Welcome back, Dwight Howard. That’s right, after the Lakers scooped up a former Lakers sharpshooter and another former Lakers 3-and-D wing and champion, Rob Pelinka and crew kept that vibe going by bringing back Dwight as a free agent from the 76ers:

I’m not going to spend a lot of time discussing Dwight’s game as we should all be very familiar with that by now. Last season in Philly backing up Joel Embiid featured pretty much the exact type of play (and to the same level) that Dwight showed for the Lakers in their 2019-20 season that ended with a title. So, expect the same rim running, defensive minded, rebound chasing, lob catching big man who left the Lakers a year ago.

That type of player should be very useful, too. While a big like Gasol — who is still under contract for next season, by the way — offers an element of perimeter spacing and passing, the Lakers sorely missed the physicality, shot blocking, and vertical spacing that a player of Dwight’s type brings. Having him back in the fold, particularly in lineups that feature one of LeBron or Russ as a P&R partner or as the recipient of dump off passes should help offensively and as a defensive anchor to protect the rim and help generate more transition chances.

So, welcome back Dwight. It’s great to have you back in the fold.

The post Lakers to Bring Back Dwight Howard in Free Agency appeared first on Forum Blue And Gold.

After reportedly agreeing to a free agent contract Trevor Ariza, the Lakers moved fairly quickly to add another former Laker when they agree to terms with shooting guard Wayne Ellington.

If Ariza is the prototypical 3-and-D player, Ellington is much more of a 3-and-more 3’s type of guy. Ellington shot 42.2% on six attempts from behind the arc for the Pistons last season and is a career 38.2% shooter from distance. He’s someone who can get hot from the arc and can hit 3’s in a variety of ways, not just as a standstill guy who will only be able to spot up. Some of you probably remember his early season game vs. the Lakers as an example of how quickly he can get it going and what that looks like:

The thing that stands out to me about those clips is that it features a pet action that will surely come in handy for the Lakers: the guard to big screen that flows into a 3-pointer. In the same way that Ellington set those screens for Blake Griffin and then popped into open space to get off his jumper, I expect him to run similar actions with LeBron and even Westbrook.

That ability to screen and then flare into open space, set your feet, then pivot into squaring your shoulders for shot isn’t easy, but it’s something that Ellington can do pretty well. Add that to the more conventional 3’s he’s sure to get when playing next to any combination of Russ, LeBron, and AD and it’s fair to expect Ellington to feast on some of the highest quality shot attempts he’s had in his career.

Of course, like Ariza, Ellington is only available for for the salary the Lakers will pay him because of the holes and flaws in his game. Ellington is not a good defensive player and will be targeted by teams, particularly in the playoffs. He will compete on that end of the floor, but at only 6’4″ and around 200 pounds, he doesn’t have great size and can be taken advantage of on switches and by bigger wings. Further, against shiftier or explosive ball handlers, he can be beaten at the point of attack in ways that compromise your entire team defense.

He’s also not a ball handler or a shot creator for his teammates, so his offensive utility is pretty much limited to his ability to hit shots. If his shot isn’t falling, he’ll have some gravity to occupy defenders, but, as the saying goes, “it is a make or miss league” and for Ellington to be a positive contributor, he’ll have to hover at around 40% from deep on good volume.

That said, he’s more than capable of doing that. Whether the Lakers will have enough helpful defensive players to hide him or whether he proves more competitive defensively in the right matchups is another story entirely. But, if those things do happen, the Lakers could end up getting tremendous value out of Ellington this season. Time will tell, but I’m fairly excited about getting him in the fold to fill a role as a bench shooter.

The post Lakers to Sign Wayne Ellington in Free Agency appeared first on Forum Blue And Gold.

After agreeing to a trade for Russell Westbrook on draft day, the Lakers entered free agency with a slew of open roster and rotation spots that needed filling. And while free agency started with a whir that saw the Lakers sitting things out (their limited spending power had a lot to do with it), within a few hours, we got our first piece of news. The Lakers were signing Trevor Ariza, most recently of the Miami Heat:

Lakers fans are, of course, very familiar with Ariza after he won a title with the team over a decade ago when the Kobe/Pau led team beat the Orlando Magic back in 2009. A year later, in a contract spat that saw then GM Mitch Kupchak play hard ball and draw a line in the sand with a starting salary starting at the mid-level exception, Ariza left for the Rockets and the Lakers signed Ron Artest in his spot. Lakers fans have missed Ariza ever since, even while loving the toughness Ron brought in helping the team beat the Celtics for the championship.

Again, though, that was over a decade ago. And, since then, Ariza has played for many a team, essentially touring the league as a 3-and-D wing who was either chasing another chance at a title or collecting a big paycheck (or both). It hasn’t really worked out for our guy, though, with his best shot at another ring falling just short as a member of the Harden/Chris Paul Rockets who couldn’t get past the juggernaut Warriors.

So now, Ariza is back, an older, less athletic, player than the one who flanked Kobe all those years ago. Much more of a combo forward now than a pure SF, Ariza can defend the wing against more perimeter bound SF’s and PF’s, but is no longer the guy you can put on shiftier SG’s or PG’s and ask him to get a stop. He’s more stout and stronger now, but gone is the blazing quickness and ranginess that he leveraged so well the last time he donned a Lakers uni.

With his added strength, he can switch more and can hold up some when taken down into the post, but it’s not something you want him doing a lot nor something you’d consider a true strength of his. You’d much rather have him making his standard rotations and using his combination of length and smarts to stay in front of his man and play fundamental defense with a level of toughness and attention to detail you expect from a veteran player.

On the other side of the ball, Ariza is almost only a spot up option now, and almost totally reliant on the 3-ball as a scorer. Nearly five of his eight field goal attempts for the Heat came from behind the arc and his FT rate was the lowest of his non-Houston years in the NBA. Said another way, Ariza isn’t someone who can fill the lane for you in transition or attack closeouts all that well anymore. He’s mostly just going to take open 3’s, hit them at about a league average rate, and move the ball if he’s not open.

