L.A. Notes: Doncic, Lakers, Lopez, Clippers
Getting the Lakers into peak physical condition appears to be head coach JJ Redick‘s primary goal entering the season, writes ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. Redick refers to it as being in “championship shape,” and notes that the directive is not only aimed at star Luka Doncic, though Doncic is one of the more visible examples of the fitness push.
As McMenamin writes, remaking his body through dieting and rigorous exercise routines has been the focus for Doncic this summer, both for himself and for the team as a whole.
“It’s not just physical shape, it’s mental shape, too,” the Slovenian star said. “Both are very important. We’re doing it in practice. It was great. Everybody’s in great shape. Everybody’s running a lot, so it’s been great so far.”
Despite Doncic’s efforts to reshape his body this offseason, he will not play in the Lakers’ preseason games this weekend, according to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter), who calls it a collaborative decision with the Lakers’ performance team. Redick had previously said he’d be careful about overextending Doncic too early after the 26-year-old’s run with the Slovenian national team in EuroBasket.
While Doncic isn’t playing this weekend, Redick is expecting him to play at some point during the preseason, tweets Sportskeeda’s Mark Medina.
LeBron James, Marcus Smart, Adou Thiero, and Maxi Kleber are all expected to miss tonight’s game against the Suns as well.
We have more from the world of L.A. hoops:
- The Lakers remade their roster this offseason, but there are still significant questions to answer, writes Eric Pincus for Bleacher Report. Health will play a key role in the team’s outlook, along with the natural wear and tear that can be expected for the 40-year-old James. However, the most pressing unknown revolves around the fifth starting spot. Pincus names Smart, Rui Hachimura, and Jake LaRavia as three players most likely competing for the role. Hachimura has experience with the team and has shown himself to be a consistent shooter, having made 41.8% of his three-point tries over the last two seasons in L.A. Pincus calls LaRavia a high-effort defender who can also shoot the ball at 6’7″, while Smart brings a perimeter defensive toughness that a team built around Doncic, James, and Austin Reaves could use. Pincus also throws Jarred Vanderbilt‘s name into the mix as a potential dark-horse option.
- The Clippers brought Brook Lopez into the fold in an effort to reduce the burden on breakout defensive stalwart Ivica Zubac this season, writes Janis Carr for the Orange County Register. “We didn’t really have a backup center (last season), so when things got tough, we always had to get Zu back in the game,” head coach Tyronn Lue said. “I thought he played for too many minutes. If you asked him, he didn’t play enough, but for me it’s just too many minutes.” While Zubac was always up for the challenge and turned in the best season of his career, the Clippers now have the luxury of bringing a longtime starter and multi-time Defensive Player of the Year candidate off the bench in Lopez. As an added bonus, Lopez and Zubac have a Los Angeles-based history together. “I played with Zu with the Lakers almost 10 years ago now. I think it was his second year in the league, and he was a very talented, raw young player then,” Lopez said. “But to see his growth, it’s astonishing.“
- Lopez wasn’t the only big-name acquisition for the Clippers this summer. They also added Bradley Beal, John Collins, and brought back Chris Paul. They now have one of the deepest benches in the league, but that brings with it questions about how the rotation will shake out, writes Law Murray for The Athletic. Murray predicts that Beal will be the starting shooting guard and suggests that Collins could have a chance to start at the four, sliding Kawhi Leonard to the three. However, with so many talented players, some will likely be squeezed from the rotation. When asked about his role with the team, Nicolas Batum said, “Ask (Lue) that question, I don’t know… I mean, I’m here to play basketball.” Murray writes that he considers Batum the most likely odd man out when everyone is healthy.
Pacific Notes: Monk, Kuminga, Leonard, LaRavia
Malik Monk knows that the Kings were willing to deal him in order to acquire Jonathan Kuminga from the Warriors. Monk’s contract, which runs through the 2027/28 season and includes a player option, wasn’t one Golden State was willing to take on.
Now that Kuminga has signed a two-year contract with Golden State, that saga has ended and Monk says he looks at Sacramento as his home and “loves” it there, according to Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee.
