News 'n Views - June 2016: Lakers prepared for another summer of rejection

[lakersfreak]

ESPN Analytics Project Brandon Ingram As The Top Player In 2016 NBA Draft
by Trevor Lane - lakersnation.com

Duke’s Brandon Ingram is certainly an impressive talent. He’s 6’9″ but somehow glides to the basket smoothly and effortlessly. His long stride means that even from behind the three-point line (where he shoots 41 percent), the rim is only a couple of steps away. Ingram was also blessed with pterodactyl wings for arms, measuring a ridiculous 7’3″. He may only weigh 195 pounds or so, but he can disrupt passing lanes and protect the rim with his seemingly never-ending limbs.

In spite of Ingram’s impressive skill set, he isn’t the odds-on favorite to be taken first in the 2016 NBA Draft. Instead, LSU’s Ben Simmons is projected to be the top pick by the Philadelphia 76ers. Simmons’ versatility, passing, and ability to run the floor are certainly enticing, and he spent the entire college season as the favorite to be the first player off the board.

However, according to ESPN Analytics Specialists Sharon Katz and Paul Sabin, the belief that Simmons is the best prospect in the draft is wrong:

Despite the consensus among scouts, these projections question whether Simmons is truly the best player in the class. Ingram has the highest draft grade, based on total projected SPM, and he is most likely to play at the level of an All-Star or starter during his first five seasons.

That Ingram rates so highly shouldn’t be that surprising considering his skill set and age (he is 14 months younger than Simmons), but it is a bit jarring nonetheless. With the draft less than two weeks away, almost everyone has had the Sixers locked in on Simmons. Though the analytics believe Simmons has nearly as much upside as Ingram, they believe it comes with a greater risk:

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[lakersfreak]

Buddy Hield learning all the “little things” from Kobe Bryant
by Gary Kester - lakersoutsiders.com

Just about everyone believes that the 2016 NBA Draft truly starts with the No. 3 overall pick, because the top two selections appear to be a foregone conclusion at this point.

All signs have indicated that the Philadelphia 76ers will select Ben Simmons out of LSU with the No. 1 pick, leaving Brandon Ingram for the Los Angeles Lakers at No. 2.

Even if the Lakers have their sights set on whoever is left after the first pick between Simmons and Ingram, they are still completing their due diligence with some of the other top prospects in this year’s draft class.

Ingram received the first team workout of that group, followed by California’s Jaylen Brown and Kentucky’s Skal Labissiere. Next up on the list appears to be Oklahoma scoring sensation, Buddy Hield. The Lakers reportedly have a workout scheduled with Hield, but he has been working out with arguably the greatest player in the franchise’s history already in Kobe Bryant.

Hield sat down with former Laker Rick Fox in an interview to discuss preparing for the draft and his journey to this point. When asked about training with the Lakers legend, Hield shed some light on what knowledge Bryant has passed along to him so far.

“Just mentally, being focused,” Hield said. “Lock in the little things, you know. Setting your man up, jabbing, how you can create space, you know. How to use the fadeaway jump shot; he teaches me how he squares his body when he uses the fadeaway jump shot, so little things like that helps me.”

Bryant noticed Hield’s and Ingram’s games when he saw them firsthand at the NCAA tournament back in March, and took a liking to both of them. If Hield wants to perfect the art of the fadeaway jump shot, he is certainly working with the right guy.

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[lakersfreak]

Hassan Whiteside is one of the Lakers’ top free agent targets
by Gary Kester - lakersoutsiders.com

The 2016 NBA Draft is two weeks from today, meaning the NBA free agency period is three weeks away from tomorrow.

With the Philadelphia 76ers seemingly locked in on Ben Simmons, many expect the Los Angeles Lakers to add Brandon Ingram with the No. 2 overall pick on June 23, giving them a long-term option at small forward for the first time in years.

If that scenario plays out on draft night, Los Angeles will set their sights on the crop of free agent centers that this year’s class has to offer. Al Horford appears to be the top option available at the center position this offseason, but also seems like a long shot to end up in purple and gold next season.

Instead, the Lakers have their eyes on another Eastern Conference center that has been linked to them in rumors for awhile now, writes Steve Kyler from Basketball Insiders.