In the big picture, then, this is a perfectly reasonable signing for what is, presumably, a minimum deal. Ariza can be a bench combo forward who can play next to any combination of the Lakers 3-stars and fit in seamlessly. He can defend the wing or stretch forward option that LeBron doesn’t, can play a stretch PF role next to AD when LeBron sits, and can eat on kickout passes or swing-swing 3’s on Russ drives, Bron/AD or Russ/AD P&R’s, or out of Bron/AD post ups.

Do I wish he was a little younger? Yes. Do I wish he had more juice in his legs? Yes. Do I wish he was a more consistent shooter or had even more defensive versatility than he does at this stage of his career? Yes, yes. Thing is, if he was any of those things, he’d likely not be available for the minimum and we’d not be having this conversation in the first place. So, the Lakers got a viable role player who can play a couple of shifts a night or split a rotation spot with another combo forward as the Lakers continue to shop in the free agent bargain bin.

Is bringing back Trevor Ariza some world shattering move? It’s not, no. But as a solid contributor who also offers some nostalgia while being someone who has clear big game experience and success in deep playoff runs, I’ll take it. Welcome back, Trevor. Lakers fans missed you.

The post Lakers to Sign Trevor Ariza in Free Agency appeared first on Forum Blue And Gold.

Russell Westbrook will join LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the Lakers next season. The 3rd star player the team has coveted since trading for Davis two summers ago is no longer just a hope or a dream, it will be a reality. Westbrook will return to his native Los Angeles from the nation’s capital in exchange for the #22 pick in Thursday’s NBA draft, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma, and Montrezl Harrell (who earlier in the day opted-in to his 2021-22 contract, making him trade eligible).

The implications of this move require much examination and scrutiny.¹Westbrook is not just far from a perfect player, he’s someone whose flaws in both skillset and, at times, approach can be crippling to his own team. Over the last several years his decline as a shooter from the field and the foul line have made him a less efficient scorer who can struggle to create good looks against compacted defenses. Over that same period he’s also dealt with several leg injuries, limiting his effectiveness and availability for long stretches of multiple seasons. He can also be one of the more stubborn players in the league, someone whose confidence (and, at times, arrogance and hubris) gets him into too many “games within the game” that tempt him into his worst tendencies and where his competitiveness clouds his judgment and decision making.

Additionally, and maybe more damaging, his game’s general weaknesses have been further amplified under the more tailored game plans of the playoffs. Russ’ lack of an outside shot and reliance on transition are used against him, most notably by Frank Vogel and the Lakers in their run to the title just a season ago. Vogel deployed AD onto Russ, using his star big man as a heat seeking missile who was free to roam and help off Westbrook and put out fires all over the court. Russ, who had recently returned from a quad injury, was not able to adjust and that was that. The Lakers won the series in 5 games for a lot of reasons, but few were more important than their ability to capitalize on all that Westbrook was not and the things he could not do.

With all that I’ve written above, then, you might find it weird for me to say that I’m excited about this trade. You see, for me, while I think it’s very important to understand what a player is not and what he cannot do, I find it more important and useful to focus on what he is and what he can do. I think that’s particularly true when speaking about a player as talented and as accomplished as Westbrook.

Russ, for all his flaws, remains one of the more dynamic offensive players in the league. His combination of physical tools, forcefulness when leveraging those tools, attack mentality, general relentlessness, skill level as a passer, and his ability to get to and finish at the rim allow him to thrive in the center of the action in any game he plays. Understand, Russ not only led the league in assists, he was 7th in the NBA in rebounds. He averaged a triple-double for the 4th time in 5 seasons and in his final 20 games of the regular season he bumped his averages up to 23.6 points (on 45% shooting), 13.6 rebounds, and 13.9 assists, earning real consideration for the All-NBA team in the process. There’s a credibility that comes from getting shit done that is unquestionable when simply examining his raw production — efficiency be damned.

Let’s zero in the Lakers here, though. Because for all the arguments to be made about what Russ is or isn’t, how much he helps vs. hurts, the success or failures of this deal will be determined by his fit next to LeBron and AD.

On the positive side, Russ’ presence will allow LeBron to carry less of a burden as a primary ball handler and lead initiator offensively. Russ can and will capably organize the team and get them into their sets on that end. He can create shots for LeBron both in 2-man game actions (P&R’s, handoffs, etc) and via drive and kicks where LeBron is stationed weakside in the corner or wing as a spot up guy. Getting someone who can ably make LeBron’s life easier via individual playmaking and shot creation will be welcomed and is something the team wanted (and succeeded with at times) with Dennis. Well, with Russ, I expect to see even more success in this specific aspect of the game.

Second, Russ is still a dynamite transition player and his ability to turn a defensive rebound into an open court chance is rivaled only by Giannis and LeBron in the entire NBA. This point cannot be overstated. The Lakers want to run and they want to create quick and easy shots either in direct transition or via early offense in less scripted offensive possessions. Russ helps this effort tremendously and allows Bron to leverage his own athleticism when filling the lane more often, instead of by always operating in the middle of the break. Russ will also allow AD to run the lane more freely and get out earlier on the break because of (Russ’) defensive rebounding prowess. Getting AD and Bron more transition chances and doing so while they have to perform less of a lift sounds good to me.