“For some people, yeah, but for me, what I’ve been through, no,” Monk said of whether he let the trade talk bother him. “And my support system is amazing. My brother, my agent, my mom, they always keep me upbeat, but I came to talk to (new general manager Scott Perry), too, right before everything, and he told me the same thing my agent told me. I like that from Scott. I appreciate him for coming forward and telling me to come talk to him. That’s being professional. A lot of GMs don’t do that, so I thank Scott for that.”
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- Following contentious negotiations, Kuminga chose to sign a contract that would still allow him to be trade-eligible in mid-January. It also includes a team option. That means the speculation about his future won’t die down, Nick Friedell of The Athletic notes. Coach Steve Kerr says he doesn’t blame Kuminga for trying to get the best contract possible as a restricted free agent. “It’s just, this is the business we’re in, you know?” Kerr said. “I never begrudge any player for trying to get the best contract that he can. In fact, having been a player, I always feel like it’s part of my job to help our guys do the best they can come contract-wise and help them become the best players that they can be. Put themselves in the best position to have a great career, to sign a good contract, take care of their families. These are short careers, and so I want all our players to do well, how it gets there sometimes can be messy. I’m not worried about any of that.”
- Kawhi Leonard addressed to a certain extent the allegation that the Clippers tried to circumvent the salary cap by arranging an alleged no-show endorsement deal with the now-defunct company Aspiration. He claims he’s not worried about the league’s on-going investigation, according to Law Murray of The Athletic. “The NBA is going to do their job,” Leonard said. “None of us did no wrongdoing. And yeah, I mean, that’s it. We invite the investigations. It’s not going to be a distraction for me or the rest of the team.” The Clippers have become experts in blocking out all the outside noise, Murray opines in a separate story.
- The Lakers signed Jake LaRavia to a two-year contract during free agency. It was a low-profile move but the Lakers hope the 23-year-old forward can be a big part of their future, Thuc Nhi Nguyen of the Los Angeles Times writes. “To get a young player — a young player in free agency for a team that is trying to win a championship — it’s an incredible opportunity for myself and our player development department to have him continue to grow,” head coach JJ Redick said. “Jake, I’m very high on him. His level of commitment to what we’ve asked of the guys this offseason has been very high.”
Lakers Notes: Smart, Vanderbilt, Kleber, Backcourt Rotation, Koloko
Head coach JJ Redick is hoping the offseason addition of Marcus Smart and better health from Jarred Vanderbilt will improve the Lakers‘ perimeter defense, writes Khobi Price of the Orange County Register. Smart is a former Defensive Player of the Year and Vanderbilt has also been a highly regarded defender, but they’ve both been slowed by injuries over the past two seasons.
“With a healthy Vando and hopefully a healthy Marcus, our ability to put more pressure on the basketball earlier in the defensive possession will be a real thing,” Redick said.
Smart has been limited in camp due to Achilles tendinopathy, but Redick told reporters that he should be fully recovered by the end of the week. He has only played 54 combined games the past two seasons, and the Lakers are counting on him to be an anchor for their defense.
“I’ve talked with JJ and what he expects from me on both ends, especially the defensive end,” Smart said. “It’s everything I’ve been doing my whole career. It’s nothing new and I remember the first thing he told me was, ‘Hey, if we’re going to get the Celtics’ Marcus Smart, that’s who we want, that’s who we need. And we need you to be that person and be who you are.’ So for me, it’s just coming out and giving everything I got on this court and leaving it out there every night.”
Vanderbilt had surgery on both feet last summer and didn’t make his season debut until January 25. He said he’s feeling much better in training camp after being able to train during the offseason.
“It feels great being able to have a full summer under my belt. I was able to really work on my game, work on my body, and just having that confidence going into the year instead of playing catch up,” Vanderbilt said. “Being able to be a part of training camp early, and it’s a different level of approach and preparation when you already put the work in and being able to start fresh.”
