Lakers Notes: Iguodala, Barnes, Morris, Bynum
A roster upheaval could be coming in Los Angeles, as Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak expects to explore "all opportunities" to improve the team's roster. Our round-up of Lakers items this morning includes some hints at possible moves, as two Lakers free agents discuss the future and Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld identifies a potential trade target….
- Expect the Lakers to target Andre Iguodala again this summer, Kennedy writes in HoopsWorld's NBA AM feature. The Lakers pursued Iguodala a year ago, and a source tells Kennedy that Kobe Bryant would welcome the acquisition of an athletic small forward.
- In his exit interview, Matt Barnes acknowledged that he may have played his last game as a Laker, as Brian Kamenetzky of ESPNLosAngeles.com notes. Barnes also suggested that his priorities in free agency may be different this time around: "The last few teams I’ve went to, it was in search of a ring, and have fallen short. I’ve always turned down a significant amount of money to do that. So that’s something we’ll have to sit down and see."
- Darius Morris enjoyed his rookie season in Los Angeles but may end up heading somewhere where he can earn more playing time, writes Andy Kamenetzky of ESPN LA. "I love it here in L.A.," Morris said. "But being a young player, it's really important to be somewhere you feel you have an opportunity to play and get to grow on the court most importantly… We'll see what happens."
- Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News questions whether Andrew Bynum is the player the Lakers should be building around long-term as they prepare for Kobe Bryant's last few seasons.
Lakers Will Explore “All Opportunities” To Improve
We can safely assume Kobe Bryant will be a Laker next season, but beyond that, there are a number of questions surrounding the team's roster going forward. GM Mitch Kupchak told reporters, including Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, that he'll be open to "all opportunities" to improve the team in the coming weeks and months.
"Why not? Sure," Kupchak said, of exploring a major trade (via Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com). "When you lose before you think you should have lost, you have to open up all opportunities."
With over $80MM+ already committed for 2012/13, the Lakers are wary of adding any more salary and increasing tax penalties, but still plan to offer Andrew Bynum a contract extension, according to Kupchak. If Bynum is part of the team's long-term future and Kobe isn't going anywhere, Pau Gasol is the most logical trade candidate, though the Lakers GM says he has yet to have that conversation with the club's owners.
"I have not met with ownership," Kupchak said. "I do not know what direction the team is going to go, what the parameters are going to be going forward, so there wasn't really anything additional to share with Pau."
Since they're over the tax line, the Lakers don't have many options for bringing in talent besides the trade market. However, the team will have the $3MM taxpayer mid-level exception at its disposal, along with the $8.9MM trade exception acquired in December's Lamar Odom trade.
Latest On Bobcats’ Coaching Search
The Bobcats may have set an NBA record for futility in 2011/12, but they also feature one of just two head coach openings in the league, so candidates continue to interview for the job. Here are today's updates on the team's search, with any new items added to the top of the list throughout the day:
- Jerry Sloan will interview with the Bobcats this week, according to Chris Broussard of ESPN.com. It was reported yesterday that owner Michael Jordan would meet with Sloan, so it's unclear if Jordan is conducting the interview or if other members of the Bobcats' brass will be involved.
- The Bobcats have received permission from the Lakers to speak with assistant Quin Snyder, says Broussard.
- Charlotte has also been granted permission by the Pacers to speak with Brian Shaw, but as we heard yesterday, his interview won't happen until Indiana's season ends — which could happen as soon as tonight.
- We also heard last night that the Bobcats plan to reach out to Stan Van Gundy.
Lakers Talk Offseason, To Pick Up Bynum’s Option
Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak told reporters on Wednesday that the Lakers plan to pick up center Andrew Bynum's team option for next season. This move would not have an impact on the much-speculated swap of Bynum for Dwight Howard, as they would have to pick up his option before making the move. Kupchak's statement was part of the Lakers' 2012 exit interview process today, as documented by Mike Trudell on Lakers.com. Many players brought up the much talked about issue of the offense stalling when Kobe goes into "one-on-one" mode, while others discussed their future with the team:
- Pau Gasol said that he met with Kupchak and Mike Brown and they didn't offer him any insight as to the organizations' plans for Gasol this offseason. Gasol reiterated that the trade rumors shouldn't alter a player's game, but admitted that his change in role, many times deferring to Andrew Bynum as the second option, may have affected his production.