Third, and this is most important, I truly believe that Russ’ attack based game and dynamic playmaking ability is going to help optimize AD in ways that serve as an accelerant for his individual production. Russ has never played with a P&R partner as dynamic as Davis and in the lineups where Bron rests, the Lakers should be able to punish bench units by spamming Russ/AD P&R’s that lead to a boatload of shots in the paint. I fully expect Russ/AD to become one of the best P&R tandems in the league, with AD rolling more often for easy baskets and by cleaning up on the offensive glass, but also getting much cleaner jumpers on his pop-outs because of the pressure Russ puts on the rim off the dribble. Related, I also expect this action to be able to create good looks for all the other players on the court, simply because this action can be so dynamic. We don’t yet know who a lot of these players will be, but I can tell you they’re very likely to be open when taking their shots.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not all going to be puppies and rainbows. As I wrote above, Russ’ limitations are real and when those are pushed to the forefront things can and will get dicey. I expect spacing to be an issue that will need to be conquered nightly, possession after possession — especially in lineups where AD is playing next to another big. Russ’ up and down nature defensively will need to shift more towards engaged and active, rather than the watching and resting that has happened too often when he’s carried a much heavier offensive burden. Russ’ off-ball work as a cutter and screener will also need to go up several levels from where it’s been, particularly since his struggles as a shooter are going to lead to defenses ignoring him whenever they can show more attention to Bron and AD. Those guys can reward those efforts, but he needs to help them by being an active teammate when he doesn’t have the ball.

To think any of these changes and shifts to Russ’ game will come easy would be silly. Reality is they may not come at all. And if you’re unwaveringly down on this deal, my hunch is that it’s rooted in that very real possibility. And, if that’s your position, I get it. I really do.

For me, while I’m not ignoring those things and think they will matter, what also matters is the Lakers getting back to the simple formula that powered their run to the title in the 19-20 season and, to a certain extent, just powered the Bucks to their title: being the bigger, more physical team. Russ, for all his flaws, is a move back in that direction and not a subtle one. Because, again, there’s really no player quite like Russ in the entire league and when you add him to LeBron and AD (and how he can elevate AD in particular), the Lakers now have as physically imposing and dominant trio as any you’ll find in the league. And their collective skill level ain’t that bad either, even if there are some deficiencies there to overcome.

Whether it all works out, remains to be seen. But it’s one of the more fascinating talent plays any top level team has made in recent history. And I can’t wait to see how it all goes.

The post Lakers to Acquire Russell Westbrook in Trade with Wizards appeared first on Forum Blue And Gold.

After snapping their 4 game losing streak by beating the Cavaliers on Friday, the Lakers are going to get former Cav Andre Drummond in the buyout market per reporting from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski:

Getting Drummond without having to give up anything off your roster is, to put it mildly, a very good thing. Very smart people around the NBA can and will disagree about how valuable a player Drummond is right now. The debates about how important his rebounding are, how well his size actually translates to finishing ability in the paint, how he balances pass/shot decisions, and much more will all rage on with people on both sides of each argument.

That said, Drummond is a talented player who has made two All-Star games in his career and, at 27 years old, is still in his prime. The Lakers will literally get him for the pro-rated veteran’s minimum for the rest of this season. That, despite any arguments we can have about his utility as player, makes this a good signing. At the very least, he’s a rotation level big man with good physical tools and skill level. At the most, he can be an impact offensive player who plays more to his talent level and whose weakness are more masked when put into a better team context.

That last point, to me, is what matters most when thinking about adding Drummond. As the best player on your team, Drummond is very likely going to be an inefficient scorer whose counting stats do not translate to wins on the floor. As the 4th or 5th best player on your team, his counting stats will surely suffer, but his impact can grow as the best players on your team slot him in the appropriate sized role where the smaller asks translate to a narrower focus that can lead to a higher level of play. At least, that’s what the Lakers are surely hoping.

Whether that hope is rewarded remains to be seen. That said, I do think a couple of things in Drummond’s tool box can and will help the Lakers. For one, as much as we can wonder about how impactful his rebounding actually is,¹ I think that applies more to his work on the defensive glass. On the offensive backboards, however, I think Drummond’s impact is more real and will help the Lakers. Drummond averages 4 offensive rebounds a game. His ability to establish and maintain deep rebounding position occupies space and defenders in ways that can 1). lead to his teammates getting cleaner shots at the rim and 2). easy baskets for Drummond when a team that thrives on getting to the rim get up a lot of shots in the restricted area force the type of help that opens up free paths to rebounds when his teammates miss those shots.

The Lakers, when completely healthy, have several high level rim attackers that Drummond is likely to see time with in LeBron, AD, Schröder, and THT. When those guys get to the paint and take shots, Drummond’s work as an offensive rebounder will matter. He’ll get easier putback chances and will occupy defenders in ways that help his teammates. And when those players do end up helping, he’ll be the recipient of dump off passes and cleaner finishing chances that he’d get when playing with players like Colin Sexton, Darius Garland, and Reggie Jackson — guys who are good NBA players, but simply not the caliber of Bron/AD/Dennis.

Bron, in particular, has an opportunity to make Drummond’s life easier in ways that he’s not really had his entire career. Bron is elite at pretty much everything offensively, but two of the ones that stand out most are his ability to draw extra defensive attention and then make the right read out of those possessions with passes that set up teammates for easy scores — particularly players who can get into open spaces around the restricted area. In Bron’s 2+ seasons with the team we’ve seen JaVale, Dwight, Kuz, and Trez all benefit from Bron’s passing skill and acumen with none of them really playing the exact same style to benefit from Bron’s skill.²

To think Drummond can’t or won’t benefit in similar ways would be strange. By simply playing with Bron, Drummond should see an uptick in shot quality and efficiency offensively. I also think that when playing with AD and/or some of the other offensive threats the Lakers can place next to him, that Drummond should get cleaner post ups and isolation plays that simply were not available to him when playing for lesser talented teams in Cleveland and Detroit.