There’s more on the Lakers:
- Maxi Kleber was set to undergo an MRI on Wednesday after tweaking his quad on the second day of camp, according to Lakers reporter Jovan Buha (Twitter link). Redick said the injury doesn’t appear to be serious, Buha adds.
- Redick listed Smart, Gabe Vincent and Jake LaRavia as locks for the backcourt rotation along with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, Buha tweets.
- Christian Koloko believes this year’s version of the Lakers is more driven to succeed (Twitter video link from ESPN’s Dave McMenamin). “You can just see that everybody is like more hungry,” K0loko said. “We knew what we did last year, we could have done better. We want to do better. We want to win the championship. Everybody knows what it takes to get to that next level.”
Community Shootaround: Breakout Candidates
In an article for HoopsHype, Mike Shearer lists seven players who could be primed for breakout seasons in 2025/26. Here’s his full list:
- Shaedon Sharpe (Trail Blazers)
- Bennedict Mathurin (Pacers)
- Andrew Nembhard (Pacers)
- Sam Hauser (Celtics)
- Brandon Miller (Hornets)
- Jake LaRavia (Lakers)
- Terrence Shannon Jr. (Timberwolves)
Shearer acknowledges that Sharpe’s inclusion is a little unconventional, as the 22-year-old averaged a career-best 18.5 points per game in ’24/25. But the Canadian wing is entering the final year of his rookie scale contract and is eligible for an extension until October 20, so he certainly has financial reasons to be motivated for a big season.
Mathurin, who is also eligible for a rookie scale extension, should have a big role for Indiana with Tyrese Haliburton out for the year. Ditto for Nembhard, one of the league’s more unheralded role players who has a chance to show he can be more than that this season.
Boston revamped its roster this offseason for financial and roster-building reasons. There were rumblings that Hauser might be on the trade block, but he’s still a Celtic, and Shearer believes the former Virginia star should have plenty of opportunities to shine in ’25/26.
Shearer also describes why he thinks Miller (second season cut short due to wrist surgery), LaRavia (essentially replacing Dorian Finney-Smith) and Shannon (a Nickeil Alexander-Walker replacement?) could take leaps forward.
We want to know what you think. Do you agree with the players on Shearer’s list? If not, why? Which other players could be primed for breakout seasons? Head to the comment section to weigh in.
Contract Details: Capela, VanVleet, Lopez, Ayton, LaRavia, Kalkbrenner
The Rockets‘ new three-year deal with Clint Capela includes a 5% trade kicker, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
The fully guaranteed deal is worth $21,105,000 over three years, Hoops Rumors has confirmed, coming in slightly below the initially reported price of $21.5MM. It includes a first-year salary of $6.7MM, with an ascending structure that sees it increase to $7.37MM by year three.
Here are a few more details on some recently signed contracts from around the NBA:
- Fred VanVleet‘s two-year, $50MM contract with the Rockets has a flat structure, with a $25MM first-year salary and a $25MM player option for 2026/27, Hoops Rumors has learned.
- Brook Lopez‘s two-year deal with the Clippers came in slightly below the reported $18MM price. It uses $8.75MM of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception for the 2025/26 season, leaving L.A. with $5,354,000 still to use. Lopez’s second-year team option is worth $9,187,500
- The Lakers‘ used up their entire $14,104,000 non-taxpayer mid-level exception on Deandre Ayton ($8,104,000) and Jake LaRavia ($6MM), as expected. Those salary figures are also Ayton’s and LaRavia’s cap hits for 2026/27 — Ayton’s second year is a player option and LaRavia’s is fully guaranteed.
- No. 34 overall pick Ryan Kalkbrenner signed a four-year, $9.97MM contract with the Hornets, according to Scotto (Twitter link). That’s the most he could earn under the terms of the second-round pick exception. Kalkbrenner’s first two years are fully guaranteed, with a third-year trigger date and a fourth-year team option, Scotto adds.
Western Notes: Nuggets, Lakers, Coward, Queen, Jazz
After former Nuggets head coach Michael Malone spent years asking for more veteran depth, Denver’s new top decision-makers – led by general manager Ben Tenzer – have made the sort of moves this offseason that he would’ve appreciated, as Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst write for ESPN.com.
