Lakers Talk Offseason, To Pick Up Bynum’s Option
Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak told reporters on Wednesday that the Lakers plan to pick up center Andrew Bynum's team option for next season. This move would not have an impact on the much-speculated swap of Bynum for Dwight Howard, as they would have to pick up his option before making the move. Kupchak's statement was part of the Lakers' 2012 exit interview process today, as documented by Mike Trudell on Lakers.com. Many players brought up the much talked about issue of the offense stalling when Kobe goes into "one-on-one" mode, while others discussed their future with the team:
- Pau Gasol said that he met with Kupchak and Mike Brown and they didn't offer him any insight as to the organizations' plans for Gasol this offseason. Gasol reiterated that the trade rumors shouldn't alter a player's game, but admitted that his change in role, many times deferring to Andrew Bynum as the second option, may have affected his production.
- Metta World Peace doesn't think the Lakers need radical change, even stating that they should be up 3 games to 2 on the Thunder right now, says Andy Kamenetzky of ESPN LA. Artest extolled Mitch Kupchak and says it is up to the players to pick up their game to help Kobe Bryant. Kamenetzky adds that there is speculation that Artest or Steve Blake could be trade candidates, but Artest said he loves it in Los Angeles.
- Kupchak offered information beyond their intentions for Bynum. In his talk with media, Kupchak discussed the failed preseason trade for Chris Paul, Gasol's resulting play, the looming opt-out decision of Ramon Sessions and more.
Lakers Rumors: Bynum, Brown, Sessions, Gasol
The Thunder advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals last night, sending the Lakers to their second consecutive second-round exit. Despite the loss, Kobe Bryant vowed after the game that L.A. would be back in contention next season: "This is not one of those things like where the Bulls beat the Pistons and the Pistons disappeared forever."
Before the team returns to the court for the 2012/13 season, the Lakers will have a number of roster moves and decisions to make. Here's the latest on a few of the issues facing the club:
- Andrew Bynum told reporters last night, including Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com, that he's not sure what his future in Los Angeles holds. According to Bynum's agent David Lee, the ball is in the Lakers' court when it comes to talking about a contract extension for the young center.
- Brian Kamenetzky of ESPNLosAngeles.com looks at eight questions facing the Lakers as the team prepares for the offseason. Within the piece, he suggests that coach Mike Brown won't be fired, and wonders whether Ramon Sessions will pick up his player option after a poor postseason.
- Over the luxury-tax threshold and with only the 60th pick in the draft, the Lakers will have to make trades if they hope to improve their roster, writes Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times.
- Pau Gasol's time as a Laker will likely end soon, since he's their only logical trade chip, says Sean Deveney of the Sporting News.
- Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune tweets that he expects the Timberwolves to get involved in Gasol trade discussions again.
- Gasol should be the first domino to fall, but the Lakers will be faced with other decisions too, writes McMenamin.
- For his part, Gasol doesn't think the Lakers need to significantly overhaul the roster, as he tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Gasol, Bynum, and Bryant all suggested that a full training camp would've helped the Lakers, who were adjusting to Brown's system.
Odds & Ends: Ainge, Gasol, Bird Rights, Shaw
It's been a busy night both on and off the court in the NBA, as the Lakers appear to be on their way to elimination at the hands of the Thunder, while the Magic are making wholesale management changes. Here's the rest of the late-night story:
- The Blazers have not asked for permission from the Celtics to speak with Danny Ainge about their GM opening, Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com tweets.
- The Rockets remain interested in trading for Pau Gasol, salary cap guru Larry Coon says, via Twitter.
- Coon also believes the union will not prevail in its quest to secure Bird rights for players who were claimed off waivers (Twitter link).
- Pacers assistant Brian Shaw is drawing interest for head coaching positions elsewhere, but the Pacers place a high value on him, Chris Mannix of SI.com notes (Twitter link).
- Jason Fleming of HoopsWorld profiles the top five vote-getters for Executive of the Year.
Los Angeles Notes: Paul, Gasol
The latest news and notes from around the Clippers and Lakers on Sunday evening:
- Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com writes that, whatever the outcome of the Clippers' second-round series against the Spurs, the arrival and impact of Chris Paul has made this season a success.
- Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register wonders whether the Kobe Bryant/Pau Gasol partnership is on its last legs.
- ESPNLosAngeles.com's Dave McMenamin implies the same thing, pointing to Bryant's public blaming of Gasol after the Lakers' Saturday loss to the Thunder.
Lakers Notes: Pau Gasol, World Peace, Steve Blake
Facing elimination from the playoffs, the Lakers put together a strong performance Saturday evening to beat the Nuggets by the score of 96-87 and advance to the second round. Strong play from Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum allowed for the Lakers to win Game 7 at the Staples Center. Before they head to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder, let's head out to Los Angeles to catch up on the latest from the Lakers.
- After a season of turmoil in which he nearly ended up with a different team, Gasol dialed back the clock Saturday night and delivered one of the biggest performances of his career, writes Lee Jenkins of SI.com. In order to get ready for the game, Gasol had coaches go at him in the paint while wearing football shoulder pads during practice on Friday. The drill was a success as the Spaniard scored 23 points to go along with 17 rebounds and six assists.
- Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports says Metta World Peace was ready to get back on the court and lift his teammates after sitting for seven games due to suspension. While he was unapologetic about his actions toward James Harden, World Peace showed no signs of rust on the court as he scored 15 points and grabbed five rebounds in the victory.
- Steve Blake channeled his inner Kobe Bryant with the effort he put together against the Nuggets on Saturday, reports ESPNLosAngeles.com's Dave McMenamin. The former Maryland star took his play to the next level by shooting 5-for-6 on three-pointers for a career-playoff high of 19 points. Without Blake, the Lakers would be watching the second round of the playoffs on television rather than heading to Oklahoma City on Monday for Game 1.
HoopsWorld On Howard, Smith, Gasol
HoopsWorld's Derek Page has compiled a column about the futures of several prominent NBA players featuring input from other writers:
- Alex Kennedy thinks the Magic will once again attempt to acquire a player via trade or free agency to appease Dwight Howard, although the possibility is still open for him to be dealt.
- Lang Greene says the Hawks should give serious consideration to moving Josh Smith this summer, as his trade value will be high and he is unhappy in Atlanta.
- Eric Pincus finds it unlikely that Pau Gasol has a long-term future with the Lakers, due to the luxury-tax implications of keeping him.
- Bill Ingram thinks the emergence of Courtney Lee will make it easier for the Rockets to move Kevin Martin for the right price.
- Page believes Shawn Marion's contract makes him relatively easy for the Mavericks to trade, but with Howard off the market, it's not as necessary for the purpose of clearing cap space.
Nets Would Turn Down Gasol For Williams
ESPN.com's Marc Stein reports that if the Lakers offered Pau Gasol for Deron Williams, the Nets would turn it down. According to Stein, the Lakers actually did make that pitch to New Jersey in December, so the Nets have already said no once.
News of Dwight Howard's latest decision, to opt in for next season and remain with the Magic, has led to rampant speculation about potential trades involving the Nets' star point guard. However, New Jersey is still turning away all interest in Williams.
Kyler On Rockets, Gasol, Pacers, Blazers, Smith
In his NBA AM piece for HoopsWorld, Steve Kyler reported that Dwight Howard is highly unlikely to change his mind again, but that the Magic seem to have a deal they'd do with the Nets if Howard waffles once more. You can follow all of today's Howard updates here, and check out the rest of Kyler's morning notes below:
- The Rockets are discussing more than half their roster in trades, having offered around Terrence Williams, Jonny Flynn, Jordan Hill, Chase Budinger, Patrick Patterson, Luis Scola, Hasheem Thabeet and Courtney Lee. According to Kyler, Houston would trade any combination of those players to acquire Chris Kaman.
- The Bulls want Lee, but aren't likely to meet the Rockets' asking price, which would mean parting with Taj Gibson or Omer Asik. The Pacers and Timberwolves are also eyeing Lee.
- Houston has a standing offer out to the Lakers for Pau Gasol, but it doesn't include Kyle Lowry, so nothing is expected to happen there.
- If the Blazers' three-team deal with the Timberwolves and Lakers involving Jamal Crawford falls through, Portland may have a backup trade in place with the Pacers.
- The Magic won't be able to make a move for Josh Smith, which isn't a surprise. One league source tells Kyler the Hawks want an All-Star frontcourt player in exchange for Smith, so a deal is very unlikely.
Los Angeles Rumors: Beasley, Gasol, Bledsoe
The Lakers appear to be closing in on a three-way deal that would land them Michael Beasley, but different variations of the deal are being discussed. Most reports have Steve Blake and a first-rounder heading from L.A. to Portland, but Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com reported last night that it may be Luke Ridnour, rather than Blake, who goes to the Blazers. In that hypothetical trade, the Lakers would still give up a first-round pick, but wouldn't necessarily need to make a follow-up to replace Blake at the point.
While we wait to see how those negotiations shake out, here are a few Lakers- and Clippers-related rumors out of Los Angeles:
- A Pau Gasol trade is "highly unlikely," tweets ESPN.com's Chris Palmer. Palmer says interest dropped way off after the Lakers reportedly backed out of talks involving Gasol and Rajon Rondo.
- The Clippers continue to explore trades that would see them move Eric Bledsoe for a "big guard," says Palmer in a separate tweet.
- Pedro Viola of ESPNLosAngeles.com thinks the Clippers will ultimately decide they can maximize Bledsoe's value by keeping him rather than trading him.
Rockets Rumors: Howard, Lowry, Martin, Dragic
Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle shares a few pre-deadline updates on the Rockets in his latest column. Let's check out the highlights:
- The Rockets have been aggressive about trying to engage Orlando in Dwight Howard talks, but the Magic aren't very interested in Houston's assets.
- One front office executive believes Houston will end up offering Kyle Lowry for Pau Gasol before Thursday's deadline, though the Rockets continue to insist that won't happen.
- The Rockets still hope to either make it work with Kevin Martin, or pursue a deal down the road when Martin's value is a little higher than it is now.
- Houston "went hard" after Andrew Bogut before the big man was traded to Golden State.
- Terrence Williams likely could be had for a second-round draft pick.
- Feigen considers Goran Dragic the Rocket most likely to be moved in a deal like last year's Aaron Brooks and Shane Battier trades.