Lebron James Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: James, Harden, Durant, Kuminga

December 8th, 2024 at 9:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

LeBron James had appeared in all 23 of the Lakers‘ games this season until Sunday. The 39-year-old forward missed Los Angeles’ game against the Trail Blazers because of left foot soreness, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reports.

James played a season-high 43 minutes on Friday in an overtime loss at the Hawks. He racked up 39 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots. He is averaging 23 points, 9.1 assists and 8.0 rebounds per contest.

The four-time MVP was listed as probable earlier on Sunday before being downgraded to doubtful after the team’s walk-through.

“You don’t want him out of the lineup, that’s for sure, but he has an opportunity to get four days’ rest before we practice again,” coach JJ Redick said. “So, it could be really good for him.”

Austin Reaves missed his fifth straight game because of a left pelvic contusion.

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Like James, Clippers guard James Harden sat out for the first time this season on Sunday. Harden was sidelined by a groin injury, according to Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). Harden scored a season-low five points against Minnesota on Wednesday, but is averaging 21.6 points, 8.5 assists and 6.8 rebounds per game on the season.
Kevin Durant is making good progress from his left ankle sprain, according to Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. “We feel like the reports that we’re getting back are very positive,” Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer said. “We’ll see how the next day or two go and I think re-evaluate him. It’ll be good for us to get back and give him some love. He’ll probably give us some love. It’s always good to be around Kevin. He’s good for our spirit.” The team stated on Wednesday that Durant would be out at least a week.
The Jonathan Kuminga era has begun for the Warriors, Marcus Thompson of The Athletic writes. Kuminga has been inserted into Golden State’s lineup at Draymond Green‘s expense in order to infuse that unit with another offensive jolt. “He’s a big weapon for us. … So we’ve got to lean into that. And it may not go well every night, but that’s what we’re trying to build,” Stephen Curry said. Kuminga will be a restricted free agent after the season.

And-Ones: China, 2025 Draft, Doncic, Trade Deadline, Trends

December 6th, 2024 at 11:31am CST by Earnest Marshall

The Nets and Suns will play two preseason games in Macao next October, which marks the first time the NBA is playing in China since 2019, Shams Charania of ESPN reports (Twitter link). The NBA later formally announced the decision (Twitter link).

“Bringing preseason games to Macao will showcase the excitement of the NBA to fans in one of the world’s emerging hubs for sports,” NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said in the statement. “The Nets and Suns feature an exciting mix of established and rising stars, and we look forward to engaging fans, aspiring players and the local community in Macao through these games and a variety of interactive events, youth development programs and social impact initiatives.”

The partnership is the result of a years-long effort to repair the relationship between the two sides after commissioner Adam Silver and the league didn’t reprimand then-Rockets general manager Daryl Morey after he tweeted support for protests in Hong Kong in 2019, Charania and Brian Windhorst write.

NBA games were then temporarily removed from broadcasts in China and sponsorships were lost. The relationship has been mended largely in part to NBA China’s CEO Michael Ma, according to Charania and Windhorst.

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Duke’s Cooper Flagg is still the top-ranked prospect on Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report’s latest mock draft, but Rutgers’ Dylan Harper is beginning to put pressure on him for that top spot. The 18-year-old Harper scored 36 points against Notre Dame and 37 against Alabama. Despite Harper’s strong play, executives have a hard time seeing Flagg being unseated from the pole position, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo (Insider link). BYU’s Egor Demin and Rutgers’ Ace Bailey are among other players who will push to hear their names called No. 1 overall.
While Luka Doncic is obviously primarily focused on the Mavericks‘ current season, he’s still excited that Slovenia qualified for EuroBasket 2025 and is looking forward to the chance to suit up for them, Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal reports. Slovenia is also up to potentially host EuroBasket in 2029. “That would be a dream come true, playing in front of fans in a big tournament at the EuroBasket,” Doncic said.
The NBA trade deadline could see reduced action as compared to other recent seasons, due in part to the restrictive CBA but also fewer bad contracts across the league, Windhorst said on The Hoop Collective podcast (hat tip to RealGM). “Teams are a little bit smarter and I just think the intelligence into the game and the way teams are operated and the gameplay is taking some of the stuff fans kind of like — at least some of the older school fans,” Windhorst said.
Hornets two-way player Moussa Diabate has played well amid Charlotte’s frontcourt injuries, which is one recent trend worth monitoring, according to The Athletic’s Fred Katz. Diabate is averaging just 3.1 points per game, but has grabbed 7.8 rebounds (3.6 of which are offensive boards) per night. The Lakers playing better when LeBron James is off the court and Atlanta owning L.A.’s first-round pick are other trends worth keeping tabs on as the season progresses, Katz notes.