Even with Jonas Valanciunas‘ NBA future up in the air, the Nuggets did well to bring back Bruce Brown and add Tim Hardaway Jr. on minimum-salary deals. Executives around the league also took notice of their decision to part with their lone tradable future first-round pick (2032) and forward Michael Porter Jr. in a deal that netted them Cameron Johnson and took them out of the tax.
“That was a prized asset they gave up,” one general manager told ESPN, referencing the unprotected 2032 pick. “Teams have been eyeing that one to see if they’d actually use it.”
“I know Cam Johnson has some past health issues, but Porter’s back issues and knee issues make this move make sense to me,” another executive said to ESPN. “I think Cam and (Nikola) Jokic will connect on the floor well. They both think the game the same way.”
That last point could be an important one, according to one rival GM: “There is only one person who needs to be impressed with their offseason. That’s Jokic. Sometimes the best trades you make are the ones that engage your superstar. If Jokic is energized by those moves, then it was a great summer.”
Here’s more from around the Western Conference:
- Within that same ESPN.com story, Bontemps and Windhorst check in on the Lakers, noting that the club has received a handful of inquiries from “eyebrow-raised” teams following Rich Paul‘s cryptic statement accompanying LeBron James‘ opt-in. There’s nothing happening on that front for now, but teams will certainly monitor the situation, according to ESPN’s duo, who add that there was a “small bidding war” early in free agency for forward Jake LaRavia. He ultimately agreed to join the Lakers.
- No. 11 overall pick Cedric Coward, whom the Grizzlies traded up to draft, is doubtful to play in Summer League this month, a team spokesperson told Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Coward is still making his way back from a shoulder injury that limited him to just six games at Washington State last season. While the 21-year-old said last week that he feels ready to play, Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman told reporters at the time that the rookie wing had only done 1-on-0 work and would need to take part in 5-on-5 drills to be fully cleared.
- When the Pelicans faced criticism in the wake of last week’s draft, it was more about giving up a valuable unprotected 2026 first-round pick to move up 10 spots from No. 23 to No. 13 than about the player they chose to pick at that spot. But big man Derik Queen is still taking that criticism personally and using it as motivation, writes Rod Walker of NOLA.com. “I don’t think anybody in that class ever is going to be better than me,” Queen said. “I block all the noise out. (Pelicans head of basketball operations) Joe (Dumars) has got a lot of faith in me. Most of these guys (in the draft), I beat in high school. It doesn’t really matter. I know the NBA is a whole different level. Don’t get too big-headed. Don’t get too low. And just beat on them next year when they come in, and make Joe look like a genius.”
- Chuck Terrell, who had been working for the Jazz as their vice president of basketball intelligence, has left that position to become the general manager of Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball program, agent Andy Miller tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Lakers Rumors: DFS, Ayton, LeBron, Wiggins, LaRavia
After Dorian Finney-Smith turned down his $15.4MM player option for the 2025/26 season, the Lakers offered him a new contract, but it only covered two seasons, according to Dan Woike of The Athletic. The veteran forward instead agreed to a four-year, $53MM deal with Houston.
As Woike explains, the Lakers want to maintain as much future cap flexibility as they can in order to be able to pursue a star-level player to pair with Luka Doncic following LeBron James‘ eventual retirement.
That point has also been made by ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, who writes that the Lakers want to preserve 2027 cap room in the hopes of landing a maximum-salary player, and by Shams Charania, who discussed the subject on SportsCenter late on Monday night (Twitter video link).
“They are really prioritizing two-year contracts right now,” Charania said. “They want to have max-salary space in 2027.”
How that stance affects the Lakers’ search for a center remains to be seen. While Brook Lopez committed to the Clippers on Monday and Clint Capela agreed to a deal with Houston, it’s Deandre Ayton who has been the team’s top priority, according to Woike, who points out that Ayton and Doncic share the same agent (Bill Duffy).
