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Dean Wade, Two Lakers To Receive Full Salary Guarantees

January 7th, 2022 at 2:42pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers intend to retain forward Dean Wade through the salary guarantee deadline, ensuring that he receives his full-season salary, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). The decision will lock in Wade’s $1,782,621 cap hit for 2021/22.

Wade, 25, is in his third season with the Cavs. He has been a regular rotation player for much of this season, averaging 5.1 PPG and 3.5 RPG on .432/.329/.769 shooting in 28 games (20.3 MPG). Assuming he finishes the season in Cleveland, the team will have to decide whether or not to pick up his $1,930,681 team option for ’22/23.

A pair of Lakers players will also have their salaries for this season become fully guaranteed, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that guards Austin Reaves and Avery Bradley will remain with the team.

An undrafted rookie out of Oklahoma, Reaves initially signed a two-way contract with the Lakers, then was promoted to the standard roster prior to training camp. He has appeared in 20 games so far, recording 5.6 PPG and 2.5 RPG on .494/.370/.900 shooting in 20.3 MPG. His rookie-minimum salary of $925,258 will now be fully guaranteed, while his ’22/23 salary ($1,563,518) remains non-guaranteed.

Bradley initially signed with Golden State during the offseason, then was claimed off waivers by the Lakers in October after the Warriors cut him. He has been a crucial part of Los Angeles’ backcourt rotation, starting 26 games and averaging 23.8 MPG in 31 total contests. He has put up 6.4 PPG on .425/.394/1.000 shooting while playing solid perimeter defense. He’ll now earn his full $2,641,691 salary, while the Lakers lock in his $1,669,178 cap hit.

Despite hanging onto both Reaves and Bradley, the Lakers still have an open spot on their 15-man roster, having recently traded away Rajon Rondo.

The remaining players on non-guaranteed contracts can be found right here. At least of the players on that list – Jabari Parker and Miye Oni – are reportedly being waived.

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Lakers Notes: Westbrook, Reaves, Nunn, Monk, Bradley

January 5th, 2022 at 2:15pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers exhibited some “covert interest” in discussing a possible Russell Westbrook trade with rival executives earlier in the season, sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic.

Amick is the second reporter in the last month to suggest the Lakers have considered the possibility of a Westbrook trade. Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report previously stated that the team had internally discussed the idea and made at least one outgoing call.

Still, as Fischer pointed out in December and as Amick reiterated today, the odds of the Lakers actually making a pre-deadline deal involving Westbrook are slim. His contract, which includes a $44MM+ cap hit for this season and a $47MM+ player option for 2022/23, remains a significant obstacle.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

  • Rookie guard Austin Reaves originally entered the Lakers’ rotation out of necessity, but even with a healthier roster, head coach Frank Vogel has felt compelled to keep playing him, writes Kyle Goon of the Southern California News Group. “Me trusting him was more brought onto me because he was forced into action due to injuries,” Vogel said. “You get shorthanded and it’s like, ‘Okay, let’s see what he can do.’ And he excelled in those opportunities to the point where when other guys came back, we still wanted to keep him in there.” Reaves’ 2021/22 salary will become fully guaranteed if he remains on the roster through Friday.
  • Within the same story, Goon writes that Kendrick Nunn may finally be nearing a return. Vogel cautioned there’s still no precise timetable, but said Nunn is “getting close” to make his Lakers debut. “Kendrick’s going to get a ton of minutes when he gets back healthy,” Vogel said. “It’s gonna be at the expense of somebody else, at least for that time being, to see how he fits in our system along with our stars. All that stuff will play out.”
  • Following Malik Monk‘s sixth consecutive strong showing on Tuesday night, LeBron James said the Lakers wanted Monk “last year” before eventually signing him over the summer as a free agent. As Bill Oram of The Athletic tweets, James explained that he wanted to find a way to get the former lottery pick to Los Angeles back when his role in Charlotte was inconsistent.
  • Jovan Buha of The Athletic explores the Lakers’ options for bringing back Stanley Johnson and suggests that Avery Bradley will likely have his 2021/22 salary guaranteed later this week.
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COVID-19 Updates: Mavs, B. Boston, Cacok, Lakers, C. Thomas

December 29th, 2021 at 1:33pm CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks have placed center Boban Marjanovic and guard Brandon Knight – who signed a hardship deal last week – in the health and safety protocols, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Marjanovic and Knight are the sixth and seventh Dallas players currently in the protocols.

