Jarred Vanderbilt

Lakers Notes: Russell, Vanderbilt, LeBron, Davis, Reaves

D’Angelo Russell‘s strong play over the past few months – including 22.0 PPG and 6.8 APG with a .449 3PT% in his last 31 games – has made turning down his $18.7MM player option for 2024/25 and testing free agency a more viable option for the Lakers‘ point guard. However, he tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype that his preference would be to remain in Los Angeles.

“I’d love to be here and continue to give it a run and be where my feet are now,” Russell said. “Obviously, I’ve been on the other side of it, and I’ve been through the roller coaster of free agency and having to sit back and wait. I’m looking forward to not having to worry about that. I’ve been blessed enough to put myself in this position with my play. I’m definitely planning on taking advantage of that. When that time comes, I feel that everything will play out how it’s supposed to play out.”

Even if he decides against picking up his player option, Russell could return to the Lakers, who would hold his Bird rights in that scenario and would be in a good position to sign him to a new contract.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

  • Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt, who has been out since February 1 due to a left foot sprain, is ramping up his conditioning but has yet to be cleared for contact or to participate fully in practices, head coach Darvin Ham said on Tuesday (Twitter link via Jovan Buha of The Athletic).
  • LeBron James sent a text message to TNT’s Chris Haynes prior to Tuesday’s game, confirming that his absence vs. the Bucks was about managing his ongoing ankle soreness rather than any sort of setback (Twitter video link). “With my injury, I have to be very strategic and smart of how I manage the rest of the season with my ankle/foot in order to get to the finish line,” James wrote. “Whatever line that lies ahead.” According to Haynes, the expectation is that LeBron will be available against the Grizzlies in Memphis on Wednesday.
  • With James out on Tuesday, Anthony Davis stepped up in a big way in Milwaukee, logging nearly 53 minutes and putting up 34 points and 23 rebounds in a double-overtime road win, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Austin Reaves chipped in with a 29-point triple-double to help lead the team to the comeback victory. “I just think we’re an unpredictable team,” Russell said. “So depends on which team you get, depends on which team we are defensively, offensively as a unit. Some guys are better than others (some nights). Some guys have bad nights. It just depends on what team we’re going to be. When we’re in full effect like tonight — obviously, no Bron — but, I think we’ll be hard to beat.”

Lakers Notes: Vanderbilt, Hachimura, Wood, Prince, Reddish, Offense

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham has tinkered with the team’s starting lineup over the course of the season, but no matter what he tried, he was having difficulty finding one that stuck. According to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, Ham planned to start Jarred Vanderbilt as the fifth starter alongside LeBron James, Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves in early February, but injuries to James and Davis sidetracked that plan.

Then, shortly after, Vanderbilt suffered a foot injury and hasn’t played since Feb. 1. A player with a unique skillset who helped propel last year’s late-season run, Vanderbilt’s absence was and is a big blow to the Lakers. According to Buha, there is internal optimism that Vanderbilt will return before the regular season ends next month.

Someone needed to step up in Vanderbilt’s absence and, so far, the Lakers have seen success with Rui Hachimura taking over the fifth starter spot from Vanderbilt and Taurean Prince, the latter of whom has been a starter for most of the year. The Lakers moved to 12-5 with Hachimura in the starting five next to James, Davis, Russell and Reaves after beating the Sixers on Friday.

I’ve been telling them, like, this is who we are,” Hachimura said. “We’ve been trying a lot of different things, some lineups and all this stuff, but this is the lineup we had in the playoffs and that’s how we won, so it’s simple. … It’s just that we know, we’re just really comfortable playing each other.

Buha further explores why it took so long for the Lakers to get back to lineups featuring Hachimura, which had success last postseason. As Buha explains, Vanderbilt’s preseason injury caused the team to pick between Hachimura and Prince for early-season starter, and Prince won out due to his professionalism and consistency. Prince’s ties to Ham also helped keep him in the lineup for as long as he was.

But with the team floundering and lineups featuring Prince next to the stars continuing to be outscored, the team made the move to Hachimura. So far, the new starting group is outscoring opponents by 42 points and has a plus-8.0 net differential.

