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Pacific Notes: Davis, Lakers, Fox, Clippers

March 1st, 2023 at 2:25pm CST by Luke Adams

With LeBron James expected to be sidelined for the foreseeable future, the Lakers need the version of Anthony Davis they got in the bubble in 2020, who can “single-handedly change games on the defensive end,” writes Chris Mannix of SI.com.

Although the Lakers lost in Memphis on Tuesday, they got Davis at his best in that game, according to Mannix, who points to the big man’s stat line (28 points, 19 rebounds, and five blocks) as one he’ll have to replicate a few more times if Los Angeles is going to move up the standings and clinch a play-in or playoff spot.

Unfortunately for the Lakers, Davis won’t be available in Oklahoma City on Wednesday night. As Mannix relays (via Twitter), the team announced today that Davis (right foot stress injury) will join James and D’Angelo Russell (right ankle sprain) on the sidelines, leaving L.A. shorthanded in a crucial game. The Thunder will be without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols this week.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

The Lakers certainly aren’t throwing in the towel following James’ injury diagnosis. Head coach Darvin Ham said on Tuesday that the team remains focused on winning enough games to claim at least a play-in spot and ideally a top-six seed in the West. “The mission hasn’t changed for us, so the goal of securing a playoff spot is still very much alive,” Ham said, per Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group. “It’s unfortunate that ‘Bron went down, but injuries are a real part of our sport and it’s next man up. You got to step up and hold down the fort until he returns.”
The Kings got good news on Tuesday night, as the MRI on De’Aaron Fox‘s sore left wrist revealed no significant damage, according to Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link). Fox, who was out for Tuesday’s game, is day-to-day and Sacramento is optimistic that he won’t miss much – if any – more time.
The Clippers have lost three consecutive games since the All-Star break and are still trying to figure out how to best use their recently added veterans, including point guard Russell Westbrook, writes Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. As Greif outlines, Eric Gordon, Norman Powell, and Terance Mann are among the players whose roles still need to be sorted out, and head coach Tyronn Lue will have to determine whether to continue starting Marcus Morris, who has struggled as of late and played just 21 minutes in Tuesday’s loss. “We definitely do feel that we have the deepest team,” Gordon said, “but … the chemistry has to be there.”

Los Angeles Notes: Jackson, Hyland, Westbrook, Vanderbilt, Russell

February 27th, 2023 at 10:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Reggie Jackson anticipated he’d get traded by the Clippers, he told Law Murray of The Athletic. Jackson was dealt to the Hornets, who waived him. He then signed with another Western Conference contender, the Nuggets.

“I’ve been in the game for 12 years,” Jackson said. “I was the only expiring contract (the Clippers had). Got to get better. Can’t really move anything. … So, the writing was on the wall for me. Being a pretty smart guy, I kind of knew. Either we were going to stay put, play small-ball, or, if anything was going to happen, I was ready to be the one that would probably be moved.”

We have more on the Los Angeles teams:

In the same story, Bones Hyland told Murray that he’s glad Russell Westbrook signed with the Clippers, even though his playing time might be cut. “I always was a fan of Russ’ game,” Hyland said. “Fan of Russ off the court as well. Great human being, great to be around. Great to talk to. Was the MVP of this league. Going to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. … So, I’m glad we got him. He brings a lot to the team.”
Jarred Vanderbilt lifted the Lakers during their comeback from a 27-point deficit against Dallas with 15 points. 17 rebounds and four steals. The deadline addition from Utah has already impacted the team’s season, Anthony Davis told Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times. “His value for our team, you can’t even put it into words what he brings and does for us,” Davis said. Vanderbilt looks like a steal in the three-way trade with Minnesota and the Jazz, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, because he addresses the Lakers’ need for a long, athletic, dirty-work forward.
D’Angelo Russell (right ankle sprain) is listed as doubtful for the Lakers’ game against Memphis on Tuesday, according to Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register (Twitter link).
In case you missed it, LeBron James is expected to miss multiple weeks due to a foot injury. Get the details here.