As we noted earlier today, the Mavericks reportedly reached an agreement to sign Isaiah Thomas, who will be the team’s seventh replacement player. If Dallas had just five players in the protocols, the team wouldn’t be able to make another hardship signing, so the fact that Marjanovic and Knight are now in the protocols helps explain the Thomas deal.

Here are a few more COVID-related updates from around the league:

  • Clippers rookie Brandon Boston Jr. has entered the health and safety protocols, the team announced today. Boston had been playing an increased role as of late with the Clippers shorthanded, averaging 19.6 MPG in 13 games this month.
  • Spurs two-way big man Devontae Cacok has joined teammate Dejounte Murray in the COVID-19 protocols, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link). They’re the only two San Antonio players affected for now.
  • Lakers guards Austin Reaves and Kent Bazemore have cleared the protocols, tweets Kyle Goon of the Southern California News Group. They won’t be with the team in Memphis tonight, but should be available by Friday’s home game vs. Portland.
  • Nets rookie guard Cam Thomas has exited the protocols and is available, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
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COVID/Injury Notes: Reaves, Hauser, Carter Jr., Birch, Bulls

December 17th, 2021 at 9:51pm CST by Rory Maher

Rookies Austin Reaves and Sam Hauser have entered the health and safety protocols for the Lakers and Celtics, respectively, according to Kyle Goon of the Southern California News Group and Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter links).

If Reaves and Hauser tested positive for COVID-19, they’ll be out for the next 10 days or until they record two consecutive negative tests at least 24 hours apart.

Reaves has been a semi-regular member of the Lakers’ rotation, appearing in 17 games (19.7 minutes per game) with averages of 5.8 points and 2.5 rebounds on .500/.390/.882 shooting. He hit a memorable game-winning three-pointer in overtime against Dallas Wednesday.

Hauser is on a two-way deal with the Celtics and has appeared in just seven total minutes across three NBA games. He’s been a regular for Boston’s G League affiliate, the Maine Celtics, averaging 16.9 points and 5 rebounds on .487/.433/.917 shooting in 10 games (33.5 MPG).

Here are some more COVID-19 and injury-related notes:

  • Magic big man Wendell Carter Jr. was injured Friday night against Miami, suffering what the team called a right lower leg injury, per a team PR announcement (via Twitter). He missed the remainder of the game and will undergo further evaluation, the team adds. Hopefully it’s not a serious injury for both player and team, as the Magic already have several injured and/or COVID-afflicted players.
  • Khem Birch could return for the Raptors on Monday, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter link). Birch has been suffering from a bone bruise which still isn’t 100% healed yet, and says he’ll likely have to deal with it the throughout the season, Lewenberg relays.
  • The Bulls will be able to practice on Saturday for their first official team activity in a week, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago relays (Twitter links). They’ve had several players in the league’s health and safety protocols over the past couple weeks, but a few, including DeMar DeRozan, have returned recently. Two of their games were postponed this week due to the outbreak.
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Lakers’ Austin Reaves Out At Least Two Weeks

November 11th, 2021 at 12:35pm CST by Luke Adams

Lakers guard Austin Reaves will miss at least the next two weeks due to a strained left hamstring, the team announced today, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link).

Reaves was ruled out of Wednesday’s game vs. Miami with what Vogel referred to as a “mild” day-to-day hamstring injury. However, it appears the issue is more significant than initially believed.

Reaves, 23, signed a two-way contract with the Lakers this summer after going undrafted out of Oklahoma. He made a strong early impression on the franchise, first earning a promotion to the 15-man roster, then carving out a rotation role early in the season. In his first 10 NBA games, the 6’5″ guard has put up 6.1 PPG and 2.0 RPG on .478/.321/1.000 shooting in 21.3 minutes per contest.

Of course, Reaves likely wouldn’t have seen much action at all if not for all the other injuries the Lakers have dealt with this fall. Trevor Ariza (ankle), Talen Horton-Tucker (thumb), and Kendrick Nunn (knee) have yet to play at all, and LeBron James (abdominal strain) has missed the last four games.

Reaves isn’t even the first Laker to battle a hamstring issue — Wayne Ellington‘s debut was delayed due to a hamstring strain, while a hamstring ailment sidelined Rajon Rondo for Wednesday’s game.

Russell Westbrook, Avery Bradley, and Malik Monk all saw big minutes on Wednesday in L.A.’s backcourt, with Ellington playing a role as well. In Reaves’ absence, the Lakers will likely continue to lean on those vets.

