Lakers Rumors: LeBron James, Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, More
In this week’s episode of The Fast Break Podcast, Fastbreak on FanNation NBA insider and reporter Brett Siegel is joined by Ryan Ward from Lakers Nation to discuss all things relating to the Los Angeles Lakers, who are in the midst of fighting for playoff and Play-In Tournament positioning in the Western Conference last in the season.
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LeBron James Injury Update & Status For Remainder of Season [2:07]
Suffering a right foot injury on February 26 against the Dallas Mavericks, LeBron James has not played since for the Lakers with what the team is calling “right foot soreness.” Other than an initial medical update on March 2 saying that LeBron will be re-evaluated in approximately three weeks, Los Angeles has not said much about James’ status.
Ryan Ward discussed the timetable for LeBron James’ potential return before the end of the regular season and how this team’s style of play will need to adjust should he return ahead of the playoffs.
Ward [3:02]: “He’s been on the injury report since the beginning of the season really. It’s been the same thing in regards to his injury being a sore foot. First of all, I was baffled at the fact that he kept playing after he heard a pop. I don’t know who does that, it doesn’t even make any sense… I don’t think he is going to come back until the playoffs to be honest. It is all trending in that direction and they don’t really seem to need him right now, which is crazy to say, but it seems like they need Anthony Davis more right now.”
Ward [4:14]: “With LeBron, his injuries are always mysterious and then he comes running out of the tunnel and he’s fine, so who knows when he actually comes back. Those reports the other day were a little concerning though, as it is almost like they’re totally comfortable with the fact that he could be done for the rest of the regular season.”
D’Angelo Russell’s Long-Term Future In Los Angeles [7:47]
Coming back to the Lakers at the trade deadline this year in the three-team deal that resulted in Los Angeles giving up Russell Westbrook, D’Angelo Russell has been fantastic. Russell’s ability to not only be a primary facilitator, but playmaker and scorer as well has really opened up things for the Lakers’ offense with LeBron James out.
D’Angelo Russell’s long-term future though remains a question mark, as he is in the final year of his current contract and is set to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer. Dropping hints lately in regards to wanting to remain in Los Angeles long-term, the Lakers now have a decision to make about if Russell will be that “third key talent” alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis for the foreseeable future. [7:47]
Siegel: How good has D’Angelo Russell been? No disrespect to Russell Westbrook, but this is the Russell that the Lakers should have traded for two years ago! To me, the biggest X-factor from Russell’s play has been his ability to have his opponents defending him on their heels because of his abilities to get downhill and also just pull up from anywhere. His three-point has positively impacted Los Angeles and his craftiness opens up avenues for the Lakers’ offense.
Ward: I covered him when he was a rookie here and I’ll be honest, I had never seen a more immature player ever and I was kind of shocked by that, especially because of Kobe [Bryant] being in the locker room. When Russell was gone, it was sort of like a relief, but then when they traded for him this year, I was shaking my head and wondering what they were doing. The Lakers had already known how this guy could be in terms of immaturity and kind of not caring, but then he slid in this year and has been the perfect piece for this team. He just makes total sense, he’s extremely confident and he really doesn’t let anything bother him. I just think he’s grown to a point where I can’t believe how good he is now. He’s accepted the fact that he is not going to be a superstar talent and he just plays really well in the role his team needs of him. If he stays this way and they re-sign him, which all indications point towards them reaching a new long-term agreement, he could be here for a long time and be the perfect fit for the Lakers.
Siegel: D’Angelo Russell has been dropping hints of wanting to sign with the Lakers long-term and after the small sample size we’ve seen of him in Los Angeles this season, it definitely makes sense for the two sides to want a new deal. They have to keep him around. His abilities to play with or without the ball is exactly what the Lakers have been needing next to Davis and LeBron. He seems happy to be in Los Angeles again and like you said, you can see the maturity over the years. He’s now a veteran leader and another veteran voice in the locker room for this team. D’Angelo Russell is the perfect complimentary star for this team.
What To Expect In Free Agency/Offseason: Malik Beasley [11:31]
The Lakers have some big decisions to make heading into the offseason, as other than LeBron James and Anthony Davis, only rookie guard Max Christie and Davon Reed have guaranteed deals for next season.
Malik Beasley has a team option, Jarred Vanderbilt’s contract is partially-guaranteed, Mo Bamba’s contract is non-guaranteed and Lonnie Walker, Rui Hachimura and other key parts of this roster will be free agents.