Redick, Lakers Reconsidering LeBron James’ Plan To Play 82 Games

December 3rd, 2024 at 8:00am CST by Luke Adams

When LeBron James stated during the opening week of the regular season that he was aiming to play in all 82 games this season, Lakers head coach JJ Redick expressed support for that goal. However, with James mired in a slump and the Lakers struggling, Redick indicated after Monday’s loss to Minnesota that he may revisit that plan.

“I don’t know that’s in the best interest of him and us if he does that, but if he’s feeling well and feeling good, then he should play,” Redick said, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “But we obviously want to … manage that as best we can.”

After scoring just 10 points on 4-of-16 shooting and committing six turnovers on Monday, James is now averaging 16.8 points and five turnovers per game with a .398/.100/.857 shooting line in his past six outings. The Lakers, whose 118.3 offensive rating ranked fourth in the NBA through their first 15 games, have a 102.4 mark in those six games, the league’s third-worst mark since November 23.

While it’s possible James would benefit from the occasional rest day – Monday’s performance came on the second night of a back-to-back – his recent slump hasn’t been the sole cause of the Lakers’ offensive struggles. Star big man Anthony Davis, who made just 4-of-14 shot attempts in the loss to the Timberwolves, cited “bad” spacing and referred to the team’s overall performance as “disgusting.” James agreed, calling L.A.’s offense “nasty right now,” per McMenamin.

“I’ve not seen us play the way we played earlier in the year,” Redick said. “I mean, I’ve got to spend all day (Tuesday) with my staff trying to figure out how we get back to that.”

As Jovan Buha of The Athletic writes, a Lakers defense that ranked near the bottom of the league during the season’s first month has been a little more effective lately, but the improvement on the defensive end hasn’t made up for the drop-off on offense.

“I really believe we’ve gotten better defensively,” Redick said. “And I think we’ve spent a lot of time as a staff defensively. And this is the nature of the NBA season. You don’t have a ton of time. The things you emphasize, hopefully, you get better at. And sometimes when you don’t emphasize something, or you don’t work on something because you don’t necessarily have time, or you think you’re good at it and you think you have buy-in at it, you just get slippage. We gotta clean that up.”

The Lakers still have a solid 12-9 record, but that’s only good for the No. 8 spot in a competitive Western Conference and gives the club just a 1.5-game cushion on the No. 11 Wolves. Given that the playoff race figures to remain tight all season, how does James, who will turn 40 later this month, feel about relenting on his plan to play all 82 games?

“That’s a goal, but, we’ll see,” James said, according to McMenamin. “It’s something I ain’t discussing right now.”

Lakers Notes: James, Vincent, Russell, Jackson, Knecht

December 2nd, 2024 at 8:14pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Lakers notched a one-point win over Utah and it was an old-school game of sorts for LeBron James. His usage rate is down noticeably this season but coach JJ Redick put the ball in his hands regularly in the second half and he attempted 14 fourth-quarter shots.

“We really slowed things down in the second half and tried to get the matchup we wanted for LeBron to just handle in that pick-and-roll,” Redick said, per Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times. “And truthfully, that was the best offense we were going to generate. So whether we missed or made it, we just kept going to that. I thought we got some clean looks that could have given us a little bit more of a cushion. But I liked our execution offensively.”

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Gabe Vincent, thrust into the lineup on Sunday due to the absence of Austin Reaves (left pelvic contusion), scored 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting. It was Vincent’s first double-digit scoring outing in his 30 regular-season games as a Laker, Khobi Price of the Orange County Register notes. Vincent joined the Lakers as a free agent on a three-year, $33MM contract prior to last season.
Vincent’s stint as a starter didn’t last long. D’Angelo Russell replaced him in the lineup against Minnesota on Monday, Jovan Buha of The Athletic tweets.
Los Angeles will likely look to include Vincent as a salary filler with draft pick compensation in trade talks, Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype reports. The Lakers could potentially dangle Vincent and future second-round picks in a deal for Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas, a coveted Lakers target, Scotto adds.
The Lakers announced last month that they’ve commissioned a statue of former coach and player Pat Riley on their Star Plaza. It’s expected to be a prelude to an eventual announcement about a statue for another former coach, Phil Jackson, Marc Stein reports in a Substack article. Riley coached the Lakers to four championships in the 1980s, while Jackson coached the Lakers to five.
The Lakers have been searching for years to find a dead-eye shooter to complement James. They may have finally found that player in rookie wing Dalton Knecht. “We, as a front office, have sort of chased in theory the exact player he is, a movement shooter,” Lakers vice president of basketball operations and GM Rob Pelinka told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “And then not only is he a movement shooter, but a movement shooter with athleticism, which is a really unique combination.”