Pacific Notes: Baldwin, Thompson, Russell, Okpala

February 26th, 2023 at 5:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Warriors rookie forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. is getting some playing time and coach Steve Kerr sees a bright future for the first round pick, C.J. Holmes of the San Francisco Chronicle writes.

“When I watch Patrick I see a future rotation player,” the Warriors coach said. “He fits. You can see it. He makes shots from the perimeter with ease. He shoots it from such a level of extension that you can barely challenge the shot.”

Baldwin contributed 11 points in 10 minutes for the Warriors against the Lakers on Thursday and 11 more points in 16 minutes against Houston on Friday.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Klay Thompson has four rings and a contract that runs through next season. The Warriors shooting guard says he’s still hungry at this stage of his career, according to Kendra Andrews of ESPN. Thompson became the first player in NBA history to make 12 three-pointers in multiple games in a season while scoring 42 points against Houston. “I did something that no one else has ever done before,” Thompson said. “I looked at (Stephen Curry) immediately when I did it because, I mean, that man’s got all the records, so it’s fun to push the game forward with him. I’m still so hungry to be great. I’ll never be satisfied.”
Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell went through pregame warmups but was ultimately ruled out of the team’s game against Dallas, according to Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register (Twitter links). Acquired from Minnesota at the trade deadline, Russell suffered a sprained right ankle against Golden State on Thursday.
The Kings still believe KZ Okpala can be a defensive factor in his NBA career, but chose to waive him after determining that he needed knee surgery, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee reports in a subscriber-only story. Okpala, who appeared in 35 games after signing as a free agent, has been sidelined with bilateral knee soreness and is now expected to undergo season-ending surgery. The team consulted with multiple medical professionals to evaluate Okpala’s injury, Anderson adds.

Lakers Notes: 2023 FAs, Russell, Hachimura, Bamba

February 25th, 2023 at 5:18pm CST by Luke Adams

The majority of the players the Lakers acquired prior to this month’s trade deadline aren’t owed guaranteed money beyond this season, so the team still has the flexibility to generate a significant amount of cap room this summer, if necessary. However, the expectation from rival executives is that the Lakers will operate over the cap and bring back most – or all – of the players they traded for, writes Sean Deveney of Heavy.com.

“They would never have given up that (2027 first-round) pick unless they planned to make some long-term investments,” one general manager told Deveney. “They were willing to trade it but they needed some guys just heading into their primes to convince them to give it up.

“Now they’ve got (D’Angelo) Russell, they’ve got (Jarred) Vanderbilt, they’ve got Malik Beasley, plus (Rui) Hachimura, Austin Reaves. We’ll see what they do with Mo Bamba, too. That’s a base of young players that they did not have before, you know, guys who are (in their) mid-20s. They’re going to keep those guys in place. They’re all-in on paying those guys.”

Here’s more on the Lakers’ present and future:

The GM who spoke to Deveney thinks the floor for Russell on his next contract will be $70MM over three years. Another executive believes that the 27-year-old guard, who will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, will get something in the range of Anfernee Simons‘ four-year, $100MM deal.
Russell, who sprained his right ankle on Thursday, is listed as doubtful to play on Sunday in Dallas, but may not have a lengthy absence — he’s considered day-to-day, per head coach Darvin Ham (Twitter links via Mike Bresnahan of Spectrum SportsNet and ESPN’s Dave McMenamin).
Sources tell Deveney that the Lakers may look to re-sign Hachimura on a contract similar to the one Kyle Kuzma got from the team in 2020 ($39MM over three years). “He wanted something around $20 million (per year) from the Wizards and they were never going that high,” a Western Conference executive said of Hachimura. “He has to be a little humbled by this season because he just didn’t make that jump he expected to make—he can’t shoot and if you can’t shoot as a wing in the NBA, you’re in trouble. So, I’d expect him to get three years, with an option. Something like $13-14 million, that way he is still a good trade asset going forward or he is going to be a guy who becomes a huge bargain.”
That same Western exec seems high on Bamba, suggesting that the big man’s $10.3MM team option for next season is a relative bargain and that there’s “still a lot of trade value on him.” It’s an interesting assessment, given that Bamba’s playing time dipped in Orlando this season after he signed that contract and the exec acknowledges the Lakers “got him for almost nothing” from the Magic.

