Los Angeles Lakers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Community Shootaround: LeBron James’ Future

June 8th, 2017 at 11:22am CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers are one game away from being swept by the Warriors, and Chris Mannix of The Vertical makes the case that Cleveland won’t have a legit chance to knock off Golden State anytime soon. In fact, Mannix suggests that if they hadn’t won last year’s Finals, the Cavs would likely be headed for a Buffalo Bills-esque run — good enough to come out of their conference, but not to win the championship.

With that in mind, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer explores the idea that LeBron’s second stint in Cleveland may not be permanent. James came back to the Cavs with a goal of bringing a title to Cleveland, and did so last year, meaning there likely wouldn’t be as much animosity if elected to take his talents elsewhere for a second time.

According to O’Connor, there are rumblings around the NBA about the possibility of LeBron heading out west when he becomes eligible to opt out of his contract in 2018. Multiple league sources that spoke to O’Connor suggests that Los Angeles is a potential destination for the reigning Finals MVP, with both the Lakers or Clippers as viable possibilities.

O’Connor lays out both of those hypothetical scenarios, writing that LeBron could theoretically team with Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Paul George for the Lakers, or with his “Banana Boat” friends – Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, and Carmelo Anthony – for the Clippers.

At this point, both of those outcomes seem like long shots. Either L.A. team would have to complete a series of challenging roster moves to put together the groups O’Connor mentions, and there’s certainly no guarantee that LeBron will leave Cleveland anyway when he has the opportunity to reach free agency next summer. Heading west also wouldn’t necessarily improve his chances of toppling the Warriors, since he’d be in their division rather than in another conference.

Still, with the Cavs on the verge of defeat in this year’s Finals, it’s an interesting subject of speculation. What do you think? Will LeBron finish his career with the Cavaliers, or do you expect to see him eventually change teams again? If he heads elsewhere, are the Lakers and Clippers the most likely landing spots?

Weigh in below in the comments section with your thoughts!

Lakers Notes: George, Workouts, Fox

June 8th, 2017 at 8:57am CST by Luke Adams

In an interesting and informative Lakers notebook for Bleacher Report, Eric Pincus outlines the team’s best route to landing Paul George and lists all the draft prospects that have met with and worked out for the Lakers within the past few weeks.
Speaking of Lakers pre-draft workouts, De’Aaron Fox‘s meeting with the team is scheduled to take place on June 13, league sources tells Mark Medina of InsideSoCal.com. Lonzo Ball is considered the odds-on favorite to be drafted second overall by Los Angeles, but Fox remains in the mix.

Workout Notes: Nets, Bulls, Evans, Dorsey

June 7th, 2017 at 9:09pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Nets worked out several prospects today, according to Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Jaron Blossomgame, Devin Robinson, Wesley Iwundu, Damyean Dotson, London Perrantes and Tarik Phillip all participated in drills for Brooklyn.

There’s more news on prospects meeting with teams. Here’s the latest:

The Bulls had Luke Kennard, Shane Hammink, Isaiah Briscoe and Isaiah Hicks in for a workout today, Scotto tweets. Chicago owns the No. 16 and No. 38 overall draft selections.
Jawun Evans will work out for the Blazers on Thursday and the Thunder on Friday, according to Scotto (Twitter link). The scribe adds that Evans will meet with the Jazz on Saturday.
Tyler Dorsey worked out for the Sixers today, Jessica Camerato of Comcast Sportsnet tweets. Dorsey will also work out for the Blazers, Kings, Pelicans, Hornets, and Spurs before the June 22 draft.
Sindarius Thornwell, Dotson, P.J. Dozier, Johnathan Motley, Semi Ojeleye and L.J. Rose will all work out for the Lakers on Friday, Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times relays (Twitter link).

Lakers Draft Notes: Ball, Jackson, Fox

June 7th, 2017 at 6:29pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Lonzo Ball worked out for the Lakers earlier today and he reiterated his desire to don the purple and gold, calling Los Angeles “home,” as Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com relays. The UCLA product added that he’d be comfortable playing for any team should the Lakers pass on him. “I’ll go to any team and just do what I do,” Ball said. “Play basketball.”

Today’s workout could be the first of several since the team would like to get more familiar with Ball’s unorthodox shooting form, according to Goodman. Multiple sources tell Goodman that despite the scrutiny of Ball’s shot, the point guard remains the favorite to go No. 2.