Pacific Notes: LeBron, Davis, Suns, Warriors, Curry

November 27th, 2024 at 5:09pm CST by Arthur Hill

An unexpected development for the slumping Lakers has been losing the minutes when their two stars are on the court together, writes Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. Going into Tuesday night, L.A. was being outscored by 5.5 points per 100 possessions in the 365 minutes that LeBron James and Anthony Davis were both in the game.

There are several glaring issues with the James-Davis lineups, Price adds. No matter who else is paired with them, the groups haven’t rebounded well or forced enough turnovers, and they’re letting opponents shoot high percentages from the field.

The inability to gain an advantage when their best players are sharing the court has contributed to the Lakers’ recent slowdown after a 10-4 start, but coach J.J. Redick doesn’t consider it to be a cause for alarm.

“Not concerned, not concerned at all,” Redick said. “It’s more diving deeper into the why and trying to self-correct that.”

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Tuesday’s return of Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal has the Suns looking like an elite team again, observes Doug Haller of The Athletic. Durant and Beal sparked a 27-point rout of the Lakers in an NBA Cup game and provided a reminder of how good the team looked during its 8-1 start to the season. “I just wanted to be out there with the guys,” said Durant, who missed seven games with a strained left calf. “Wanted to travel. When you’re injured, you’re still a part of the team, you’re still on the roster, but there’s a level of separation you have (with guys who are playing). I just wanted to be part of the group again.”
Defense has become an issue for the Warriors in their last two games, notes Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle. They let a 17-point second half lead slip away in Saturday’s loss to San Antonio, then squandered an 18-point lead Monday against Brooklyn. The Warriors ranked 25th in team defense in those two games and allowed an atrocious 154.2 points per 100 possessions in the combined fourth quarters. Defensive issues were the focus of Tuesday’s practice. “Our communication wasn’t good and we didn’t rotate and trap the box how we normally would,” Kevon Looney said of Monday’s game. “(Assistant coach and defensive coordinator Jerry Stackhouse) talks about us being early, being aggressive and I think we were a half-second late on everything.”
After being listed as questionable on Tuesday, Warriors guard Stephen Curry will sit out tonight’s game against Oklahoma City with bilateral knee pain, Gordon adds in a separate story. This will be Curry’s fourth missed game of the season, and Golden State has won the first three.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Harrison Barnes Named Players Of The Week

November 25th, 2024 at 2:42pm CST by Luke Adams

Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo has been named the Player of the Week for the Eastern Conference, while Spurs forward Harrison Barnes has won the award in the West, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).

Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to a perfect 4-0 week from November 18-24, helping the team climb out of the hole it dug itself early in the season. After dropping eight of their first 10 games this fall, the Bucks now rank sixth in the East at 8-9.

The two-time MVP averaged 32.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 1.5 blocks in 34.3 minutes per game in victories over Houston, Chicago, Indiana, and Charlotte. He made 61.2% of his 21.3 field goal attempts per game for the week.

While it was the 24th career Player of the Week award for Antetokounmpo, it’s a first-time honor for Barnes, who has appeared in 928 regular season games since entering the NBA as the seventh overall pick in the 2012 draft.

According to the Spurs, Barnes is the first player since the Player of the Week award was introduced in 1979 to earn the first one of his career in his 13th season (or later). Barnes is also the first Spur to be named Player of the Week since DeMar DeRozan in January 2020, per the team.

Barnes’ Spurs went 3-0 this week, registering upset victories over the Thunder on Tuesday and the Warriors on Saturday. The 32-year-old forward played a key role, averaging 22.3 PPG, 8.7 RPG, and 1.7 APG with a .618/.600/.727 shooting line.

The other nominees for the Eastern Conference award were Hornets teammates LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, Celtics teammates Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, Heat swingman Jimmy Butler, Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome, Raptors center Jakob Poeltl, and Magic forward Franz Wagner.