We have more from the Lakers:

  • In the same article, Buha writes that while Christian Wood is expected to miss the rest of the regular season with his knee injury, there’s a chance he can make a return for the Play-In Tournament or the playoffs, if the Lakers make it. Wood is averaging 6.9 points and 5.1 rebounds this season.
  • Prince missed Friday’s game against the Lakers due to personal reasons but he’s expected to be back in the lineup on Sunday against the Pacers, according to Buha (Twitter links). Prince is averaging 9.0 points and shooting 38.7% from beyond the arc in 66 appearances (49 starts) this season.
  • After he’s been in and out of the lineup due to injury over the past couple months, the Lakers are optimistic that Cam Reddish will be available and able to help the team during the final stretch of the season, The Orange County Register’s Khobi Price writes. Reddish has missed 19 of the last 24 games due to a sprained right ankle after originally suffering the injury on Jan. 23. Ham expressed confidence he’ll be able to help sooner than later. “He should be able to find his rhythm pretty quickly,” Ham said of Reddish. “Obviously, there’s gonna be a little bit of rust and it’s always like that when you’ve been out of the lineup. But for the most part, the things he needs to do to help us win, he should be able to fall right back in the pocket pretty smoothly.
  • The Lakers are running more sets and organized offense, leading to the second-best offensive rating in the league over the past two months, Price observes in a separate article. L.A. is continuing to put forth solid halfcourt offensive displays and are thriving in games with controlled offense. “Getting off to good starts, when the offense gets stagnant, we can run a few sets to get the ball popping again,” Russell said. “It’s vital for us. We’ve got a lot of guys, a lot of talent, can easily get in ‘Hero Mode’ and it can hurt us as a team. So just keeping that ball popping. Having everybody trust the pass. It’ll be contagious, making us hard to guard.

Lakers Notes: Vincent, Vanderbilt, Bronny, Russell

Lakers guard Gabe Vincent, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in late December, has been cleared for non-contact on-court work, head coach Darvin Ham told reporters today (Twitter link via Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group).

Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic reported on Monday during an appearance on FanDuel’s Run It Back (Twitter video link) that Vincent had progressed to “conditioning and ramping up,” adding that he could return to action as soon as next week. While that remains possible, Ham’s update on Tuesday suggests that the veteran still isn’t taking contact, so he has a little more work to do before he’s ready to suit up.

Vincent, who received a three-year deal worth most of the Lakers’ mid-level exception this season, has been limited to just five appearances due to health issues after having been an important part of Miami’s rotation during the team’s NBA Finals run last spring. He’s owed guaranteed salaries of $11MM in 2024/25 and $11.5MM in ’25/26.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

  • Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt, sidelined since February 1 due to a left foot sprain, doesn’t appear to be quite as far along as Vincent in his rehab process. Ham said today that Vanderbilt is making progress but hasn’t yet been cleared for on-court work (Twitter link via Price).
  • With USC’s season nearing its end, Bronny James has yet to establish himself as “any kind of draftable player for 2024,” according to John Hollinger of The Athletic, who writes that the idea of LeBron James teaming up with his son next season in Los Angeles looks increasingly unlikely. The optimal developmental path for Bronny probably involves him remaining in college for at least another year, Hollinger adds.
  • Within the same Athletic story, Hollinger notes that D’Angelo Russell‘s expiring contract has long been viewed as a logical trade asset for the Lakers this offseason, but wonders whether it’s a lock that the point guard will pick up his $18.7MM player option for 2024/25, given how well he has played as of late (22.5 PPG and 6.4 APG on .477/.457/.848 shooting in his past 26 games). If Russell opts out, it could complicate Los Angeles’ plans on the trade market, Hollinger observes, since the team won’t have any other sizable expiring deals.
  • It’s impossible to predict how this Lakers’ season will end, Bill Plaschke writes in a column for The Los Angeles Times. As Plaschke details, a recent stretch that included impressive wins over Oklahoma City, Milwaukee, and Minnesota also featured disappointing losses to potential playoff opponents like Denver and Sacramento. Ham said on Sunday that he believes the team is “trending in the right direction,” but stressed that L.A. must bear down to continue that trend: “Just take things one day at a time, one game at a time.”