It should also be said, that Drummond does some have some individual skill that could help the team when the ball finds its way into his hands and it’s not a quick scoring chance. Drummond does have a little bit of feel as a passer from the high post and when facing the basket. While you’ll never mistake him for Marc Gasol, he’s been asked in the past to be the hub of an offense and those reps will serve him well in some of the sets the Lakers run now and the decisions they ask their bigs to make. He can pick out cutters and can operate out of dribble handoff situations where his wide frame can set good screens for his teammates.

Further, while he’s not a classic P&R dive big, he can set good screens and he can get downhill when given a lane. And while he’s not a great lob threat, he can make that play when given some room to elevate and, as noted earlier, playing with Bron will help him get some easier dive opportunities than he’s gotten earlier in his career.

That said, there are things to be concerned about with Drummond offensively and we should not expect everything to go smoothly just because he’s now on the Lakers. Drummond can have tunnel vision in the post and doesn’t show great feel as a passer with his back to the basket. His possessions skew shot too often and there’s a “black hole” element to him that will need to shift on a team this talented. Additionally, because he often works himself into disadvantageous positions, his finishing numbers in the paint beguile his physical tools. Drummond isn’t an great leaper and isn’t a great foul shooter, so his propensity to go away from contact leads to misses that you typically wouldn’t expect from someone with his girth.

Also, because Drummond is not a floor spacer, his utility on offense will almost all be rooted in his ability to play from the dunker’s spot or at the elbow. Now, the Lakers have plenty of sets that can optimize bigs from those spots. But he will not be a threat from higher on the floor, which neutralizes him as a passer in some of the team’s delay sets or when playing through their bigs above the break.

Defensively, Drummond can close possessions with a rebound, but does not often do enough to facilitate those misses with is own defensive skill and effort. While Drummond’s 1.5 blocks per game for his career aren’t bad, his effort and instincts on that end haven’t traditionally been super high. He can often be seen standing still as offensive players whir around him and, from my viewings of him, he doesn’t seem like the type of active communicator who helps create a high level team defensive structure. And that’s born out in his team’s defensive numbers over the life of his career.

The Lakers, then, may end up being a bit of a culture shock for Drummond on that side of the floor, to say nothing of the general environment of a team that hopes to compete for a title and the attentiveness possession to possession that requires of every rotation player as teams advance later into the season through the playoffs.³ Getting him to perform defensively is much more of a question mark than integrating him offensively and trying to leverage his strengths on that end will be much harder.

The good news is that, once this team is whole, I’d expect him to play significant minutes next to some of the team’s best defensive players who can help him raise his baseline level. Lineups next to Bron, AD, Dennis, KCP, Caruso, and Kuz could make his life easier on that end of the floor. They can help cover up some of his mistakes and the general asks of him should be lower, particularly when paired with Bron and AD. That said, those guys will not be back for a while and Drummond will need to tread water as the backline defender in groups in which is physical presence will need to actively help the team on that end. From his history, it’s more than fair to question that he’s up to the task. I think you’ll find many people who believe he won’t be.

In the big picture, then, there’s a balance that will need to be struck both in terms of integrating Drummond and in his deployment on any given night. Reporting around his choice to come to the Lakers has noted that he’d “have the chance to compete for the Lakers starting center position”. While I’m not saying Drummond starting won’t or shouldn’t be the case, I will say that I hope his role isn’t so large to impact Gasol or Trez negatively in the big picture.

All of these guys will need minutes and reps; all of them can help the team. Vogel will need to find a way to make this work and with only 48 minutes at center a night, he may end up needing to get creative, particularly with Trez’s minutes or adjust guys’ roles based on matchups and how any one of them might be playing on a given night.

Now, that’s not the worst problem to have. But just as it was earlier in the season, the more rotation level guys you have, the harder the job can be when trying to sort through who plays and for how long. Remember, it got to point earlier in the year that Vogel ditched his 11 man rotation for a 9 man group because he was finding it difficult to give everyone enough minutes to get into the type of rhythm that inspired their best performance. The Lakers have just added another quality player and not removed anyone from their roster. Vogel will have some hard choices when everyone gets back and won’t have a lot of time to get a look at how everyone fits before the playoffs are starting.⁴

Even when saying all that, though, adding Drummond is a no-brainer. He’s too much of a talent and context of his role with the Lakers should be favorable enough that the expectation is that he would be a positive addition who helps the team. To get him for nothing but a roster spot and a minimum salary, you have to do it. Whether it goes as well as hoped will come down to a lot of factors, but if you’re asking me whether I think a LeBron and AD led team with Frank Vogel coaching can get good play from a player of Drummond’s talent and profile, I do and I think he’ll help this team in the right sized role.

The post Lakers will Reportedly Sign Andre Drummond appeared first on Forum Blue And Gold.

The Lakers announced on Sunday they have agreed to a contract extension with Kyle Kuzma. While the terms of the deal were not released by the team, NBA news breakers tell us it’s a 3 year extension worth $40 million, with a player option on the 3rd year.

The player option would allow Kuzma to enter unrestricted free agency as a 28 year old, and was likely a key bargaining point for Kuzma’s side in order to sign this deal at what is a fair market price, but at a time before Kuz can enter restricted free agency and potentially get an offer sheet for more money that the Lakers would either need to match or see him leave for nothing.

Considering all that context, this is a good deal for both sides and something everyone can be happy about.

For Kuzma, he gets some medium term contract stability and guarantees him a nice payday over the next 3 years. As a late first round pick, Kuzma’s not made a lot of money in his NBA salary (compared to his role on the team and his overall production). This deal begins to rectify that. Also, getting this deal done now allows Kuz to only focus on his game and how he helps the team on the court, removing any potential distractions on what his next contract will be.

For the Lakers, they get a good rotation player who clearly helps them on the floor locked into a contract at a reasonable price. They also forego any potential issues in restricted free agency, an area where negotiations can often turn contentious and/or put the team in the uncomfortable position of either having to pay a player more than they might otherwise or see them walk for nothing.