In the West, Lakers teammates Anthony Davis and LeBron James, Clippers teammates James Harden and Ivica Zubac, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, and Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins were also nominated (Twitter link).

Pacific Notes: Ishbia, Durant, Ellis, James, Knecht

November 19th, 2024 at 8:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Suns owner Mat Ishbia told ESPN’s Shams Charania (video link) that he anticipates his team will be able to lock up Kevin Durant beyond his current contract, which expires in 2026.

“We expect Kevin to sign an extension and be with us for the long-term,” Ishbia said. “We hope he finishes his career here in Phoenix. That’s what we expect.”

Durant, 36, is currently sidelined by a left calf strain, but was averaging 27.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game prior to the injury. Durant has a $57.4MM salary next season, the final year of his current contract. He declined to sign a one-year extension before the regular season but can sign a two-year deal during the 2025 offseason.

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Keon Ellis came off the bench and scored a career-high 33 points in a controversial one-point loss to Atlanta on Monday. The Kings guard made nine 3-pointers for shorthanded Sacramento. “The way he shot the ball tonight was definitely incredible and kept us in the game,” De’Aaron Fox told Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee. “He had big moments for us, and then getting to the line down the stretch, he was big for us.”
LeBron James‘ increased play-making is one of five takeaways from the Lakers’ current five-game winning streak that Jovan Buha of The Athletic details. James is averaging 9.2 assists per game, the second-highest mark of his career. Another of Buha’s takeaways is the improved play of Max Christie, though he may not hold onto his rotation spot once injured players return to action.
Dalton Knecht has scored 60 points in the last three games and The Athletic’s John Hollinger describes the rookie’s impact on the Lakers in his latest column. The 17th pick of the draft has made 40.4% of his 3-point attempts. He has filled a role for a much-needed shooter to balance the offense.

Spurs Notes: Paul, Castle, NBA Cup, Wembanyama

November 16th, 2024 at 7:25pm CST by Arthur Hill

Spurs point guard Chris Paul reached another milestone Friday night, handing out the 12,000th assist of his career, writes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. John Stockton may be out of reach at 15,806, but Paul is closing in on Jason Kidd’s second place total of 12,091. At age 39, Paul attributes his longevity to staying in top shape and studying the game.

“It’s training all day and all night,” he said. “The late-night massages. It’s getting up in the morning. It’s eating right. It’s training while you’re on vacation. It’s watching film day in and day out.”

Listed at 6’0″, Paul is by far the shortest player to reach 20 NBA seasons, McDonald adds. That list mostly includes big men, along with a few hyper-athletic wings. One of them is Paul’s close friend LeBron James, who met him after the game and discussed what it’s like to be in the twilight of their careers.

“Me and ‘Bron talked about it a little bit,” Paul said. “We don’t know how much longer it’s going to be, but I have so much gratitude for this game and the things I’ve been able to do and learn over the years.”

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James also talked briefly to Stephon Castle after the game ended, which made a strong impression on the rookie guard, McDonald states in a separate story. After the Lakers pulled out a narrow victory, James shared some advice on a few reads that Castle could have made. “I’ve been watching him since I was a kid,” Castle said. “So for him to come up to me and talk to me for even that little bit, it really meant a lot. … I really respect him and appreciate him for coming up and saying that to me. He didn’t really have to.”
Friday’s losses left the Spurs and Grizzlies as the only teams without an NBA Cup win since the tournament was introduced last season, McDonald adds in the same piece. San Antonio will get three more chances, hosting Oklahoma City on Tuesday and then traveling to Utah on November 26 and Phoenix on December 3.
Victor Wembanyama will miss Saturday’s game at Dallas with a right knee contusion, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link). Zach Collins will replace him in the starting lineup.

Pacific Notes: Lakers, Christie, Draymond, Waters, Fox, Kings

November 16th, 2024 at 3:49pm CST by Luke Adams

After losing four of their first five road games of the season, the Lakers were encouraged by their performance on Friday in San Antonio, writes Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. Anthony Davis scored 40 points and LeBron James set a personal record with his fourth consecutive triple-double as L.A. pulled out a five-point victory over the Spurs.

“That’s what we want to do,” Davis said. “We want to be just as good of a road team as we are a home team. And we can’t do that if we don’t come out and compete. We’ve been just a different team when we’ve been out on the road. The way we compete, share the ball, play together at home, is totally different than when we get on the other side on the road. So we did that tonight.”