D’Angelo Russell “Not Worried” About Ankle Injury

February 24th, 2023 at 10:10am CST by Luke Adams

In his fourth game back with the Lakers on Thursday, point guard D’Angelo Russell exited in the first quarter due to a right ankle sprain and didn’t return.

As Dave McMenamin of ESPN writes, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham told reporters after the game that X-rays on Russell’s ankle came back negative. However, the veteran guard will undergo further evaluation on Friday to assess the severity of the injury and determine whether he’ll have to miss time.

For his part, Russell didn’t sound concerned about a lengthy absence. According to McMenamin, the 27-year-old said that he’s “not worried” about the ankle and didn’t rule out the possibility of returning to action for the Lakers’ next game on Sunday in Dallas.

The injury occurred after a Donte DiVincenzo layup with 4:31 left in the first quarter. Russell grabbed the ball and went to quickly inbound it, but accidentally stepped on DiVincenzo’s foot as the Warriors wing tried to get back on defense (video link). Russell stayed in the game until the next whistle and was subbed out with 3:12 remaining in the quarter.

“Wrong place, wrong time definitely,” Russell said of the injury. “Pretty unlucky for me.”

Although the Lakers are waiting for more clarity on Russell’s prognosis, they managed to defeat the Warriors without their starting point guard available for the last three quarters on Thursday –they’re now within 1.5 games of Golden State for the No. 10 seed in the West. Los Angeles has won three of four games since the trade deadline and looks like a more serious threat to make the playoffs with its revamped lineup.

“The pieces we added for defense, for offense looks pretty good,” Anthony Davis said after Thursday’s win. “I think we’re playing well. We’re clicking. … Hopefully D-Lo’s injury isn’t severe where he misses time. I think we got a complete team where we’re able to make a little run.”

Pacific Notes: LeBron, Payton, D. Green, George

February 16th, 2023 at 10:20am CST by Arthur Hill

Foot and ankle issues prevented LeBron James from playing with his new teammates until Wednesday night, but he liked what he saw as the revamped Lakers hammered the Pelicans. Dave McMenamin of ESPN points out that James’ return resulted in L.A.’s 30th different starting lineup in 59 games, but the combination of him with Anthony Davis and the newly acquired D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt was effective right away.

Russell and Beasley provide what James calls “lasers” — outside shooters that the Lakers lacked earlier this season. Vanderbilt brings more size and energy to the front line and the team has more depth as well, with 10 players logging at least 15 minutes against New Orleans.

“First of all, I shout out and salute the guys that left,” James said. “(Russell Westbrook), (Patrick Beverley), (Juan Toscano-Anderson), (Damian Jones) and Thomas (Bryant). Those five guys. We all started the season together and tried to work to make some things happen and be the best that we could be out on the floor. So I salute those guys and their commitment to us trying to be as good as we could be on the floor. And right now, I mean, I like the guys that we have coming in. I mean, it’s going to take some time for us to get to know one another, but I know that they play the game at a high level.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

The finding by team doctors that Gary Payton II has a core muscle injury that will prevent him from playing for at least a month had a “devastating effect” on the Warriors, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Golden State brought back Payton to shore up a shaky defense, but he’s not expected to be on the court until well after the All-Star break.
Draymond Green called out the Warriors‘ defensive effort after giving up 134 points in Tuesday’s loss, per Kendra Andrews of ESPN. “It has to come from within,” Green said. “Defense is all about will, a want to defend. Defense isn’t fun. You’ve just got to do it if you want to win, and we haven’t.”
In an interview with Joseph Bien-Kahn of GQ, Clippers star Paul George talks about maturing as a player, his approach to pressure situations and the “guilt” he felt watching the Pacers break up after his devastating leg injury in 2014. As a native of Southern California, George also said, “A championship with the Clippers 100% will outweigh a championship being with the Lakers.”

