, 2017 at 1:52pm CST by Luke Adams

As for the Clippers, Wojnarowski doesn’t see a scenario in which the club is able to bring back Griffin, Chris Paul, and J.J. Redick. And while Redick is probably the most likely of the three to change teams, Woj thinks there’s a “real chance” the Clippers would move on from from Paul if the two sides can’t come to a quick agreement when free agency begins. Wojnarowski names the Spurs, Heat, Lakers, and Rockets as teams that could get involved in the CP3 sweepstakes if the veteran point guard seriously considers leaving the Clips.

[SOURCE LINK]

The Cavaliers aren’t necessarily assuming it’s a given that LeBron James will re-sign with them in 2018. A move out west – possibly to the Lakers or Clippers – a year from now is “very much in play” for LeBron, according to Wojnarowski.
While the Lakers haven’t necessarily made any decisions yet, they’re “looking hard” at Josh Jackson with the No. 2 pick. Wojnarowski observes that there are a lot of voices in the team’s front office, so Jackson has support from some execs.

Lakers Scheduling Second Workout With Lonzo Ball

June 13th, 2017 at 10:30pm CST by marksuleymanov

10:50pm: Mike Bresnahan of Spectrum SportsNet (via Twitter) reports that Markelle Fultz will work out for the Lakers on Thursday and while there’s no official date, Ball will have a second workout.

10:30pm: After completing a pre-draft workout with UCLA product Lonzo Ball last week, team president Magic Johnson is in the process of scheduling a second workout with the standout guard, according to Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter).

Ball worked out for the Lakers last Wednesday and reports coming out of the session were mixed. For his part, the 19-year-old Ball relayed a positive message after running drills and enjoying a meal with Lakers brass the night before.

“They said they want me to come in, if I get picked, and be a leader,” Ball said (via NBA.com). “Play with a lot of pace. The stuff they were saying was very positive, and it kind of fits my game.”

However, a report from Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report claimed that while Ball’s workout was fine, he did not “blow away” the Lakers with his performance. In a separate report from Mark Medina of The Orange County Register, the Lakers were reportedly concerned with Ball’s conditioning.

The Lakers have long been connected to the California native; in addition to being a local product, Ball’s outspoken father, LaVar Ball, has said that his son would only work out and play for the Lakers. While the general consensus remains that the team will utilize its second overall pick on Ball, a series of reports have suggested that his performance has not set that in stone.

Ball posted numbers of 14.6 PPG, 7.6 APG and 6.0 RPG through 36 games in his lone season at UCLA.