Lakers Notes: Dinwiddie, LeBron, Russell, Reaves, Injuries

After going through his first practice with the Lakers on Monday, veteran point guard Spencer Dinwiddie explained why he chose Los Angeles over the Mavericks when he became a free agent last week, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

“The two situations kind of felt like this: Let’s say you were a kid and you got your ass whupped by the bully,” Dinwiddie said. “Dallas would’ve been like your momma being like, ‘It’s OK, baby. Don’t worry about it.’ Lakers are like your dad: ‘Nah, you better go out there and fight ’til you win.’ You feel me? And I just felt like that was what I needed at the time. I’m a big believer in kind of doing what you need to do at whatever time it is.”

As McMenamin notes, Dinwiddie played for the Mavericks and head coach Jason Kidd from 2022-23, but has never played for his hometown Lakers or Darvin Ham, so that represented the more challenging, less familiar route for the 30-year-old. Dinwiddie added that Rob Pelinka was the first team executive to call him after he was waived by Toronto, which made a strong impression.

The veteran guard will be reuniting with a few former teammates in L.A., including D’Angelo Russell, Taurean Prince, Rui Hachimura, and Christian Wood. However, as McMenamin writes, Dinwiddie made it clear that none of those players were the most influential voice in his ear as he made the decision to join the Lakers.

“How the hell we going to give C-Wood the credit? Bro, what are we doing?” Dinwiddie said with a laugh. “Look, C-Wood was impactful. … (But) I’m giving the credit to Bron (LeBron James).”

Here’s more on Dinwiddie and the Lakers:

  • While Dinwiddie will slot in behind Russell and Austin Reaves‘ on the Lakers’ backcourt depth chart, Ham said he can envision using all three guards in certain lineups, perhaps even to close games, writes Jovan Buha of The Athletic. “All three of those guys can play together,” Ham said. “His size, he can guard bigger wings. So if we have to finish the game with those three, he’s definitely more than capable of doing that. We will look at some lineups with the three of those guys, along with Bron and AD. But I think he complements them well. He can defend, he can pass, he can dribble, he can shoot.”
  • Like he did in his previous contract, Dinwiddie negotiated a $1 incentive in his new deal that he’ll earn if the Lakers win the championship, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. His base salary will increase from $1,554,654 to $1,554,655 in that scenario. Dinwiddie told reporters that the $1 championship incentive has become something of inside joke between him and agent Jason Glushon (Twitter video link via McMenamin).
  • Cam Reddish (right ankle sprain), Max Christie (right ankle sprain), Jarred Vanderbilt (right mid-foot sprain), and Gabe Vincent (left knee surgery recovery) will all be reevaluated after the All-Star break, the Lakers said on Monday (Twitter link via Khobi Price of the Southern California News Group). Some of those players are closer to returning than others, with Vanderbilt’s status for the rest of the season notably still up in the air.

Lakers Rumors: Reaves, Summer Targets, Prince, Buyout Market, Vanderbilt

Despite making and taking trade calls for weeks, the Lakers didn’t come particularly close to making a deal on Thursday, sources tell Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the closest the Lakers ever get to reaching a trade agreement was several weeks ago when they discussed a deal with the Hawks that would’ve send Dejounte Murray to Los Angeles for a package centered around D’Angelo Russell, Jalen Hood-Schifino, and the Lakers’ 2029 first-round pick.

Atlanta’s resistance to taking Russell was long viewed as the primary holdup in those discussions, but Buha also hears from team and league sources that the Hawks repeatedly insisted on Austin Reaves‘ inclusion, which was a non-starter for Los Angeles.

Having not made a move at the deadline, the Lakers will have three first-round picks available to trade this offseason — either 2024 or 2025 (New Orleans can acquire this year’s pick or defer it to next year), plus 2029 and 2031. L.A. would ideally like to use their draft assets in a package to acquire a third star, Buha says, identifying Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers), Trae Young (Hawks), and Kyrie Irving (Mavericks) as some potential targets. It’s unclear how many of those players – if any – will actually be available on the trade market this offseason.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