D’Angelo Russell, Lakers Have Mutual Interest In Extension

February 15th, 2023 at 10:02pm CST by Rory Maher

The Lakers acquired D’Angelo Russell from Minnesota last week as part of a three-team blockbuster trade that also sent Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt to Los Angeles.

Russell is playing on a $31.38MM expiring contract and could hit free agency this summer. However, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on NBA Countdown (YouTube link) that there’s mutual interest between Russell and the Lakers in discussing a contract extension.

Based on Wojnarowski’s wording, those conversations have yet to begin, but there’s an expectation the two sides will come together in the coming weeks and months.

The Lakers don’t view Russell as a mere rental player, with Wojnarowski noting that they gave up their 2027 first-round pick (top-four protected) and a couple of second-rounders as part of the deal. There’s hope that the 26-year-old could be a “solution at that point guard position,” Wojnarowski said.

Russell is having a strong year from an efficiency standpoint, posting a .465/.387/.853 shooting slash line for a career-high .601 true shooting percentage. Through 56 games (32.9 MPG) with the Wolves and Lakers, he’s averaging 17.8 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 6.1 APG and 1.1 SPG.

In other Lakers-related news, LeBron James (foot/ankle) returned from a three-game absence on Wednesday, tweets Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Head coach Darvin Ham used a new starting lineup featuring Russell, Beasley, James, Vanderbilt and Anthony Davis.

Lakers Notes: Roster Shakeup, Westbrook, Irving, Buyout Market

February 13th, 2023 at 8:11am CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers are still hoping to climb out of 13th place and reach the playoffs, but the recent roster overhaul was made with an eye on the future, writes Jovan Buha of The Athletic. In a conference call with media members on Saturday, general manager Rob Pelinka said the front office focused on adding shooting, floor spacing, size and wing depth.

L.A. made four deals dating back to January 23, adding Rui Hachimura, D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Mohamed Bamba and Davon Reed. All six players are 27 or younger, and they’re under some form of team control beyond this season.

The Lakers can make Hachimura a restricted free agent with a qualifying offer expected to be worth $7.7MM. Russell will be unrestricted, but he’s eligible for an extension through June 30. L.A. holds a $16.5MM team option on Beasley for next season, while Vanderbilt has a partial guarantee on his contract and Bamba and Reed have non-guaranteed deals.

“I think a deep dive into this, you can almost look at it as ‘pre-agency,’” Pelinka said. “… We very intentionally planned these moves to provide optionality in July. Some of these players have team options or team-controlled years on their contracts, which again gives us the ability to see how these last 26 regular-season games and how potential postseason games go. And then we can go into this offseason with a higher collection of data points, and sort of a real-time analysis of how the pieces fit and make decisions for the future.”

Buha has more on the Lakers:

Pelinka admitted on the conference call that trading Russell Westbrook was probably the best move for both sides. He said the Lakers originally acquired Westbrook in hopes of returning to title contention, adding that the polarizing guard shouldn’t be blamed for the team’s disappointing performance. “I think it’s really unfair to put the last year and a half, or whatever period of time that is, on one player,” Pelinka said. “I think the whole roster has to come together and fit. And part of sports sometimes is if things aren’t working, you have to fix them.”
Pelinka didn’t specifically address the Lakers’ rumored pursuit of Kyrie Irving, but he did indicate that the front office was aggressive with its 2027 and 2029 first-round picks in its effort to upgrade the roster. L.A. wound up parting with its 2027 first-rounder (top-four protected) in the deal that sent Westbrook to Utah.
The Lakers still have a roster opening, but Pelinka hasn’t decided how aggressively he will pursue buyout candidates. “If we see the right opportunity to fill a need in the buyout market, we will take a look at that,” he said. “But I don’t want to definitively say that we’ll sign another player. We feel like these 14 players fill a need that (head coach Darvin Ham) was looking to fill, and he was excited about these 26 games we have to coach these 14 guys.”