It sounds like the Lakers are unlikely to offer more than two years to Ayton, so if there’s a rival suitor willing to put a longer deal on the table, that could be problematic for Los Angeles. However, I’d be a little surprised if that’s the case after his time in Portland ended via buyout.
Woike points to the Bucks as one team to watch for Ayton, noting that they should have access to most of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception and lost their starting center (Lopez) on Monday.
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- ESPN’s Dave McMenamin spoke on NBA Today on Monday about where things stand with James following agent Rich Paul‘s Saturday statement about evaluating “what’s best for LeBron” as the star forward opted into the final year of his contract. “(Paul) has not had any discussion with the Lakers about wanting a trade, on the back end of this statement,” McMenamin said (YouTube link). “He did say that four teams have contacted him in the last 24 hours wanting to take trades, but Rich didn’t have any substantive conversations with those teams either. Right now, LeBron is focused on playing on a championship-caliber roster. Rich told me there’s no guarantees in building a championship-caliber roster, but we know what it looks like and what it doesn’t look like. And we’ll see if in a week from now – when Rob Pelinka‘s finished doing his work with this roster – if it looks like a winning, realistic situation.”
- According to Jovan Buha (Twitter video link), the rumored trade talks between the Lakers and Heat about Andrew Wiggins haven’t gained any real momentum due to a “pretty high” asking price on Miami’s end. “We’re talking basically everything or close to everything that the Lakers could offer from a top-end asset standpoint,” Buha said. “So I don’t think that is going to happen. I don’t think the Lakers are trading Rui (Hachimura), a first, and Dalton (Knecht) for Andrew Wiggins. That’s not fair value. That’s not a realistic trade. I think Miami’s playing hardball. We’ll see if they soften their stance.”
- League sources tell Woike that Jake LaRavia, who agreed to a two-year, $12MM deal with the Lakers on Monday, was the team’s first call when free agency opened, and that the free agent forward was impressed by the way Pelinka sold the Lakers’ strength and JJ Redick‘s “detailed” plan for how he would be used. One executive who spoke to Woike about the move lauded LaRavia for his toughness, shooting, and burgeoning play-making skills, while another said, “Everyone can use a player like him.”
Lakers Sign Jake LaRavia To Two-Year Contract
July 6: LaRavia has signed with the Lakers, per the official transaction log at NBA.com.
“Jake is a high IQ two-way player with ideal skills for a JJ Redick basketball system,” Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka said in a statement within the team’s press release confirming the deal. “He’s a disruptive defender who uses his size and physicality to create turnovers. Offensively, he can score at all three levels and has a knack for creating space for himself and his teammates.
“Being just 23 years old, we think Jake has significant basketball upside, which will be honed nicely in our Lakers basketball development program.”
June 30: The Lakers have agreed to a two-year, $12MM deal with free agent forward Jake LaRavia, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Dan Woike of The Athletic, confirming the news, adds (via Twitter) that LaRavia’s contract will be fully guaranteed and refers to him as the team’s “top wing target” once Dorian Finney-Smith committed to Houston.
The Grizzlies turned down LaRavia’s fourth-year rookie scale option for 2025/26 last October, and he responded by playing some of the best basketball of his career through 47 games for Memphis — he made 44.4% of his three-pointers and the team was better when he was on the court than when he wasn’t.
The forward’s production dipped a little following a trade-deadline deal to Sacramento, but he still give the Kings good rotation minutes off the bench and finished the season with total averages of 6.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 20.4 minutes per game and a .475/.423/.678 shooting line for the two teams.
LaRavia’s solid season prompted Grizzlies head of basketball operations Zach Kleiman to admit after the season that he probably made a mistake by declining the former first-round pick’s $5.16MM option for ’25/26. Sacramento didn’t have the ability to exceed that $5.16MM figure on a starting salary for LaRavia, but other teams – like the Lakers – were allowed to go higher.