The Lakers are also in the position of being an over the cap/luxury tax team, so locking in a player at a reasonable price is even more important. There are few mechanisms to replace a rotation mainstay like Kuzma when you’re in the cap situation the Lakers are in, so coming to a resolution on a contract is even more a win.

Understand, as a tax paying team, the Lakers would not have the full mid-level exception to chase a comporable talent — they’d only have the tax payer’s version that comes in at a lower amount. And, even if they did have the full MLE, as we saw this year with the Harrell contract, that comes with a hard-cap on spending which creates more hurdles when trying to build out your roster.

I’d be remiss, too, if we did not mention that Kuz on this type of contract does open up more avenues for trades and makes any future moves an easier transaction. The types of trades that can really move the needle for a contending level team will almost certainly involve one or more player who is on a mid-tiered contract like the one that Kuzma just agreed to. The need for salary ballast in such transactions is a given and players who make in the $12-16 million range come in handy. Kuz is now on one of those types of deals and if it turns out that either side is open to a different opportunity via a trade, him being on this type of contract helps facilitate that type of move.

In saying all that, the Lakers almost certainly did not sign Kuz to this type of deal to trade him away, and looking at this agreement as an asset play first and foremost would be a mistake. Kuz may never be the “3rd star” he aspired to be just 18 months ago. But that shouldn’t overshadow what he actually is now — a positionally fluid 6’9″ player who has made major strides defensively (particularly when guarding perimeter scoring threats) and who is also still a diverse scoring threat who can threaten defenses from all 3 levels of the floor.

These things that Kuz already does well have real value and should not be overlooked or downplayed. During the preseason he started a game at PF and later started another at SG. He can defend 3 positions well enough to not be played off the floor and in lineups next to Bron and/or AD this has immense value.

Offensively he is a wonderful cutter whose instincts as an off-ball worker allow him to score without a play being run for him. He’s a capable spot up shooter (especially from the corners) and is wonderful attacking closeouts where his finishing from awkward angles and on the move remain a strength. Add in his work in transition and he has more than enough scoring potential to be a positive contributor; production that often grows as his opportunities do.

Does he have work to do as an on-ball creator? Yes. Can he still get too shot happy? Of course. Can certain power wings/perimeter threats with low centers of gravity bother him defensively? Yep. But no one is calling Kuz a perfect player and no player is without flaws. This is why Kuz will make $13 million (average annual salary) and not the max or even anything approaching the high teens or $20 million a year.

But this is a league where you want as many players as you can get your hands on who can capably fill a rotation spot deep into the playoffs. Kyle Kuzma just did that last season. And, with this contract extension, the Lakers have ensured he’ll be have the opportunity to do it for seasons to come too. This, my friends, is a good thing.

Congratulations, Kuz. You’ve earned it.

The post Kyle Kuzma, Lakers Agree on Contract Extension appeared first on Forum Blue And Gold.

In a move that I was hopeful could happen, but had no clue how the team could actually execute, the Lakers lured Marc Gasol “back” to Los Angeles to play for the team that originally drafted him 13 years ago.

That tweet, inspired a smile so wide…it’s hard to even put into words. The Lakers have a Gasol on their team again and it just feels right. Gasol will sign a 2-year contract for the veteran minimum, paying the former defensive player of the year roughly $5.3 million over the life of his deal.

Before we get to what this signing does for the Lakers lineup, we should try to explain the machinations that made it happen. First, it’s important to know that when a player signs a minimum contract, it normally carries a cap hit for a smaller amount. It’s a type of exception that allows teams to pay a portion of the contract with the NBA picking up the rest of the bill, allowing aging and experience players a chance to stick in the league and not just be replaced by cheaper younger guys. However, this only holds true when a player signs a contract for a single season.

Because Gasol’s deal is for 2 years, the entire $2.6 million of his salary will hit the Lakers books this year. And, because the Lakers are hard capped from their signings of Wes Matthews and Montrezl Harrell, every dollar the Lakers spend must keep them below that threshold. Which means the Lakers had to make additional moves to free up some money to ensure they’d be able to sign Gasol and still have enough money left over to fill out the rest of their roster and still stay under the hard cap.

With that, the Lakers traded JaVale McGee who, right before the free agency period opened, opted into his $4.2 million salary for the upcoming season. McGee was shipped to the Cavaliers for two players — Alfonzo McKinnie and Jordan Bell, both of whom had non-guaranteed contracts for next season. As part of the trade, the Lakers will reportedly fully guarantee McKinnie’s contract for next year, but only guarantee $580K of Bell’s deal and then waive him using the stretch provision — saving additional money to stay under the hard cap, per ESPN.

With McGee off the books, McKinnie on the roster, and Bell’s small guarantee stretched and waived, the Lakers had the room to have Gasol’s full salary for the upcoming season hit their books and still give them flexibility to sign a few more players. Credit Rob Pelinka and the rest of the front office for making this work financially.

I’d also like to thank JaVale for all he did during his two seasons with the team and for all his contributions this past season in helping the Lakers win the championship. He wasn’t a perfect player, but by all accounts was a great teammate who was always invested in the success of his guys — particularly the other big men on the team. This was especially true during the playoffs where his on-court role diminished, but his presence on the bench was always spirited and celebratory. He earned his ring and while this probably isn’t the way he envisioned his time with the Lakers ending, I’m sure he’ll have a big smile on his face when his teammates present him with his hardware when he comes to Staples Center next season.

With JaVale gone, though, it will now be Gasol who mans that spot in the rotation and I’d be lying if I didn’t express excitement about the prospects of having him in the fold as the presumptive starting Center. Gasol isn’t the athlete that JaVale is and that will show up on both sides of the ball. You’re not going to see Marc catch lobs for dunk finishes, just as you’re not going to see him meet drivers at the top of square to pack a monster dunk attempt.

