Lakers

A summer in which he’s expected to sign a multiyear contract worth, at minimum, $51 million became more memorable for the Lakers’ Sources with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly said Reaves committed to USA Basketball President Grant Hill in the weeks following The FIBA World Cup will be played Aug. 25 through Sept. 10 in the Philippines, Indonesia and Japan. Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, Mikal Bridges and Bobby Portis have also pledged to play for Team USA, according to The Athletic. Lakers rookie guard Austin Reaves was nicknamed “Hillbilly Kobe” in college for his flashy play and Arkansas roots. A look at how he rose to stardom. He ended his rookie season with 31 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists in a win in Denver. Only Jerry West, Oscar Robertson and Blake Griffin had previously recorded 30-point, 15-rebound, 10-assist triple-doubles as rookies in league history. Reaves played only 16 minutes in the Lakers’ season opener this year, but by March he was indispensable. He scored in double figures in each of the Lakers’ final 18 games in the regular season as the team pushed into the postseason. He moved into the starting lineup during that stretch, with the Lakers going 8-2 after coach Darvin Ham made the switch. He shot 52.9% from the field and 39.8% from three-point range in the regular season while averaging 13 points, 3 rebounds and 3.4 assists. Reaves made 63.1% of his two-point shots — just the ninth time ever a player 6 feet 6 or sh...

It is growing more likely that the Los Angeles Lakers will look somewhat different next season. Several of their key players are about to become free agents, and one of them — D’Angelo Russell — is starting to look like he’s on his way out. A recent Yahoo Sports article by Jake Fischer said the team is On Monday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet will turn down the player option on his contract to become a free agent. ESPN Sources: In the first major domino of free agency, Toronto Raptors All-Star guard Fred VanVleet has declined his $22.8 million player option and will become an unrestricted free agent in July. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) Would VanVleet be a viable alternative target for the Lakers? VanVleet is a steady point guard who has gradually become a very good player over the last few years. He made the All-Star team last season for the first time while averaging 20.3 points and 6.7 assists a game, and this season he was at 19.3 points and 7.2 assists per contest. He is also a reliable free-throw shooter who can get to the charity stripe and consistently makes well over 80% of his attempts there. He seldom turns the ball over, as he has a career average of 1.7 turnovers a game, giving him an outstanding assist-to-turnover ratio. In addition, he is a pesky defender who is always among the NBA’s leaders in steals and has gotten consideration for one of the All-Defensive teams over the last few years. VanVleet also played...

Rob Pelinka has made it clear that he wants to keep the core of the Keeping those free agents is sensible. They are mostly young and coming off of a trip to the Western Conference finals. But the Lakers got swept by the The Lakers are far more flexible on that front this summer than they have been in years past, and they can thank the moves Pelinka made at the deadline for that. He used the expiring contracts of Pelinka would surely prefer to use that package to land a star. Two first-round picks and a couple of expiring salaries won't get them there unless they're willing to take a sign-and-trade risk on So let's say the Lakers decide to retain Beasley and Bamba as trade chips. What sort of players could they target with those two first-round picks at their disposal? Here are 20 names to keep an eye on, ranging from realistic to fantastical and sorted into one of five categories: The top of the market The Lakers like to go big-game hunting, but as we've covered, they lack the chips to do so effectively. Trendy offseason names like The obvious possible trade partner for the Lakers, as was so often discussed last season, is the DeRozan will turn 34 this offseason. He's only one year away from free agency, and the thought of paying any perimeter player that doesn't shoot 3-pointers deep into his 30s would make any front office queasy. LaVine is a good deal younger, but has a number of serious injuries to his name and is locked in for max money for the next four years. If DeR...