A two-year contract worth the full amount of the taxpayer mid-level exception would be worth $11.7MM, so it’s possible LaRavia’s contract will be signed that way. However, the Lakers – who are in desperate need for a center – have more free agent shopping to do, so I’d except LaRavia’s deal to come out of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception. Assuming that’s the case, the club would have about $8.3MM left on it, notes cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link).
Kings’ Jake LaRavia Discusses Free Agency, Memphis, More
Kings forward Jake LaRavia will be an unrestricted free agent this summer after having his fourth-year team option for 2025/26 — worth $5,163,127 — declined by Memphis last fall. The Grizzlies subsequently traded him to the Kings in February, and Sacramento will not be able to offer him a starting salary that exceeds the declined option.
According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who recently interviewed LaRavia over the phone, several teams are expected to register interest in the 23-year-old when he hits the open market at the end of this month.
Here are a few highlights from Scotto’s conversation with LaRavia.
On what he’s looking for in free agency:
“The biggest thing, like scratch the money part, I want what everyone else wants, which is being on a team that’s really competing for a championship or a young up-and-coming team that’s ready to win. I love to compete. It’s one of the biggest reasons I enjoy playing basketball. You’re competing against the highest level of talent when you’re playing in a league.
“So being on a team that is competing for a championship and that needs a guy like me, a wing that plays both sides of the ball. I’m a defender who can shoot the three and can make plays. I do a little bit of everything. I’d love to see my role expand as I get more and more years in the league.”
On if he’s open to signing with a new team:
“Yeah, options are definitely open. It’s not like I have my mind set on one place. I’ve seen plenty of cases where it’s hard to turn down money at the end of the day. It’s a business.”
LaRavia says he quickly built a strong relationship with Doug Christie, who was Sacramento’s interim coach at the time but has since been named the team’s permanent head coach. Will Christie’s promotion impact LaRavia’s free agency?
“Yeah, for sure. I loved him being the interim head coach. I even told him in the interview that if you’re not hired, odds are I’m probably not going to re-sign Sacramento, but if you are, there would be more of a chance for me to go back to Sacramento. When I found out the news, I congratulated him. I’d love to play for Doug Christie.”
LaRavia’s reaction to Grizzlies executive vice president of basketball operations Zach Kleiman saying he made a mistake by declining LaRavia’s option and that the former first-round pick could’ve helped Memphis down the stretch:
“(Agent) Aaron (Reilly) sent that to me when it happened, and my fiancé sent that to me. I was appreciative that he said that. You don’t really see an executive make that kind of remark, so it shows the respect that he had for me and the relationship that we had. It means a lot for a GM to say something like that.”
LaRavia also discussed what he’s focused on improving this summer, his efficient third season, his time with Memphis, the Kings and their roster, what he brings to the table for a team, and more. The full interview with Scotto can be found right here.
Grizzlies’ Kleiman: We Should Have Picked Up LaRavia’s Option
Before the 2024/25 season began last fall, the Grizzlies declined to exercise their fourth-year team option on forward Jake LaRavia. That 2025/26 option was worth $5,163,127.
Because his option was declined, LaRavia is now on track for unrestricted free agency in 2025 instead of restricted free agency in 2026. It also made his free agency more complicated than it is for most players — the team he ended the season with cannot offer him a starting salary that exceeds the declined option.
With those factors in mind, the Grizzlies wound up trading LaRavia to Sacramento ahead of February’s deadline, even though he was having his most productive campaign as a pro.
At his end-of-season press conference on Sunday, executive vice president of basketball operations Zach Kleiman admitted he made a “mistake” by turning down that option, tweets Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal.
“I think we should’ve picked up Jake LaRavia’s team option,” Kleiman said. “The mistake was there. … I think Jake could’ve helped us down the stretch.”
According to Cole (Twitter link), Kleiman explained that he thought Vince Williams Jr. and GG Jackson would be able to replace LaRavia in the rotation. Both players dealt with injuries in the first few months of the season and returned to action before the deadline.
“I probably overweighted just how much of a burden they would have been able to put on in a playoff push,” Kleiman said.
Memphis was eliminated from the playoffs on Saturday after being swept in its first-round series with Oklahoma City.