What you will see from Gasol, however, is a combination of smarts and skill from the pivot, high post, and top of the circle that this team hasn’t really had since his brother was rocking the #16 next to Kobe. Marc is a wonderful passer and I can’t wait to see how he gets incorporated into the Lakers elbow series of actions or how he can be used in delay sets from the top of the floor.

The prospect of Gasol playing high/low with AD or Bron, picking out cutters and shooters from the top of the floor, or running dribble handoffs where he can determine how plays advance and keep defenses off balance has me absolutely giddy. Gasol has a career average of 3.4 assists per game and that passing talent will allow the Lakers to further expand their playbook and put both Bron and AD into positions where they can start and flow through possessions from different spots on the floor.

Gasol is also a very good 3-point shooter, particularly for a big man. A career 35.4% shooter from deep, last season he shot 38.5% on 3.4 attempts per game. Over his season and a half in Toronto he hit exactly 40% of his 200 attempts from deep, offering the type of consistent range shooting that can make defenses pay when collapsing to help in the paint. When playing alongside of Bron and AD, Gasol is going to get the types of wide open looks that he can knock down, further enhancing the Lakers offense. When you add to that his wide frame when setting screens, the separation and spacing he’s going to help generate for lead ball handlers like Bron and Schröder is going to be massive.

Defensively, Gasol is no longer the über-elite defender that won the DPOY in Memphis, but he remains a fantastic defensive big whose smarts, understanding of angles, anticipation, and big frame keep him among the league’s better defensive bigs.

He’s not going to be a major force blocking shots, but he’ll rotate early to challenge and alter attempts at the basket to force misses. He understands where to be and when to be there, skills that allow your team defense to function at a high level. It’s no wonder the Toronto’s defense was 7.7 points per 100 possessions better when Gasol was on the floor vs. when he was on the bench — the best number on the team for any Raptor who played more than 150 minutes. Further, he can hold up in the post against even the best post scorers in the league, a skill that, as was proven in the post season, can still be very useful. After all, Nikola Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic don’t seem to be leaving the conference anytime soon.

It should be noted, Gasol is already 35 years old and will be 36 in January. It’s very likely this contract will be his last in the NBA. He’s not going to be the impact player he once was and expecting that would be a mistake. He’s much more a cog in the machine than a front line contributor at this stage of his career. He’s also a different type of player than the Centers the Lakers had on their roster last year, so aesthetically you’re going to miss the dunks and blocks and raw physicality/athleticsm Dwight and JaVale brought.

In saying all that, I can’t help but view getting Gasol as a massive win for these Lakers. He’s a true C who can take the burden of having to defend physical bigs off of AD in the starting lineup, can play next to him and Harrell effectively on both ends of the floor, opens up many more avenues for the Lakers offense due to his shooting and passing skill, has a basketball IQ that is off the charts, is a great teammate, is competitive as hell, and has championship experience. He’s exactly the type of player anyone would want on their team and the Lakers just got him for the minimum. I mean, WHAT? Just a tremendous get for this team.

So, welcome back Marc. Give Pau a hug for us.

The post Lakers to Sign Marc Gasol in Free Agency appeared first on Forum Blue And Gold.

The Lakers struck early in free agency, making one of the first moves of what has been an eventful day to nab one of the most logical players linked to them on the open market, shooting guard Wesley Matthews. Matthews will leave Milwaukee where he opted out of his contract to join the Lakers on a 1-year deal reportedly worth $3.6 million.

That $3.6 million is an important number, it equals the Bi-Annual Exception amount — a number that (maybe) should have signaled the use of the full MLE later in the evening since both on their own trigger a hard cap for the team who uses them.¹

Contract minutae aside, I mentioned Matthews was the most logical player the Lakers could have signed because after trading Danny Green for Schröder, the Lakers suddenly had a need for wing defense and another perimeter shooter. Matthews doesn’t quite have the pedigree or size that Green does, but he’s from the same lineage and carries the 3&D archetype that LA was missing after sending Danny out.

In fact, when you compare their numbers from this past season, you see strikingly similar production:²

• Green: 68 games, 68 starts, 24.8 minutes per game, 8.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 41.6% FG, 36.7% 3-pt FG
• Matthews: 67 games, 67 starts, 24.4 minutes per game, 7.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 39.6% FG, 36.4% 3-pt FG

Now, if I’m being honest, I think Green is the better player on both sides of the ball. Green’s still an elite help defender and, despite his up and down nature as a shooter, I think he has more gravity and has better feel moving off the ball and creating passing angles as a spot up shooter.

That said, Matthews is a wonderful facsimile at a fraction of the cost. Matthews is a good shooter, is a smart and strong defender, is competitive, tough, and will play his role without complaint. He’s not as good a help defender as Danny, but I’d argue he’s just as sturdy (if not more) at the point of attack and his ability to hold up on an island vs. bigger wings is in the same ballpark as to what Danny provided. I might argue he’s even better at that part of defense at this stage of both players’ careers.

Overall, then, there’s nothing negative to say about this signing at all. In a vacuum, I’d rather have Green but rosters don’t exist in a vacuum. Matthews can offer nearly all the offensive production, probably 80-90% of the overall defensive effectiveness as Danny, but do it at a fraction of the cost. Those savings can be used to balance out the backcourt with that larger salary going to Schröder. In the big picture, there’s a strong argument to be made that it’s a better allocation of resources to build out a more complete and offensively diverse roster.

Welcome to the Lakers, Wesley.

The post Lakers to Sign Wesley Matthews in Free Agency appeared first on Forum Blue And Gold.

Wow. In a move that absolutely no one saw coming, the Lakers have reportedly agreed to a free agent contract with big man Montrezl Harrell, luring the reigning 6th Man of the Year from the cross-town Clippers with a two year contract:

Honestly, I’m stunned.