- Metta World Peace doesn't think the Lakers need radical change, even stating that they should be up 3 games to 2 on the Thunder right now, says Andy Kamenetzky of ESPN LA. Artest extolled Mitch Kupchak and says it is up to the players to pick up their game to help Kobe Bryant. Kamenetzky adds that there is speculation that Artest or Steve Blake could be trade candidates, but Artest said he loves it in Los Angeles.
- Kupchak offered information beyond their intentions for Bynum. In his talk with media, Kupchak discussed the failed preseason trade for Chris Paul, Gasol's resulting play, the looming opt-out decision of Ramon Sessions and more.
Pacific Notes: Lakers, Hill, Ebanks, Clippers
The general consensus among NBA writers after the Lakers' second round loss against the Thunder was that Los Angeles needed to move Pau Gasol this offseason in an effort to shake up the roster and gain cap flexibility. However, Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News believes the next move for the Lakers should be trading Andrew Bynum in a deal for Dwight Howard. Bonsignore points out that the worst-case scenario would be Howard leaving after a year, in which case, at least the team's cap situation would be a little more manageable going forward.
Here are a few more links related to the Lakers and their Pacific Division rivals:
- As the Kamenetzky brothers relay on ESPNLosAngeles.com, unrestricted free agent Jordan Hill was positive in his exit interview about his time with the Lakers, expressing a desire to return: "It's definitely one of, if not the best organizations in the league and I had great time here, with the short time I was here. The staff, players, everybody. I just enjoyed it."
- Restricted free agent Devin Ebanks is also open to returning to the Lakers, telling Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times, "They seem pretty interested in me."
- Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com poses eight questions facing the Clippers as the team prepares for the offseason.
- The Warriors' announcement of a new, privately-funded arena set to open in 2017 is a tough blow for Kings fans, who saw Sacramento arena plans fall apart earlier this year, writes Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee.
Latest On Ramon Sessions
The Los Angeles Lakers held their exit interviews today following last night's elimination from the playoffs. Lakers.com's Mike Trudell has details (links to all tweets) of guard Ramon Sessions' interview, which touched on his upcoming player option and future with the Lakers.
Sessions, acquired from the Cavaliers in March, said he hopes to remain with the Lakers, and that the team has expressed interest in bringing him back as well. Sessions has a player option for the 2012/13 season worth approximately $4.5MM, which he must decide on by June 20. He says he has not made a decision.
Lakers Rumors: Bynum, Brown, Sessions, Gasol
The Thunder advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals last night, sending the Lakers to their second consecutive second-round exit. Despite the loss, Kobe Bryant vowed after the game that L.A. would be back in contention next season: "This is not one of those things like where the Bulls beat the Pistons and the Pistons disappeared forever."
Before the team returns to the court for the 2012/13 season, the Lakers will have a number of roster moves and decisions to make. Here's the latest on a few of the issues facing the club:
- Andrew Bynum told reporters last night, including Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com, that he's not sure what his future in Los Angeles holds. According to Bynum's agent David Lee, the ball is in the Lakers' court when it comes to talking about a contract extension for the young center.
- Brian Kamenetzky of ESPNLosAngeles.com looks at eight questions facing the Lakers as the team prepares for the offseason. Within the piece, he suggests that coach Mike Brown won't be fired, and wonders whether Ramon Sessions will pick up his player option after a poor postseason.
- Over the luxury-tax threshold and with only the 60th pick in the draft, the Lakers will have to make trades if they hope to improve their roster, writes Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times.
