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First-Round Pick Scenarios

May 19th, 2016 at 10:46pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Lakers were able to keep their 2016 first-rounder when they landed the No.2 overall pick in Tuesday’s lottery. The team still owes Philadelphia and Orlando a first round pick each and Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders breaks down the possible pick exchanges in a series of tweets. Los Angeles sends its 2017 first-rounder to Philly if it falls outside the top-3. If the Sixers get the 2017 pick, then the Magic receive the Lakers’ unprotected 2019 selection. If it doesn’t convey in 2017, then the Lakers send their 2018 unprotected pick to Philly and they wouldn’t owe Orlando a first-rounder at all. Instead, the Magic would receive a 2017 second-rounder and a 2018 second-rounder. Los Angeles is in this predicament because of its 2012 trade for Dwight Howard and its 2012 trade for Steve Nash.

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Lakers Prefer Simmons To Ingram

May 19th, 2016 at 3:53pm CST by Eddie Scarito
  • The Lakers may not have a choice in the matter, given that the Sixers select ahead of them in this June’s draft, but team officials prefer LSU forward Ben Simmons over Duke’s Brandon Ingram, Chad Ford of ESPN. com tweets. Ingram is a better fit for the team, but many in the front office are enamored with Simmons’ star potential, Ford adds.
  • The Lakers may entertain dealing away the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft, but doing so may compromise the team’s current plan build around its young core, Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News writes. The scribe adds that Los Angeles will have ample opportunities to add veterans via free agency instead, given its ample cap flexibility this summer.
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And-Ones: Dunn, Sanders, Calipari, Blatt

May 18th, 2016 at 5:23pm CST by Arthur Hill

Representatives for Providence’s Kris Dunn don’t want him to go to a team with a young point guard already in place and may refuse to release his medical records to the Celtics and Suns, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Speaking on a draft lottery special, Wojnarowski said Dunn’s agents did not submit him for a physical at last week’s draft combine, which would have made his records accessible to everyone. Dunn has undergone two surgical procedures on his right shoulder, and teams may be reluctant to draft him if they are unsure of his current physical status. Dunn has been projected as a possible No. 3 pick, but his camp apparently doesn’t want him to compete for playing time with Isaiah Thomas and Marcus Smart in Boston or Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight in Phoenix. The Celtics own the third selection in next month’s draft, while the Suns pick fourth.

There’s more news from around the basketball world:

  • Rutgers freshman point guard Corey Sanders will withdraw from the draft and return to school, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. There’s little chance that Sanders would have been drafted, as Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress has him ranked 73rd among NCAA freshmen and ESPN’s Chad Ford doesn’t have him listed among his top 100 prospects.
  • Kentucky coach John Calipari, whose name has been floated for several NBA openings, plans to stay with the Wildcats for the rest of his career, he said in a message on his website. Calipari was considered a candidate for the Nets job after they fired Lionel Hollins in January, and the Kings reportedly spoke to him about taking over for George Karl last summer.
  • Spanish power FC Barcelona is interested in former Cavaliers coach David Blatt, according to El Mundo Deportivo (hat tip to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). Blatt recently talked with the Rockets, Kings, Knicks and Lakers about their coaching jobs.
  • Twenty-four teams will compete in the Las Vegas Summer League July 8th-18th, the NBA announced today in a press release. The Spurs, coached by Becky Hammon, are the defending champions.
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Latest On 2016 NBA Draft

May 17th, 2016 at 10:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito
  • Indiana junior small forward Troy Williams is still undecided on whether or not he will remain in this year’s NBA draft, Scott Agness of VigilantSports tweets. Williams, who is the No. 86 overall prospect according to Givony, has upcoming workouts with the Lakers, Clippers, and Pelicans, Agness notes.
  • Xavier sophomore swingman Trevon Bluiett will work out for the Lakers on Friday, Zagoria relays (via Twitter).
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Pelton: Lakers Should Be Careful About Trading Pick

May 17th, 2016 at 11:24am CST by Luke Adams

A report this week from ESPN’s Chad Ford suggested that the Lakers are expected to make their lottery pick available in trade talks if it lands at No. 3, with the team seeking a “young veteran” in return. It remains to be seen how aggressive GM Mitch Kupchak and the Lakers will be in pursuing a potential trade, but Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com (Insider link) has looked into whether it would even be the best approach for the franchise, laying out the pros and cons for moving a top-three pick. In Pelton’s view, the Lakers “would be foolish to rule out” the possibility of trading that selection, but the club should be very careful about which veterans it targets — if the right player isn’t available, Los Angeles should simply hang onto the pick and use it.