Ball believes his workout went well and he told reporters why L.A. should take him. “They need a leader,” Ball said. “They need a point guard. I feel like I can fill that hole.”

Here’s more from Los Angeles:

Chad Ford of ESPN.com cautions that Ball to the Lakers is not a done deal and notes that a trade involving the No. 2 overall pick remains a possibility. Los Angeles isn’t going to mortgage the future for instant success, but Ford writes that the front office would like to start winning again “sooner than later.”
Some within the Lakers’ front office are strong supporters of Josh Jackson with the feeling that the small forward’s defense would fit in well with the team, Ford writes in the same piece.
Ford adds (same piece) that the team took notice of how De’Aaron Fox outplayed Ball in their NCAA Tournament matchup and the scribe pegs the odds of L.A. selecting Fox at 25%. He adds that Fox, Jackson, and Ball all have workouts with the team this week and those will all have an impact on the team’s decision.
D’Angelo Russell would be an excellent fit next to Ball, Kevin Pelton contends in that same piece. Pelton cautions that it wouldn’t be great backcourt defensively, but it could work on the other end because of each guard’s ability to spread the floor.

Lakers Worked Out Darius Morris

June 7th, 2017 at 3:35pm CST by Luke Adams

Heat president Pat Riley and Lakers president Magic Johnson participated in a panel discussion earlier this week, with Riley joking about how expects to land “a treasure of players” from Johnson in trades. As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel outlines, Riley also talked about Johnson’s transition to the front office, and the challenges the former Lakers star will face as he adjusts to a role that doesn’t involve much interaction with his players.

Ex-Lakers guard Darius Morris tells Rod Beard of The Detroit News (Twitter link) that he has worked out for the Lakers, Grizzlies, and Pistons, and has a session lined up with the Jazz as well.

Pacers Not Currently Discussing Paul George Trade

June 7th, 2017 at 12:38pm CST by Luke Adams

With the 2017 draft just over two weeks away, the Pacers have not been soliciting trade offers or engaging in trade talks involving Paul George, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders, who calls George conversations “a non-starter currently” (Twitter links).

Although the Pacers never got close to moving George at February’s trade deadline, the team was at least willing to listen on inquiries at that point. Since then, George failed to earn a spot on one of the league’s All-NBA squads, making him ineligible for a Designated Veteran Extension this offseason, limiting Indiana’s leverage in extension talks. Additionally, Larry Bird has stepped down as the Pacers’ president of basketball operations, having been replaced by Kevin Pritchard.

Bird was long considered opposed to the idea of dealing George, so there was speculation that the front office turnover – combined with the Pacers’ inability to offer the standout forward a super-max extension – may spur trade talks this summer. So far though, that hasn’t been the case. In a longer piece on the Lakers at Bleacher Report, Pincus notes that the Pacers haven’t signaled to teams that George is available, per a Western Conference executive.

The Pacers may still show a willingness to discuss George around the time of the draft or free agency, but it’s also possible the club is comfortable waiting out the situation. Given George’s reported interest in the Lakers, Indiana may not be able to extract much in any trade if there’s an expectation he’ll wind up in L.A. in 2018 no matter what.

Keeping the 27-year-old around may be a worthwhile gamble for Indiana — if George earns an All-NBA spot in 2017/18, he’d become eligible for a Designated Player Extension, meaning he could secure an extra $50MM+ at that point by re-upping with the Pacers instead of heading elsewhere.

LaVar Ball Will Not Be Allowed At Lonzo Ball’s Workout

June 6th, 2017 at 10:42pm CST by marksuleymanov

UCLA product Lonzo Ball is scheduled to workout for the Lakers tomorrow but his outspoken father, LaVar Ball, will not be present for it, head coach Luke Walton confirmed on the Jim Rome Show Tuesday.

The elder Ball, however, was offered an invitation to a pre-workout dinner — Walton was not sure LaVar would attend, but joked that his presence would provide a boost in entertainment.

“Absolutely. If he wanted to come to the dinner,” Walton said (via USA Today). “I think the workout is something that we’ll keep the doors closed on, but the dinner, I think he would definitely make the dinner more entertaining. He’s definitely welcome to join us for that one.”

Ball, 19, is expected to be a top draft pick this season and the Lakers own the second overall selection. As a solid player at UCLA and California native, Ball is viewed in many circles as a surefire Lakers pick. However, a report last week claimed the Lakers are not sold on the young point guard.