Brett and Ryan went over the Lakers’ options this offseason in free agency, focusing on who the team will and won’t retain starting with Malik Beasley. [11:31]
Siegel: Malik Beasley is a key three-point shooting weapon the Lakers acquired in that same trade in which they added the likes of D’Angelo Russell and Jarred Vanderbilt. Beasley has played his role well, he’s a high-level three-point shooting threat on the wing and he’s been starting to heat up over his last couple of games. That $16.5M team option he has for next season is a question mark for the Lakers because they could opt out of Beasley’s deal and look to restructure things on a new contract, but I tend to believe they will be keeping him around on that option and then talk about a long-term deal during the offseason or midseason next year.
Ward: I definitely think he’s what they have been missing for a long time. He’s a consistent shooter and someone they know can get really hot from three-point range. I think he is a key piece to this team, but a lot of his contract situation depends on what happens with Davis and James. There are so many questions surrounding the future of this team and the crazy thing is that we are talking about how good they have played since the All-Star break and yet they are not even at .500! Assuming something crazy doesn’t happen in terms of one of those two stars leaving, I tend to believe they should keep him on that team option as well.
What To Expect In Free Agency/Offseason: Jarred Vanderbilt [13:37]
Siegel: Jarred Vanderbilt is another key name that the Lakers have to make a decision on in the offseason. He will not be a free agent, but his contract is only partially guaranteed for $300,000 and becomes fully guaranteed at the end of June. There’s no question here, the Lakers need to keep Vanderbilt because he has been everything they have been lacking at the forward position. He can guard out on the perimeter, he can guard in the post, he’s a secondary rebounding threat and to me, Vanderbilt’s impact is in terms of disrupting passing lanes, causing turnovers and running in transition, something that helped the Lakers win their recent championship in 2020. Him stepping up with LeBron being out has been huge for this team and I really don’t think they are in the position they are if they do not get him at the trade deadline.
Ward: People will flip out if they do not keep Vanderbilt, especially at the price of his contract. He’s a stud, in every sense of the word, on the basketball court. You don’t find guys who can play both sides of the ball like he can anymore and when you do, you have to keep players like this. I think they will do everything in their power to keep him and honestly, I don’t think it will be that difficult.
What To Expect In Free Agency/Offseason: Rui Hachimura, Mo Bamba, Lonnie Walker IV [15:12]
Siegel: Originally, the Lakers’ thought process was to keep Rui Hachimura long-term when they made the move for him, but with Vanderbilt’s emergence, I don’t necessarily see this being the case anymore. Lonnie Walker has fallen out of the rotation in recent weeks and Mo Bamba’s injury, plus his high price tag on his current contract entering the offseason, has really brought his value to the Lakers down as well. All three guys could be on the move in the offseason, especially if Hachimura isn’t willing to accept a lower rate on a new contract.
Ward: Keeping Hachimura around long-term is a tricky situation. Anything can shift over the final stretch of the regular season, but I would say that Rui is trending down right now. I think it is a foregone conclusion that Lonnie Walker is gone in the offseason and I am not even sure why they got Mo Bamba. He’s done nothing and he’s out for the remainder of the regular season, so for $10 million or however much they have to pay him, he’s definitely a contract the team will get out of.
Pending Free Agency For Austin Reaves [18:00]
Other than LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves may just be the most beloved player on the Los Angeles Lakers’ roster. Now in his second season with Los Angeles after going undrafted in 2021, Reaves has continued to show out in his bench role and has continued to prove his worth for this organization.
Losing Alex Caruso in free agency a couple of summers ago, the Lakers may not be able to afford making the same mistake with Reaves this upcoming offseason.
Ward [18:34]: “He’s so savvy. It is going to sound weird to compare him to Luka Doncic, but they are similar in the sense that they play at their own speed and it works for them. Reaves just seems to get better every game and I am just blown away by his confidence. You rarely see this kid struggle and if he does, he just seems to make up for it at the end of the game or at some point. He’s always got one big or two big plays in him every night. If they let him go, doing the same thing they did with [Alex] Caruso, heads are going to roll. People will flip out.”
Ward [19:45]: “They have to keep Austin Reaves, otherwise I am going to have no idea what this team is doing. It’s one of those situations that seems to make perfect sense in regards to keeping him around, but the Lakers may go in a different direction for whatever reason because at the end of the day, everything starts with Anthony Davis and LeBron James. If they decide to shock everyone and move one of those guys, that could just change the whole mindset with extending Reaves. He’s going to get paid one way or another whether it’s from Los Angeles or a different team, I’ll put it that way.”