  • The front office mulled the possibility of trading Taurean Prince, but head coach Darvin Ham was a among the “vocal supporters” of hanging onto the veteran forward, team sources tell Buha.
  • The Lakers were in position to potentially duck the luxury tax by attaching a minor asset (such as a second-round pick or cash) to a minimum-salary player, but opted against it, deciding they didn’t want to save money at the expense of roster depth, Buha writes.
  • Rob Pelinka indicated that the Lakers will be in the market for a “ball-handling guard” or simply the best available player on the buyout market, per Buha. “Obviously, we signed Gabe Vincent and thought he fit really well, but his health just hasn’t (been there),” Pelinka said. “He’s played five games. I think that would be sort of top of the list. … That would probably be the area we’re trying to address the most, just because right now we have D’Angelo Russell at point guard, but after that we don’t have a point guard on the roster.” Los Angeles has interest in Spencer Dinwiddie and Kyle Lowry (assuming he’s bought out), but will face competition from rival suitors, including Dallas on Dinwiddie and Philadelphia on Lowry, Buha observes.
  • There’s some pessimism within the organization about Jarred Vanderbilt‘s odds of returning this season, with the possibility of season-ending foot surgery still on the table, according to Buha. “Until an injury is healed and the player’s back, you’re kind of always in the evaluation process of figuring out what it’s gonna take to get a player healthy and back on the court,” Pelinka said. “I would just say we’re hopeful that we can get Jarred back healthy and on the court without surgery, but you never know. Time will tell. But that’s certainly our hope.”

Lakers’ Vanderbilt Out At Least 3-4 Weeks With Foot Sprain

FEBRUARY 5: Vanderbilt has a right mid-foot sprain and will be reevaluated in about three-to-four weeks, the Lakers announced (Twitter link via Jovan Buha of The Athletic). Wojnarowski reported a couple days ago that Vanderbilt may miss the rest of the season.


FEBRUARY 2: Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt is expected to be out for several weeks due to a right foot injury, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski and Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

According to ESPN’s duo, Vanderbilt will undergo further evaluation on his mid-foot area to see if the ailment is one that might sideline him for an even longer stretch — perhaps even the rest of the season.

It’s disappointing news for Vanderbilt, whose season debut was delayed until early December due to bursitis in his left heel. He had emerged as a regular part of the Lakers’ rotation in the past two months, averaging 20.0 minutes per night and starting six of his 29 games on the season, including Thursday’s win in Boston.

Los Angeles’ depth on the wing and at forward has taken a hit as of late, with Cam Reddish (right ankle sprain) also on the shelf and LeBron James and Anthony Davis both battling nagging injuries. Reddish figures to step into a role similar to Vanderbilt’s once he’s ready to return, but until then, the Lakers will likely lean more heavily on forwards like Rui Hachimura, Taurean Prince, and Christian Wood.

Hachimura started the second half on Thursday after Vanderbilt left the game due to what the team referred to at the time as right foot soreness.

The Lakers’ injury woes may prompt them to take a longer look at some wings and forwards on the trade market in the coming days. Several of the team’s reported top targets – such as Dejounte Murray and Bruce Brown – are guards, but L.A. has also been linked to Royce O’Neale and Dorian Finney-Smith, among others.

Woj: Jarred Vanderbilt May Be Out For The Season

Jarred Vanderbilt suffered a “significant” injury to his right foot, and the Lakers are concerned that he might not be able to return this season, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on NBA Countdown (video link).

Team officials are consulting with specialists this weekend to determine the full extent of Vanderbilt’s condition and the best course of action, Wojnarowski adds. Sources tell Woj that Vanderbilt is expected to miss “several weeks” at a minimum.

Wojnarowski also speculates that the report on Vanderbilt will affect the Lakers’ strategy heading into Thursday’s trade deadline. He notes that Vanderbilt is one of the team’s best point-of-attack defenders, along with Gabe Vincent, who has only been available for five games this season.

“This is not a marketplace right now where there are a lot of difference makers available, and the Lakers do not have significant assets to add to this team,” Wojnarowski said. “If you are bringing in a player, how much does he move the needle with a team that very well could be without Vanderbilt now for the rest of the season.”

Wojnarowski points out that general manager Rob Pelinka could be in a better position for a major deal this offseason when he’ll have three future first-round picks that can be traded.

Vanderbilt suffered a non-contact injury to the foot during the first half of Thursday’s game at Boston, according to Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. Woike suggests the NetsDorian Finney-Smith and the RaptorsBruce Brown as versatile forwards that the Lakers might target before the deadline.