Player # Pos Height Weight Birthdate Age Exp School How Acquired 0 G 6-4 195 lbs OCT 06, 1993 29 5 Tulsa Signed on 04/09/23 1 G 6-4 193 lbs FEB 23, 1996 27 7 Ohio State Traded from MIN on 02/09/23 2 F 6-8 214 lbs APR 03, 1999 24 4 Kentucky Traded from UTA on 02/09/23 3 F-C 6-10 253 lbs MAR 11, 1993 30 10 Kentucky Traded from NOP on 07/06/19 4 G-F 6-4 204 lbs DEC 14, 1998 24 4 Miami Signed on 07/06/22 5 G 6-4 187 lbs NOV 26, 1996 26 6 Florida State Traded from UTA on 02/09/23 6 F 6-9 250 lbs DEC 30, 1984 38 19 St. Vincent-St. Mary HS (OH) Signed on 07/09/18 7 G-F 6-7 215 lbs JUL 28, 1999 23 4 Oregon Signed on 07/01/22 9 C-F 6-9 254 lbs MAR 13, 1991 32 11 Texas-Austin Signed on 04/09/23 10 G 6-5 190 lbs FEB 10, 2003 20 R Michigan State #35 Pick in 2022 Draft 12 C 7-0 231 lbs MAY 12, 1998 25 4 Texas Traded from ORL on 02/09/23 14 G 6-1 170 lbs NOV 10, 2000 22 R Vanderbilt Signed on 07/01/22 15 G 6-5 197 lbs MAY 29, 1998 25 1 Oklahoma Signed on 08/03/21 17 G 6-1 172 lbs SEP 15, 1993 29 9 Braunschweig Signed on 09/16/22 20 F 6-9 220 lbs MAY 08, 1999 24 R Syracuse Signed on 07/01/22 28 F 6-8 230 lbs FEB 08, 1998 25 3 Gonzaga Traded from WAS on 01/23/23 35 F 6-9 205 lbs MAR 26, 1997 26 3 Kentucky Signed on 03/01/22 05/23/2023, 4:16 PM Hints at retirement James submitted his best game of the postseason Monday, but it wasn't enough to prevent the Nuggets from sweeping the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. His statement about his playing future is far from a definitive one, a...

There are a lot of questions surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason and perhaps the biggest involves the point guard position. Both D’Angelo Russell and Dennis Schroder are free agents this summer and while it is believed the team wants to bring latter back, the future of the former is a bit more unclear. Things seemed to be pointing in a more positive direction between the two sides until Russell’s showing in the Western Conference Finals. Russell averaged just 6.3 points on 32.3% shooting in the series loss to the Denver Nuggets. While the Lakers could simply let Russell walk this summer, that would mean losing an asset for nothing and it seems as if According to Would Phoenix take Russell for Paul? The Suns held discussions with the Timberwolves regarding Russell prior to the trade deadline, sources told Yahoo Sports, before Minnesota found a new home for him with the Lakers. Phoenix also coveted Wolves center Naz Reid in trade talks, sources said. Russell is known to be close friends with Booker. Plus, the Lakers are said to be exploring similar sign-and-trade possibilities with Russell. For Los Angeles and Phoenix, losing Russell by free agency or waiving Paul would sacrifice a $30 million salary slot that feels all the more precious while staring down a daunting new second tax apron in the league’s upcoming collective bargaining agreement. These decisions are not ones to make on a whim, and that’s why Phoenix and Paul have begun discussing different altern...

2022-23 Season Summary: When Austin Reaves was on the basketball court, the Lakers were a better team. Period. We know the backstory: the hard-working kid from a small town in Arkansas was hardly recruited despite multiple state titles, then went undrafted after four years of college ball. Yet, after a promising rookie year for LAL, he posted a fantastic sophomore season that saw him make huge gains in multiple areas. After elevating himself from a two-way deal into a fully-guaranteed contract as a rookie (7.3 ppg,1.8 apg, 23.2 mpg), Reaves started his second season as the most impactful bench player on the roster, before ultimately earning a starting guard spot in March. His 13.0 ppg, 3.4 apg and 28.8 mpg don’t actually tell the story of his improvement when you consider his even-better playoff production against three very good teams (MEM, GSW, DEN): 16.9 ppg, 4.6 apg, 36.2 mpg with 4.4 rpg. Able to hold up defensively at multiple positions, on offense Reaves showed what the Lakers scouts noticed going back to his freshman year at Wichita State: Austin can carry a heavy load as a primary ballhandler, creating good shots either for himself or for teammates. It’s no stretch to say that, behind stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Reaves was the third-best player on the team for the duration of the 2022-23 campaign. By The Numbers: 1,004: More total minutes played by Reaves in his second season than his first; he played 1,418 in Year 1, and 1,843 (regular season) plus 579 ...