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Lakers Notes: Vogel, Westbrook, Reaves, Ellington

October 23rd, 2021 at 5:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

Lakers coach Frank Vogel believes fans and the media are overreacting to an 0-2 start, writes Bill Oram of The Athletic. Friday night was particularly bad for L.A. as the team was blown out by the Suns in a game that saw Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard get into a sideline altercation, Rajon Rondo have a dispute with a courtside fan, and Vogel receive a technical foul after running onto the court to question a call.

“We’re just disappointed that we’re not winning, that’s all,” Vogel said. “Look, these are some of the greatest players ever to play because of their competitive spirit. If you don’t win, there’s going to be frustration. That’s what makes them great.”

The Lakers are still learning to play together after having the largest roster turnover in the league during the offseason, with just three players remaining from last year’s team. They added a group of former All-Stars, but there are concerns that the roster is too old and doesn’t fit well together. Oram suggests that Friday’s performance reflects a lack of discipline as well.

“I think that can get overly blown when you lose a game,” LeBron James told reporters. “You have some techs here, you see an altercation. You start saying, ‘OK, these guys are ultimately … the whole thing’s frustration.’ Well, we’re competitors. If you don’t get mad at certain things on the floor that you feel like you should have done better, then what are you here for?”

There’s more on the Lakers:

  • Russell Westbrook was significantly better on Friday than he was in the season opener, per Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Westbrook put up familiar statistics with 15 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists and was able to drive to the rim several times. L.A. played without a center for part of the fourth quarter, and Buha expects Vogel to continue to experiment with lineups to find the best combination to go with Westbrook.
  • Austin Reaves helped the Lakers rally in the fourth quarter and is making a bid to be part of the regular rotation, Buha adds. The rookie guard gives the offense another play-maker and a three-point threat. “We’re learning about our team,” Vogel said. “Gave some of the other wings a chance, the first chance. Weren’t getting much done as a group in the first three quarters, and as a coach, when you’re down big, you try to change the game with a small lineup and a different guy at the wing. And Austin came in and played really well.”
  • Wayne Ellington‘s season debut will be delayed at least one more game, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Ellington has been ruled out for Sunday’s contest with a strained hamstring, but the team hopes he’ll be available sometime during the coming week.
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Lakers Notes: Russ-LeBron, Nunn, AD, Reaves

September 28th, 2021 at 10:05pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Pricey new Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook expressed confidence in his fit alongside LeBron James, one of the most ball-dominant teammates with whom the very ball-dominant Westbrook has ever played. The decorated 6’3″ vet also made it clear that Los Angeles is heading into the 2021/22 season with title expectations.

“LeBron out of anybody else, he knows what it takes to win a championship,” Westbrook said during the team’s Media Day on Tuesday, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “And that’s the ultimate goal. So anything along the way … we cannot get distracted, cannot get deterred from our ultimate goal.”

The Lakers will be Westbrook’s fourth team in four years, following stints with the Thunder in 2018/19, the Rockets in 2019/20, and the Wizards in 2020/21. Last year, Westbrook was not named to the All-Star team during a relatively healthy season for the first time since 2009/10. His backcourt mate Bradley Beal was the lone Wizards player to earn that honor in 2021.

Though he averaged 22.2 PPG, a league-leading 11.7 APG, and 11.5 RPG (his fourth triple-double in five seasons), Westbrook was relatively inefficient as a shooter during his Wizards tenure. Westbrook posted a shooting line of .439/.315/.656. The Lakers are hoping that the 2017 MVP, 32, can help expedite their offense and relieve 36-year-old LeBron James of his playmaking burden, especially during the regular season.

“He ups our pace right away,” James raved about his new teammate. “He’s always in the top five as far as pace. Whatever team is what he with, so being able to get out and being able to get out on the break and be able to try to get some early buckets before the defense is set. That creates that. But also he’s just a flat-out playmaker. I think what a lot of people don’t talk about in his game is how unbelievable of a passer he is. Everyone sees the rebounds, everyone sees the scoring and things of that nature, but his passing, his ability to make guys around him better, that does not get talked about a lot.”