As Woike writes, the play of reserve wing Max Christie was another positive sign for the Lakers. After falling out of the rotation as of late, Christie logged a season-high 30 minutes on Friday with Rui Hachimura out due to a sprained right ankle and was a plus-23 in those minutes, contributing 11 points, three rebounds, and a pair of steals. the 21-year-old said it helped to know that head coach J.J. Redick still had faith in him.

“He has a lot of belief in a lot of us and I think he definitely has a lot of belief in me and I can appreciate that coming from a head coach,” Christie said. “I know you know how I can play and I think tonight was a very good example of that, when I’m just out there playing free, playing the way I know I can play instead of just trying to over-complicate things.”

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Draymond Green‘s foul on Zach Edey in the third quarter of the Warriors‘ win over the Grizzlies on Friday has been upgraded to a flagrant 1, the league announced today (via Twitter). As Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal writes, the Grizzlies were upset that the foul wasn’t reviewed at the time after Green appeared to pin Edey’s lower leg to his body using his elbow and forearm, causing the big man to trip (video link). “It definitely wasn’t a basketball play,” Edey said.
Lindy Waters earned his second start of the season for the Warriors on Friday night, but left the game late in the first half and didn’t return after hyperextending his left knee while blocking a shot (video link). Brandin Podziemski started the second half in Waters’ place, notes Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Kings guard De’Aaron Fox blew past his previous career high of 44 points by pouring in a franchise-high 60 in a loss to Minnesota on Friday. Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee has the story, including quotes from Fox, his teammates, and head coach Mike Brown. “He’s an All-Star and the sky is the limit for him,” Brown said. “He knew we needed help. He put us on his back, and he almost carried us to the finish line, but he did everything in his power to get us there.”
The Kings will be missing a pair of stars on Saturday vs. Utah, as both Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan have been ruled out due to lower back tightness (Twitter link via Anderson). It’s DeRozan’s second consecutive missed game.

Western Notes: LeBron, Booker, Saric, Nnaji, Williams

November 14th, 2024 at 10:53pm CST by Earnest Marshall

A story seemingly as old as time, or at least since 2003: LeBron James is playing at an All-Star level. Just a little over a month from his 40th birthday, James is averaging 24.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 9.4 assists per game while shooting 52.4% from the field and 45.9% on three-pointers.

Still, James continues to hint that retirement isn’t all that far off his radar. According to Kurt Helin of NBC Sports, James said he doesn’t expect to play much longer.

“It’s the mind,” James said of what will determine when he retires. “Wherever my mind is, is how the rest of my body is going to go, whatever the case may be. I’m not going to play that much longer, to be completely honest. One year, two years, whatever the case may be. I said the other night that I’m not playing until the wheels fall off. I’m not. I’m not going to be that guy. I’m not going to be the guy disrespecting the game because I just want to be out on the floor.”

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The Suns are off to a 9-3 start, but Devin Booker‘s play has been up and down. He scored 31 points on Tuesday in a win but followed that up with just 18 points in a loss on Wednesday. Still, Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports writes that there’s no reason to worry about Booker. He’s shooting just 43.4% from the field after connecting on 49.2% of his shots last season, but he’ll almost assuredly bounce back to his normal efficiency, Bourguet opines.
After playing in each of Denver’s first five games, Dario Saric is now out of the rotation. The Nuggets have won five straight games since benching Saric following a 2-3 start. Head coach Michael Malone confirmed the move, according to The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando (Twitter link). “I don’t expect Dario to be walking around here with a smile and pom-poms like he loves this,” Malone said. “But to his credit, he’s been the ultimate teammate.“
On the other hand, Zeke Nnaji played only once in the first five games but has been part of the rotation during the Nuggets‘ five-game win streak. Malone addressed what Nnaji’s been bringing to the rotation, per Durando (Twitter link). “I think he’s been solid,” Malone said. “I think he’s going to continue to get an opportunity. He’s gotta go out there and just try to finish around the basket, knock down open threes. And most importantly obviously he’s gotta be the anchor of our defense if he’s playing backup five.“
The Thunder have been playing 6’5″ forward Jalen Williams at center while dealing with injuries to Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren. Without their traditional big men, their small-ball lineups are causing havoc, Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman writes. They forced 23 turnovers against New Orleans on Wednesday. Kenrich Williams also saw minutes at the five off the bench and will continue to be leaned on moving forward, Rylan Stiles of Sports Illustrated writes.