2022-23 Season Summary: When Austin Reaves was on the basketball court, the Lakers were a better team. Period. We know the backstory: the hard-working kid from a small town in Arkansas was hardly recruited despite multiple state titles, then went undrafted after four years of college ball. Yet, after a promising rookie year for LAL, he posted a fantastic sophomore season that saw him make huge gains in multiple areas. After elevating himself from a two-way deal into a fully-guaranteed contract as a rookie (7.3 ppg,1.8 apg, 23.2 mpg), Reaves started his second season as the most impactful bench player on the roster, before ultimately earning a starting guard spot in March. His 13.0 ppg, 3.4 apg and 28.8 mpg don’t actually tell the story of his improvement when you consider his even-better playoff production against three very good teams (MEM, GSW, DEN): 16.9 ppg, 4.6 apg, 36.2 mpg with 4.4 rpg. Able to hold up defensively at multiple positions, on offense Reaves showed what the Lakers scouts noticed going back to his freshman year at Wichita State: Austin can carry a heavy load as a primary ballhandler, creating good shots either for himself or for teammates. It’s no stretch to say that, behind stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Reaves was the third-best player on the team for the duration of the 2022-23 campaign. By The Numbers: 1,004: More total minutes played by Reaves in his second season than his first; he played 1,418 in Year 1, and 1,843 (regular season) plus 579 ...

Rob Pelinka has made it clear that he wants to keep the core of the Keeping those free agents is sensible. They are mostly young and coming off of a trip to the Western Conference finals. But the Lakers got swept by the The Lakers are far more flexible on that front this summer than they have been in years past, and they can thank the moves Pelinka made at the deadline for that. He used the expiring contracts of Pelinka would surely prefer to use that package to land a star. Two first-round picks and a couple of expiring salaries won't get them there unless they're willing to take a sign-and-trade risk on So let's say the Lakers decide to retain Beasley and Bamba as trade chips. What sort of players could they target with those two first-round picks at their disposal? Here are 20 names to keep an eye on, ranging from realistic to fantastical and sorted into one of five categories: The top of the market The Lakers like to go big-game hunting, but as we've covered, they lack the chips to do so effectively. Trendy offseason names like The obvious possible trade partner for the Lakers, as was so often discussed last season, is the DeRozan will turn 34 this offseason. He's only one year away from free agency, and the thought of paying any perimeter player that doesn't shoot 3-pointers deep into his 30s would make any front office queasy. LaVine is a good deal younger, but has a number of serious injuries to his name and is locked in for max money for the next four years. If DeR...

There are a lot of questions surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason and perhaps the biggest involves the point guard position. Both D’Angelo Russell and Dennis Schroder are free agents this summer and while it is believed the team wants to bring latter back, the future of the former is a bit more unclear. Things seemed to be pointing in a more positive direction between the two sides until Russell’s showing in the Western Conference Finals. Russell averaged just 6.3 points on 32.3% shooting in the series loss to the Denver Nuggets. While the Lakers could simply let Russell walk this summer, that would mean losing an asset for nothing and it seems as if According to Would Phoenix take Russell for Paul? The Suns held discussions with the Timberwolves regarding Russell prior to the trade deadline, sources told Yahoo Sports, before Minnesota found a new home for him with the Lakers. Phoenix also coveted Wolves center Naz Reid in trade talks, sources said. Russell is known to be close friends with Booker. Plus, the Lakers are said to be exploring similar sign-and-trade possibilities with Russell. For Los Angeles and Phoenix, losing Russell by free agency or waiving Paul would sacrifice a $30 million salary slot that feels all the more precious while staring down a daunting new second tax apron in the league’s upcoming collective bargaining agreement. These decisions are not ones to make on a whim, and that’s why Phoenix and Paul have begun discussing different altern...

A summer in which he’s expected to sign a multiyear contract worth, at minimum, $51 million became more memorable for the Lakers’ Sources with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly said Reaves committed to USA Basketball President Grant Hill in the weeks following The FIBA World Cup will be played Aug. 25 through Sept. 10 in the Philippines, Indonesia and Japan. Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, Mikal Bridges and Bobby Portis have also pledged to play for Team USA, according to The Athletic. Lakers rookie guard Austin Reaves was nicknamed “Hillbilly Kobe” in college for his flashy play and Arkansas roots. A look at how he rose to stardom. He ended his rookie season with 31 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists in a win in Denver. Only Jerry West, Oscar Robertson and Blake Griffin had previously recorded 30-point, 15-rebound, 10-assist triple-doubles as rookies in league history. Reaves played only 16 minutes in the Lakers’ season opener this year, but by March he was indispensable. He scored in double figures in each of the Lakers’ final 18 games in the regular season as the team pushed into the postseason. He moved into the starting lineup during that stretch, with the Lakers going 8-2 after coach Darvin Ham made the switch. He shot 52.9% from the field and 39.8% from three-point range in the regular season while averaging 13 points, 3 rebounds and 3.4 assists. Reaves made 63.1% of his two-point shots — just the ninth time ever a player 6 feet 6 or sh...