Vanderbilt, who played a significant role in last season’s run to the Western Conference Finals, has only appeared in 29 games this season. Bursitis in his left heel kept him off the court until early December, but he has been part of the rotation since returning, averaging 5.2 points and 4.8 rebounds in 20 minutes per night.

Pacific Notes: LeBron, AD, Westbrook, Harden, Little, Beal

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Lakers superstar LeBron James declined to elaborate on what he meant by sending out an hourglass emoji after Tuesday’s loss to Atlanta, writes Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

On Friday, Rich Paul, James’ agent, publicly said his most famous client won’t seek a trade and won’t be dealt ahead of the February 8 deadline.

There was no reputable reporting suggesting James would seek a trade, but there had been some speculation from fans and media members about his future, given the Lakers’ middling record (25-25) this season, his age (39), and his contract situation (he can become an unrestricted free agent this summer).

James said he hasn’t thought about whether or not he’s going to exercise his $51.4MM player option for 2024/25, as ESPN’s Dave McMenamin relays.

The Lakers were without James (left ankle peroneal tendinopathy) and Anthony Davis (bilateral Achilles tendinopathy and left hip spasms) for Thursday’s upset victory over Boston, and both players are questionable for Saturday’s contest in New York. James, who said he was “very proud” of the team’s effort vs. the Celtics, is “hoping” to play against the Knicks.

Here’s more from the Pacific:

  • According to Buha, James also addressed Jarred Vanderbilt‘s foot injury, which is expected to keep him out for several weeks. “Well, honestly, obviously, we took a big hit with Vando last game,” James said. “Our team has always been constructed around how healthy we can be and how much chemistry we can put on the floor. So, obviously, that’s a big-time hit, big-time blow for us. But guys have to pick it up in his absence. If we can play some good basketball, string a couple wins together, and not be so Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde on any given night, then we’ll be OK.”
  • Clippers guard Russell Westbrook reached a historic milestone in Friday’s win over Detroit, as he became just the 25th player in NBA history to score 25,000 career points (Twitter link via the league). The former league MVP is also only the second player to record at least 25,000 points, 9,000 assists and 8,000 rebounds — James is the other.
  • Regarding his omission from the All-Star game, Clippers guard James Harden says he’s focused on a bigger prize, per Law Murray of The Athletic. “I’ve got bigger goals,” Harden said. “None of that — scoring titles and assists and All-Stars and MVPs — right now. I’ve done it all. I’m here for one reason. And I think everybody knows what the reason is.” Harden, of course, is looking for his first NBA championship. The 34-year-old is averaging 16.9 PPG, 8.5 APG, 4.9 RPG, 1.2 SPG and 0.9 BPG in 42 games for the Clips this season (34.1 MPG). He’ll be an unrestricted free agent in the summer.
  • Suns forward Nassir Little is nonplussed by hearing his name in trade rumors, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “I’m doing good,” Little said. “It’s a normal thing in the league. It’s been like that since I’ve gotten into the league. Your name is always going to be thrown around in trade rumors. It’s part of the business. So I don’t really be seeing it that much, but I just chill until something happens. I get a text from my agent or somebody call me in the office, I’m going to keep doing what I got to do.” Little, 23, is in the first season of a four-year, $28MM rookie scale extension.
  • Suns star Kevin Durant praised Bradley Beal‘s toughness for playing through a broken nose he sustained last week against the Pacers, Rankin tweets. He’s a soldier out there,” Durant said of Beal. “He could’ve easily took a game off in Orlando. Taken the rest of the game off in Indiana. … We’re behind him. We want him to continue to be aggressive.” Beal has missed 24 games this season due to back and ankle injuries and has struggled to get comfortable with the protective masks he’s wearing due to the nasal fracture, averaging 13.3 PPG (on .345/.125/.733 shooting), 7.0 APG and 4.5 RPG in the past four games (37.6 MPG).

Lakers Notes: Vanderbilt, Davis, Whitmore, LeBron

Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt was ejected in the first half of the team’s Monday loss to Houston after some back and forth with Rockets forward Dillon Brooks. Vanderbilt earned his first technical foul for shoving Brooks in the chest, then picked up another technical just seconds later for jabbing a finger into the back of Brooks’ head (Twitter video link via Bleacher Report).

After the game, Vanderbilt’s teammates defended his actions, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, who notes that Brooks pushed the Lakers forward in the back as he was going airborne for a dunk a moment earlier (video link). A Lakers player also told McMenamin that Brooks called Vanderbilt a “p—y” during the exchange leading up to the ejection.