Western Notes: Russell, Kings, Westbrook, Beverley, Brooks

February 10th, 2023 at 9:06pm CST by Dana Gauruder

D’Angelo Russell is back with the Lakers after playing his first two seasons in Los Angeles. Russell, who is headed to unrestricted free agency this summer, says he’s grown a lot personally and professionally since his first stint with the franchise, Dave McMenamin of ESPN writes.

“I mean, a lot has happened since I’ve been here, right?” said Russell, who was acquired by the Lakers as part of a three-team deal with Minnesota and Utah. “I was an All-Star, went to the playoffs. I’ve done a lot of things individually. So to come back with that resume, I feel like it helps the team.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

The dramatically improved Kings were quiet at the trade deadline and that was by design, GM Monte McNair told Chris Biderman of the Sacramento Bee and other media members. “We looked at moves that may help us in the short term and help solidify that,” McNair said in a subscriber-only story. “But at the same time, what this group’s done — we have guys that have been in and out of the rotation that we think can help us out. I think we have a lot of depth already, and guys that have already proven they can help us. The continuity of the group is something we haven’t had as much of. We’ve had a lot of turnover lately, and now that we’ve had success, we think that (continuity) can be a big part of our stretch run as well.”
The Clippers still do not have a traditional point guard after making multiple deals but they could look to the buyout market to fill that need, according to Law Murray of The Athletic. Russell Westbrook or Patrick Beverley, who have very different skill sets, are candidates to fill their open roster spot if and when they’re waived and become free agents.
Dillon Brooks is headed to free agency this summer, but Grizzlies GM Zach Kleiman said the team wasn’t looking to move the veteran wing – who has struggled offensively – before the trade deadline, according to Evan Barnes of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “Dillon Brooks is a huge part of this team,” Kleiman said. “Dillon Brooks is not someone who was shopped or anything to that effect at the deadline. He’s someone who we view as a critical component of this group and very much hope and could see him playing a big role for us for years to come.”

Lowe’s Latest: Durant, Grizzlies, Anunoby, Pelicans, Warriors, Clippers

February 10th, 2023 at 10:02am CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of the Nets‘ Kevin Durant trade agreement with the Suns, reports indicated that Brooklyn only really negotiated with Phoenix rather than canvassing the NBA to generate a bidding war. The Nets likely already knew what teams were willing to offer after discussing Durant deals for nearly two months in the offseason, and liked the combination of players and picks the Suns were willing to offer.

According to Zach Lowe of ESPN (Insider link), another team that was prepared to put a strong package of draft picks on the table for Durant was the Grizzlies. Sources tell Lowe that the Nets were aware since July that Memphis was willing to trade every available draft pick and swap of its own for Durant (it’s unclear if that offer would’ve included Golden State’s lightly protected 2024 first-round pick or just the Grizzlies’ own first-rounders).

However, the Suns’ inclusion of Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson helped tip the scales in their favor. Sources around the league have said that the Grizzlies have kept Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr. entirely off-limits in any trade talks, according to Lowe, so the players in Memphis’ offer wouldn’t have been as valuable as the ones in the deal Brooklyn ultimately accepted.

Here’s more from Lowe:

After mentioning on his podcast that the Grizzlies and Pacers each offered three first-round picks for Raptors forward OG Anunoby, Lowe says the Pelicans – another presumed suitor – didn’t hold any serious talks with Toronto about him. As Lowe reiterates, the Raptors were seeking a high-level player or prospect in an Anunoby deal; Will Guillory of The Athletic says New Orleans didn’t show much interest in discussing Dyson Daniels or Trey Murphy in trade talks.
The Warriors also engaged with the Raptors about Anunoby, Lowe confirms, but he says the two teams don’t appear to have gotten all that close to an agreement. Golden State likely would have had to include Jonathan Kuminga as the centerpiece of its offer, sources tell ESPN.
The Clippers never ended up having any serious trade talks for D’Angelo Russell or Kyle Lowry, and the Mike Conley bidding was out of their price range, Lowe says. They also got nowhere close on Fred VanVleet, since the Raptors would have wanted Terance Mann and possibly more draft equity than L.A. could’ve offered, Lowe adds.