- Pau Gasol's time as a Laker will likely end soon, since he's their only logical trade chip, says Sean Deveney of the Sporting News.
- Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune tweets that he expects the Timberwolves to get involved in Gasol trade discussions again.
- Gasol should be the first domino to fall, but the Lakers will be faced with other decisions too, writes McMenamin.
- For his part, Gasol doesn't think the Lakers need to significantly overhaul the roster, as he tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Gasol, Bynum, and Bryant all suggested that a full training camp would've helped the Lakers, who were adjusting to Brown's system.
Odds & Ends: Ainge, Gasol, Bird Rights, Shaw
It's been a busy night both on and off the court in the NBA, as the Lakers appear to be on their way to elimination at the hands of the Thunder, while the Magic are making wholesale management changes. Here's the rest of the late-night story:
- The Blazers have not asked for permission from the Celtics to speak with Danny Ainge about their GM opening, Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com tweets.
- The Rockets remain interested in trading for Pau Gasol, salary cap guru Larry Coon says, via Twitter.
- Coon also believes the union will not prevail in its quest to secure Bird rights for players who were claimed off waivers (Twitter link).
- Pacers assistant Brian Shaw is drawing interest for head coaching positions elsewhere, but the Pacers place a high value on him, Chris Mannix of SI.com notes (Twitter link).
- Jason Fleming of HoopsWorld profiles the top five vote-getters for Executive of the Year.
Magic Rumors: Malone, Shaw, Morway, Bower
Big news out of Orlando today as the club has fired coach Stan Van Gundy and agreed to part ways with GM Otis Smith. The latest on the Magic..
- Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld tweets that plenty of executives are interested in the Magic GM job, and they aren't scared away by the Dwight Howard saga.
- David Baumann of Bright House Sports Network says that Lakers assistant Chuck Person is on Howard's list of preferred coaches, noting D12's preference for candidates with no head coaching experience (Twitter links, and a hat tip to Sam Amick of SI.com). That might be moot, however, if Howard still wants to leave the Magic.
- Warriors assistant Michael Malone and Pacers assistant Brian Shaw are candidates to replace Van Gundy, tweets Sam Amick of SI.com.
- Amick also tweets that many of the same candidates for the Blazers GM job will be in the running for the same post in Orlando, and links to a story from earlier this month specifying Pacers GM David Morway and former Hornets GM Jeff Bower as candidates for the Portland gig.
- Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio says that the Magic had interest in signing Greg Oden, but that's likely changed in the wake of today's news (Twitter link).
- Orlando Sentinel columnist George Diaz encourages the Magic to be "creative, aggressive and different" with their GM and coaching hires.
Dwight Howard Still Wants Out Of Orlando
Despite the exit of coach Stan Van Gundy and GM Otis Smith today, Dwight Howard "desperately" wants to be traded before next season, a source tells Chris Sheridan of SheridanHoops.com. While it seemed the moves were made with Howard in mind, the superstar center wants out of Orlando now more than ever, according to the source.
Sheridan says Magic execs are expected to meet soon with Howard in Los Angeles, where he's recovering from back surgery. If he reiterates then that he wants out, Sheridan says the team is expected to try to trade him to "the highest bidder." The source says the Nets are still the frontrunner for his services, but the Mavericks, Knicks and, to a lesser degree, the Clippers and Lakers, are destinations that also appeal to Howard.
Earlier today we heard that Magic CEO Alex Martins has called for Howard to make his decision regarding his future with the club. At the trade deadline this past March, Howard declined his early termination option for next season, committing himself to the last season of his contract with the Magic. The move appears only to have been a temporary stay of the drama surrounding his rumored departure. Howard missed the playoffs for the Magic this season after undergoing surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back more than a month ago. He has been rehabbing in Los Angeles and has not returned to Orlando since the operation. The Magic said earlier he's staying there because he requires frequent checkups from his doctors in L.A., but Howard's choice of locations nonetheless fueled speculation he's estranged from the team.