“He’s going for a wide-open dunk and (Brooks) just pushed him in the back,” Anthony Davis said. “It’s not a safe play. Guys get hurt like that. And you got to know what type of player (Brooks) is. (The referees) kind of let that just keep going on and (Brooks) kind of provoked it.

“He talks and says whatever he wants to the refs, to players and at the end of the day, we’re men. No man is going to talk towards another man the way he was talking to Vando. So, Vando did what he had to do.”

Brooks received a flagrant 1 foul later in the game for hitting LeBron James in the face as he went over his back on a rebound attempt (video link). Lakers head coach Darvin Ham suggested to reporters in his postgame media session that either that play or the earlier push on Vanderbilt could’ve warranted an ejection for the Rockets forward.

“Being competitive is one thing,” Ham said. “But … putting players at risk of injury with certain plays — I just watched it again before I came in here, (Brooks) pushes him in the back, a guy that’s in the air. Airborne, defenseless. Then Bron’s play, Bron goes to the basket and it’s a double move with his arms. One arm trying to deflect the ball and it goes back and then it goes across (James’) face. So maybe Dillon Brooks shouldn’t have been in the game, either.”

Ham added that “my hat’s off to Vando” for how he responded to Brooks’ physical play.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

  • Anthony Davis has been ruled out for Tuesday’s contest vs. Atlanta, the second game of a back-to-back set for the Lakers (Twitter link via Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times). According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, Davis (bilateral Achilles tendinopathy and left hip spasm) said he felt “a little sore” on Monday and “couldn’t move how I usually move,” so he’ll get a night off.
  • Cam Whitmore‘s performance on Monday (20 points and six rebounds in 18 minutes) was a tough pill to swallow for the Lakers, who could’ve drafted the 19-year-old last June. Los Angeles used the No. 17 overall pick on Jalen Hood-Schifino, while Whitmore fell to the Rockets at No. 20. “The kid is going to be special, man,” Ham said of Whitmore before the game, per Buha. Ham also noted that the Lakers had a pre-draft workout with the former Villanova standout and referred to him as “another bright, young superstar that’s going to be in our league for a long time.”
  • Given LeBron James‘ age and the Lakers’ up-and-down play this season, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer posits that the two sides are facing a crossroads and explores what might be next for the franchise and for one of the NBA’s all-time greatest players.

Pacific Notes: Sabonis, Russell, Allen, Vanderbilt

The Kings appear to be heading in the right direction, winning their last three games. Domantas Sabonis admits the first half of Sacramento’s season was plagued with inconsistency but believes the club’s issues are correctable.

“It’s tough, because we know we are better. We’ve shown it,” he told Sam Amick of The Athletic. “We just sometimes go through these mental lapses in games, which are very, very controllable. We know that. There’s other games where we’ve controlled it and ended up winning the game.

“So we’ve just got to stay mentally strong. We need to win games to get the best seed as we can for the playoffs, but I feel like, as the year goes on, we’re learning more and more, you know? We’re seeing film, seeing what we do wrong. We’re realizing these things. And the good thing is that we still have another (38) games.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

  • D’Angelo Russell has been fined $15K for kicking the game ball into the spectator stands, the NBA announced (via Twitter). The Lakers guard booted the ball following the conclusion of their 145-144 victory over the Warriors on Saturday.
  • A report from Yahoo Sports last week indicated the Suns are no longer considering the possibility of trading Grayson Allen. The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson and Shams Charania note that there’s good reason to keep Allen. He’s enjoying a career year, shooting 49.8% from beyond the arc this season. He’s also leveled up his defense, rebounding and play-making, The Athletic duo adds. Allen’s night against Miami on Monday was cut short by an ankle injury, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press tweets.
  • During the past six games, Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt is averaging 11.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.2 steals in 26.5 minutes per night. Coach Darvin Ham was evasive when asked if he’s considering putting Vanderbilt in the starting five but indicated that the finishing unit is even more important, Jovan Buha of The Athletic writes. “It’s not about always starting that way, but you know you’re going to get to it,” Ham said. “Every coach has a finishing six or seven, group of six or seven guys that he knows he can potentially finish with.”