While Ball has mulled over working out for the Sixers, his father has previously stated that his son would only work out for Los Angeles — fueling speculation he would be the team’s first-round selection. After his workout on Wednesday, Ball’s possible future in Lakers purple and gold should be clearer.

On the topic of Ball’s father and his opinionated, outspoken nature, Walton noted that he would not have a problem managing the boisterous personality if the team selects Ball.

“No, I wouldn’t. We’re in the NBA, to me, that’s not an issue,” Walton said. “Parents are always gonna have their opinions. They’re gonna be outspoken at times. As you know, Jim, I have a very outspoken father myself. It doesn’t bother me. If we were to draft him, we’re gonna coach him. He’s gonna be part of our team. He’s gonna be part of our family. And we’ll go from there. This is the NBA. We’ll keep the team where it needs to be. We’ll not let outside things like that influence us on whether or not we pick the kid.”

Pacific Notes: Fox, Kings, Suns, Lakers, Warriors

June 6th, 2017 at 5:19pm CST by Joshua Fischman

The Kings may be willing to trade both their No. 5 and No. 10 picks to move up in the draft so that they can move up to select De’Aaron Fox, according to Chad Ford of ESPN (link via Sporting News’ Joe Rodgers). Sacramento has apparently become infatuated with Fox and does not believe that he will be available at No. 5, prompting internal discussions about the possibility of trading up.

Here is more from the Pacific division:

On Wednesday, the Kings will host their fifth pre-draft workout, per the team’s official website. Attendees will be Donovan Mitchell (Louisville), Dominique Hawkins (Kentucky), Caleb Swanigan (Purdue), Cameron Oliver (Nevada), Erik McCree (Louisiana Tech), and Jabari Bird (California).
Beyond bringing back the Warriors‘ core, “every non-core player might end up elsewhere if the price is too high,” writes Tim Kawakami of The San Jose Mercury News. As Kawakami states, the Dubs have shown in the past “they can be fairly cut-throat in evaluating the middle-to-bottom of their roster.” The Kawakami piece also includes +/- statistics for the Warriors and Cavaliers this postseason, this year’s NBA Finals, and the Finals from a year ago.
Malik Monk worked out for the Suns on Tuesday, per the team’s official Twitter account.
Yoan Granvorka will work out for the Suns on Wednesday, according to Sportando (link via Twitter).
The Lakers worked out point guard Jawun Evans and are considering him at No. 28, Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com reports (link via Twitter). Howard-Cooper adds that Evans is “getting interest in the 20s, including from the Blazers with two in that range.”

Latest On Lakers, Lonzo Ball, No. 2 Pick

June 6th, 2017 at 11:48am CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers are “going out of their way” to downplay the idea that they’ve landed on Lonzo Ball. While that’s partly about controlling the narrative, the team’s front office is also somewhat split on the pick, according to Ford, who says L.A. hasn’t ruled out De’Aaron Fox or Josh Jackson.

[SOURCE LINK]

Fox Could Be Candidate At No. 2 Spot

June 5th, 2017 at 10:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Projected high lottery pick De’Aaron Fox worked out for the Kings on Monday and will visit three other teams with a Top 5 pick over the next week, Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com tweets. The University of Kentucky point guard will work out for the Suns, who hold the No. 4 pick, later this week, Howard-Cooper continues. Fox will work out next week for the Sixers, who have the No. 3 pick, and the Lakers, slotted at No. 2, Howard-Cooper adds.

Fox, who averaged 16.7 PPG and 4.6 APG in his lone season with the Wildcats, is ranked No. 5 by DraftExpress and ESPN’s Chad Ford. That’s where the Kings sit on the draft board, and they certainly have a need at the position. The same could be said about the Lakers and Sixers, though most mock drafts predict Los Angeles will go with UCLA point man Lonzo Ball and Philadelphia will target Kansas small forward Josh Jackson.

Fox could improve his stock during his tour and perhaps even get picked at the No. 2 spot. It’s not a lock that the Lakers will draft Ball, according to another tweet from Howard-Cooper. Fox’s maturity and intelligence will blow the Lakers away, Howard-Cooper predicts.

If Fox makes a big impression on the Lakers or Sixers, there may be more mystery and intrigue to the top of the draft than currently projected.