From a talent standpoint, this is an undeniable win for the Lakers. Trez is a wonderful offensive talent, a high level scorer who plays with force pressuring the front of the rim relentlessly both in isolation and when playing in the P&R. His quickness allows him to attack bigger players with impunity, and if you play someone smaller on him he has enough bully ball in his game to get baskets in the post.

He’s also a high motor player who will thrive in transition and on the offensive glass, simply outworking his man on rim runs and when chasing out of area rebounds or offering second and third jumps to keep the ball alive. He’s not the most physically imposing player, but, on offense at least, he can play bigger than he is through a combination of his effort, long arms, and a motor that just revs high.

For the Lakers, then, this is clearly a play to keep their offense functioning at a high level throughout the course of the entire game — particularly when you stack this signing on top of the trade for Dennis Schröder. The potential for those two to play in the P&R has to be tantalizing to Rob Pelinka and the Lakers coaching staff, and the hope that Trez can capture some of the same chemistry he had with Lou Williams has to be on everyone’s mind.

What’s abundantly clear is that the Lakers are looking to build their offense in a very specific way: get players who score at the rim and figure the rest out. We all know about Bron and AD, but to stack Schröder and now Harrell on top of those two, the Lakers are going to try to live in the restricted area and win on offense by getting the highest possible percentage shots and forcing the defense to either surrender points or collapse to the point that the 3’s they generate are the widest of wide open.

In saying all that, this signing does not come without real questions and some reservations.

On the court, Harrell had a really rough restart and his deficiencies defensively were really exploited by the Nuggets. When I mentioned that Harrell can play bigger than his size offensively, that does not show up nearly as often defensively. When you’re a 6’7″ or 6’8″ big man, your defensive ability is going to be anchored in having the ballast to hold up against bigger players banging on you and the instincts + acumen to anticipate where you’re supposed to be and then get there quickly.

These are not traits Harrell is known for. He does not have a strong base or low center of gravity, so bigger players can overpower him. And while he can show a good sense of when and how to rotate early, it’s mostly to draw charges and not to deter or challenge shots at the rim to get blocks or to force misses by meeting players at the top. Don’t get me wrong, he can do these things, but they’re not strengths of his and if you’re relying on him to be a defensive difference maker, you’re going to be disappointed. That’s just not who he is.

Also, because he’s not a stretchy player, he’s going to want to live 15 feet and in offensively, which means building lineups with shooters around him to help give him the space to operate. There’s a certain kind of lineup to use around him and while the Lakers can offer those types of groupings, it’s something to be aware of. For example, he can play with AD, but it will be Davis who has to stretch to the arc to space for Harrell and not the opposite. The same goes for Bron. In saying that, it’s not all bad, Trez will certainly benefit from the attention those players draw both as a finisher off passes and by hitting the O-glass.

I’ll add here, too, that Trez was pretty outspoken on the Clippers this past season and reports of chemistry issues on that team could be traced back to some of his comments and feelings about how that group interacted and what their priorities and how hierarchical things could get on a team with 2 elite players like Kawhi and Paul George. One of the strengths of the Lakers last season was their chemistry and togetherness and one has to wonder if Trez will always be rowing in the same direction as his teammates. I expect a team with Bron and AD will set the right tone and everything will work out on this front, but it’s worth monitoring.

I’d also add that with Trez’s disappointing play in the bubble, there were real questions about how a player of his type — mostly offense, some defense, and not a lot of size — can hold up in the playoffs. Is he a great regular season player who will need to have a reduced role in the post season? I won’t say I believe that’s the case, but, again, it’s something that is worth considering. And if it actually is the case it’s a problem. There’s no spinning that.

Lastly, it’s worth talking about, quickly, his contract. Signing Harrell for the amount of money he’s making really is a good value. Before the shutdown and the circumstances of the restart + his playoff performance, there were thoughts Harrell would command a salary upwards of $18-20 million a season. He’ll make half that for the Lakers this upcoming season. That’s really good! That said, using the full MLE triggers the hard cap for the Lakers which means they now have a spending limit they absolutely cannot go over this year.

Does that impact being able to keep KCP? Does that mean the team can only sign minimum players beyond a potential KCP deal and, hopefully, AD’s max? Will they need to unload JaVale with no salary coming back in order to open up more spending room? If that’s the case, would they need to attach an asset to make it happen? That’s a lot of questions and not all the answers are destined to be on the negative side, I know. But, the hard cap creates these questions in the first place and that’s just more variables to consider when building out the rest of the roster.

Now, in saying all that, give me this player. He’s a real talent. He’s only 26 years old and just won the 6MOY award. The Lakers are getting younger and more dynamic offensively and if they can continue to hold onto some of the defensive mentality via AD, Bron, Caruso, Matthews, and KCP I think they’ll be a wonderful two-way team whose identity isn’t exactly what it was this past seaosn, but will have enough intact to make a serious run at repeating. Which is what it’s all about, right?

The post Lakers to Sign Montrezl Harrell in Free Agency appeared first on Forum Blue And Gold.

If there’s one thing the Lakers will not be doing in this truncated offseason, it’s stand pat. While the idea of running it back always sounded nice, even the best teams are trying to find ways to improve, and the defending champion Lakers are no exception. With that, reports that the team is going to make a trade aren’t necessarily a surprise — even one that involves their starting shooting guard.

That’s right, Danny Green will reportedly be on the move in a trade, heading to Oklahoma City along with the #28 pick in Wednesday’s NBA Draft in exchange for Thunder backup point guard Dennis Schröder. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski has the report, including this key exerpt:

Schroder, 27, has been one of the most sought-after guards in the trade market, and he fortifies a Lakers backcourt that potentially could lose veteran guards Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley in free agency.

Schroder has one year and $15.5 million left on his contract and would be acquired with the intention of eventually signing him to a new contract to remain with the defending NBA champions, sources said.