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No Lakers Player Off Limits In Trade

May 16th, 2016 at 10:44pm CST by ChrisCrouse
  • Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak indicated that “nobody’s off limits” in a trade, writes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. “You have to take phone calls. If that does happen, that’s a good thing,” Kupchak said. “That means you have players that other teams want.” 
  • The Lakers are expected to make their first round pick available should they end up with the No. 3 overall pick, multiple sources tell Chad Ford of ESPN.com. If they land the No. 3 selection and they do not trade it away, Dragan Bender is the optimal pick for Los Angeles, Ford opines.
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Ben Bentil Working Out For Lakers, Clippers

May 16th, 2016 at 5:26pm CST by Luke Adams
  • Providence forward Ben Bentil will audition for both Los Angeles teams this week, working out for the Lakers and Clippers on Wednesday and Thursday, a source tells Zagoria (Twitter link).
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Sixers Notes: Colangelo, Long, Draft Plans

May 14th, 2016 at 6:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers are trying not to get too attached to any one player until they learn their fate in Tuesday’s draft lottery, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia earned a 26.9% chance at the top overall pick by posting the league’s worst record, but if the ping-pong balls bounce the wrong way, the Sixers could fall as far as fourth. They will get the Lakers’ pick if it drops out of the top three, so there are a lot of variables before the front office can form its draft strategy. Bryan Colangelo, Philly’s new president of basketball operation, said several teams have contacted the Sixers about dealing for one of their first-rounders. “With so much flexibility, we’re a team that everybody wants to talk to, because we’ve got good young developing pieces,” Colangelo said. “We’ve got draft picks, and those assets equal value.” Philadelphia also owns the Heat’s pick at No. 24 and the Thunder’s pick at No. 26.

There’s more pre-draft news out of Philadelphia:

  • Louisiana-Lafayette forward/center Shawn Long will work out Monday for the Sixers, Pompey relays in a separate piece. Memphis forward Dedric Lawson, St. Joseph’s swingman DeAndre’ Bembry, Villanova shooting guard Josh Hart and Seton Hall point guard Isaiah Whitehead will also participate in the Monday session, possibly along with North Carolina State point guard Cat Barber, whose is questionable after suffering a bruised thigh at the draft combine on Thursday.
  • The Sixers are improving their reputation with draft prospects, Pompey writes in another story. Syracuse shooting guard Malachi Richardson, Clemson forward Jaron Blossomgame and Providence point guard Kris Dunn are the latest prospects to say they would enjoy playing for the Sixers, who have won 19, 18 and 10 games over the past three seasons. “I could tell just by meeting everyone they were really into winning,” Richardson said. “It may not show on the court, but they’re definitely building pieces to get things done.”
  • Colangelo plans to put a heavy emphasis on character as he evaluates draft prospects, according to Brian Seltzer of Sixers.com. It’s a term that Colangelo has emphasized since his first day on the job. “Respecting the game of basketball is something that I think leads to success on the court for some individuals,” Colangelo said Friday at the draft combine.
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2015/16 D-League Usage Report: Lakers

May 14th, 2016 at 5:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The NBA’s relationship with the D-League continues to grow, and this season a total of 19 NBA teams had one-to-one affiliations with D-League clubs. Those NBA organizations without their own affiliates were required to assign players to D-League clubs associated with other NBA franchises. D-League teams could volunteer to take on the assigned players, and if no volunteers emerged, the players were assigned at random.

This significant change from the 2014/15 season came about after the Pacers purchased the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and turned them into their one-to-one partner for the 2015/16 campaign. Other NBA teams have interest in following suit in the years ahead, and the NBA’s ultimate goal for the D-League is for all 30 NBA franchises to have their own D-League squads. You can view the complete list of D-League affiliates here.

We at Hoops Rumors are recapping the D-League-related activity for the 2015/16 campaign for each team and we’ll continue with the Los Angeles Lakers, whose D-League affiliate is the Los Angeles D-Fenders:

The Lakers made 15 assignments for the 2015/16 season, sending three players to the D-League for a total of 45 days. Listed below are all the assignments and recalls made by Los Angeles for the 2015/16 campaign:

Here is how the Lakers’ players performed while on assignment to the D-League this season:

  • Tarik Black: Black appeared in eight games and averaged 16.9 points, 11.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in 32.1 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .574/.000/.605.
  • Anthony Brown: In seven appearances Brown averaged 14.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 33.6 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .392/.319/.688.
  • Ryan Kelly: Kelly made seven appearances and averaged 27.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 35.8 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .529/.375/.778.
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