There’s more out of Los Angeles:

  • New Lakers guard Kendrick Nunn has joined many of his L.A. teammates on the decorated roster of Klutch Sports clients, McMenamin reports (via Twitter). Nunn, who faced off against the Lakers in the 2020 Finals as a rookie on the Heat, signed a two-year, $10MM deal with Los Angeles this summer. After going undrafted out of Oakland in 2018, the 6’2″ point guard carved out a role for himself on a veteran-laden Miami squad in the 2019/20 season, and was named to the All-Rookie First Team in 2020. Nunn averaged 15.0 PPG, 3.0 APG, 2.9 APG and 0.9 SPG during his two seasons with the Heat. The 26-year-old boasts an impressive career shooting line of .458/.364/.881.
  • Lakers All-Star big man Anthony Davis acknowledged during the team’s Media Day that he has had conversations with head coach Frank Vogel about finally becoming the club’s starting center, per Mark Medina of USA Today (Twitter video link). Los Angeles rebuilt its frontcourt rotation around Davis during the offseason, adding veteran former All-Star centers DeAndre Jordan and Dwight Howard on minimum deals. “That was discussed and I expect to play center,” Davis said. “Obviously there’s times where Dwight or DJ might get the start at center depending on games, but for the most part, I think the plan is to go with me playing center.” In the past, Davis has preferred to start at the power forward position. He has shared the floor alongside a variety of veteran centers while with the Lakers, though Los Angeles found its most success in the 2020 playoffs with Davis at the center position.
  • Further details have emerged concerning the new contract of Lakers guard Austin Reaves, per Keith Smith of Spotrac (via Twitter). Smith reports that the deal is a two-year contract at the league minimum. Reaves has a partial guarantee of $100K for the 2021/22 season, and his full first-year salary will become guaranteed on January 10, 2022. The second year of the agreement is fully non-guaranteed. The 6’5″ rookie, 23, went undrafted out of Oklahoma this summer.
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Lakers Sign Austin Reaves To Two-Year Deal

September 27th, 2021 at 1:41pm CST by JD Shaw

SEPTEMBER 27: The Lakers have officially confirmed Reaves’ new contract.

SEPTEMBER 26: The Lakers are planning to sign guard Austin Reaves to a two-year contract, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The second year of the agreement contains a team option, Charania reports, and Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times notes the first season is partially guaranteed.

Reaves, 23, had been on a two-way contract with the club, so his new deal represents a promotion to the standard roster, putting him in line to be the 14th man on the regular season squad.

Charania notes that the Lakers view Reaves in a similar mold to guards Talen Horton-Tucker and Alex Caruso, two players they managed to successfully develop in recent seasons.

Reaves went unselected in the 2021 NBA Draft. He spent two collegiate seasons at Wichita State, then two more at Oklahoma, averaging 18.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists during his final year.

The Lakers, who have 17 players under contract, now have a two-way roster spot available to use.

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Lakers Sign Joel Ayayi, Austin Reaves To Two-Way Deals

July 30th, 2021 at 12:16am CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 3: The two-way signings of Ayayi and Reaves are now official, the Lakers announced today in a press release.

JULY 30: The Lakers have reached an agreement with undrafted free agent Joel Ayayi on a two-way contract, a source tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The club has also agreed to sign rookie shooting guard Austin Reaves to a two-way contract, reports Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link).

Reaves and Ayayi rank second and third, respectively, on ESPN’s list of undrafted prospects.

Ayayi, a 6’5″ wing, averaged 12.0 PPG and 6.9 RPG on .575/.389/.781 shooting in 32 games (31.3 MPG) for the Zags as a junior in 2020/21. Reaves, who began his college career at Wichita State, transferred to Oklahoma for his last two seasons and had his best year in 2020/21, putting up 18.3 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 4.6 APG, though his three-point percentage was a modest 30.5%.

Ayayi and Reaves appear likely to take the roster spots previously held by two-way players Kostas Antetokounmpo and Devontae Cacok. Both players are free agents this offseason, and Antetokounmpo has already lined up a deal with a team in France.

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Draft Notes: Mann, Taylor, Cunningham, Hornets

July 25th, 2021 at 6:31pm CST by JD Shaw

NBA draft prospect Tre Mann expressed confidence that he’s the best guard in this year’s class, as relayed by Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

Mann, 20, spent the past two seasons at Florida. He held per-game averages of 16 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists during the 2020/21 campaign, shooting 46% from the floor and 40% from deep.

“I think I’m the best guard in the draft, top-five for sure,” Mann said.

When asked about his strengths and weaknesses ahead of Thursday’s event, he gave a fair outlook.

“My strengths are my ability to create for myself and my teammates, my craftiness, and my ability to shoot off the dribble on the three-point line or a couple of steps behind the line,” Mann said. “The weaknesses that I think I need to work on are the simpler plays, like making the simple reads out of the ball screens and trying to make the game as easy as possible.”

Here are some other draft-related notes to pass along:

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