The trade is expected to be consumated after Wednesday’s draft where the Lakers will make their pick at #28, then trade that player along with Green to the Thunder for Schröder. Rules dictate that the Lakers, who have draft pick commitments to the Pelicans as part of the trade for Anthony Davis, cannot trade picks in consecutive draft years, thus the need to make the selection first before executing the deal.

The terms, however, are agreed to per Woj’s report.

Before we get to Schröder, the idea of losing Green isn’t without concern. Green may not have had a stellar playoffs offensively and certainly had his ups and downs as a shooter in his lone season with the team, but he’s still a strong defensive player who contributed in multiple ways on that end of the floor. He was very good as a weakside helper, rotating well to the paint while still recovering back to shooters around the arc. He was also still a very good shot blocking guard and his ability to drop down and bother shots in the paint contributed to the Lakers being one the best shot-blocking team in the league.

His size as a shooting guard also allowed him to defend SG’s and SF’s, often times taking the burden of defending the other team’s top wing threat to save LeBron from carrying that load over the course of a long season. He also remained one of the best transition defenders in the league, and there’s few players I trusted more as the lone defender back in a 2 or 3-on-1 fastbreak chance to make a defensive play and force a miss or a turnover. And while he was clearly not the isolation or lock and trail defender he once was, his size and smarts allowed him to hold up in those situations well against most offensive players he matched up against.

Add to this the respect defenses showed Green as a shooter, despite those ups and downs, and Green was a strong net positive for the Lakers this year. He was a part of some of the team’s best lineups and was the team leader in on/off net rating during the playoffs. Part of that success is surely related to all the minutes he played with LeBron and AD, but just as those players helped him be effective, his strenghts on both sides of the ball helped those lineups perform strongly too.

Green was a steady veteran whose even keeled personality and commitment to the team over self are the hallmarks of what you’d want from a high functioning role player on a team with championship aspirations. So, he will be missed for his contributions, tangible and intagible alike.

That said, I’d be lying if I said I thought the Lakers couldn’t use his salary in more effective ways even when considering all the contributions I mention above. Which brings us to Schröder (who makes nearly the exact same salary as Green).

The Lakers need for a secondary ballhandler and offensive shot creator on the perimeter beyond LeBron is well known. Rajon Rondo proved capable during the playoffs, but relying on him to replicate that next season is a real gamble. Schröder is the exact type of player who can take on some of that burden, not only as a lead guard who can initiate offense and run a team’s sets, but as a go-it-alone scoring threat who can thrive as a self-shot creator both in isolation and the P&R.

Schröder isn’t a pure PG like Rondo by any means, but his ability to get downhill for shots in the paint or to make defenses pay by hitting pull up jumpers is a skill set the Lakers simply do not possess with any consistency outside of Bron.

There’s really not understating how important these skills are and one only look at why Rondo (and, to a lesser extent Caruso when he was aggressive offensively as a scorer) was such an impactful player during the playoffs. When at his best, Rondo’s ability to get into the teeth of the defense to score gave the Lakers a balance and needed boost as team’s paid extra attention to Bron and AD. This is a real strength of Schröder and having that tool in your box every night rather than every 5th or 6th one would be a major boost for the team.

As a shooter, Schröder’s career mark of of 33.7% from beyond the arc doesn’t scream marksman, but his 38.3% from distance last year continues a (mostly upward) positive trend in his development over the course of his career. Of further note is that Schröder shot 42.4% on 3’s taken when he did not take a dribble (aka catch and shoot 3’s) and hit 39.4% of his 3’s considered open or wide open, per the NBA’s tracking data. When you consider the types of 3’s the Lakers create for their perimter players by playing through Bron and AD, if Schröder can replicate this past season’s numbers from OKC in Los Angeles, it’d be a tremendous boon to the Lakers offensive attack.

Defensively, Schröder isn’t a top flight defender by any means and his lack of size goes against type for how the Lakers played to their best level on that side of the ball this past season. That said, I was impressed by how he competed defensively during the playoffs for the Thunder, particularly in his want to aggressively get into the airspace of the man he was guarding and really force the action to turn his man into a driver. This type of assertiveness is a hallmark of the Lakers defensive attack and if he can bring that same level of commitment during the regular season, I envision him fitting in well on that side of the ball too.

I understand there’s a lot of if’s here. If the jumper falls. If he commits defensively. Not to mention the questions of whether he maintains a positive attitude should he not start and whether the competitive streak he showed in the playoffs transfers over to Los Angeles. But, in the big picture, I see this as a gamble worth taking.

The Lakers needed another shot creating guard and Schröder is exactly that. His presence very well could allow the Lakers to do more than tread water when Bron goes to the bench and there is real potential for a Schröder/AD P&R to be the type of dynamic action you can build a 2nd unit offense around. When you add in the fact that he has the potential to be someone who, like Rondo, can actually find ways to share the floor in productive lineups with Bron and AD, the overall boost to the Lakers offense could be exponential.

I get there will be defensive questions and with Green heading out the door, the need for more size on the wing becomes a bigger priority in free agency than it was before this deal materialized. That said, I’ll take that chance. Particularly with Bron and AD anchoring, more potential growth from Kuzma coming, a wildcard in THT, and players like Caruso and KCP showing they’re willing to battle on that end of the floor vs. any opponent.

Fact is, there are rarely perfect trades and that’s especially true when swapping one role player for another. But, the Lakers have filled a glaring hole and have enough in house and the spending power in free agency to still fill out their roster in ways that limit their exposure. In other words, I’ll take it. Welcome to L.A. Dennis Schröder. And thank you for all your contributions, Danny Green — you helped win this organization a championship and I won’t be forgetting that anytime soon.

The post Report: Lakers to Trade Danny Green for Dennis Schröder appeared first on Forum Blue And Gold.