The narrative around Whiteside has been that he’d like to stay in Miami. He’s comfortable there, has had success there and they can pay him the most money of any team in the league. Assuming that’s the offer from the HEAT, there is a better than average chance he signs a new deal. If the HEAT try to play games, sources close to the situation say Whiteside will go shopping.

There is a sense that Whiteside is one of the top names on the Lakers’ wish list of free agents, with the Celtics also interested. The problem with trying to peg either as having some edge over the other neglects that Whiteside could be the most obtainable free agent in the class and likely gets a lot of interest beyond those two suitors.

Whiteside would an ideal fit alongside the Lakers’ young core due to his athleticism and defensive prowess, anchoring the team’s defense with his elite rim protection.

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[lakersfreak]

Lakers intend to pursue Harrison Barnes in free agency
by Gary Kester - lakersoutsiders.com

The NBA free agency period is less than three weeks away, and a number of players are on the verge of a massive pay day.

With the salary cap ballooning to around $90 million this summer, the three tiers of max contracts will increase as well. This year’s free agency class lacks star power, but there will likely be no shortage of lucrative deals still thrown out.

Harrison Barnes is a player that will be the recipient of one of those lucrative deals, as he is set to hit the market as a restricted free agent on July 1. Since the Golden State Warriors can match any offer sheet that he signs, it will take max money or an offer close to it to pry away the 24-year-old from the defending champions.

According to Sporting News’ Sean Deveney, the Los Angeles Lakers are among the teams that are willing to pay the price needed to acquire Barnes.

Several teams with significant cap space this summer — the Celtics, Lakers, Suns, Mavericks among them — have the intention of pursuing Barnes, especially as a fallback option for [Kevin] Durant.

Deveney also notes that if Barnes asks the Warriors not to match an offer and expresses his desire to be a more featured part of an offense, the team may be inclined to honor his request.

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[lakersfreak]

How Holds, Rights Affect the Cap
by Eric Pincus - basketballinsiders.com

In July, the NBA’s salary cap is expected to jump from the current $70 million to $92 million, dramatically increasing spending power throughout the league.

Most teams will be armed with cap room, but to project how much exactly will take more than just looking at the salaries of players under contract for the 2016-17 season.

A variety of cap holds factor into a team’s salary. Some can be removed via renouncement, others are set in stone.

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[lakersfreak]

Breaking Down Julius Randle’s Offensive Strengths
by Advith Sarikonda - lakeshowlife.com

Breaking down Lakers’ power forward, Julius Randle’s offensive strengths.

Like the rest of his young teammates, Los Angeles Lakers power forward Julius Randle underwent a turbulent year in his first full season with the team, encountering his fair share of ups and downs. From starting in the beginning of the season to then being inexplicably benched by head coach, Byron Scott 20 games into the season, Randle had tough start to the season.

To his credit, though, he remained a menace on the boards and showed improvement in all facets of his game as the season went on. With D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson already getting their own breakdowns, it was only right that Randle get one of his own as well.

After re-watching some film, Randle’s offensive strengths were appropriated into the following categories:

- Ability to finish through contact
- Ability to push the ball in transition
- Mobility and speed
- Ability to rebound
- Ability to create for others

In spite of struggling with his stroke throughout the year, Randle proved to be a valuable contributor on the court by virtue of his outstanding speed and ball-handling in addition to his husky build. Here’s a quick breakdown of each of the aforementioned categories.

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[TDRock]

[lakersfreak]

Warriors players think Luke Walton will do great as Lakers head coach
by Harrison Faigen - silverscreenandroll.com

Los Angeles' new head coach's former players think his new ones are going to like him.

One of the major reasons for optimism about Luke Walton's upcoming head coaching tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers has been how positively those who he's worked closely with talk about him. It's a trend that continued when Hoopshype interviewed several of Walton's Golden State Warriors players, all of whom spoke glowingly about his time with them.

"He's a guy that played in this league for a long time, he really understands how the league works, how to talk to the players. They're going to get a lot of good qualities," said Anderson Varejao, who joined the Warriors midseason but had previously played alongside Walton with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

It was Walton's playing time with a different team that Marreese Speights cited when predicting success for his coach.

"They're getting a good young guy who knows the game, who played with the Lakers, he's going to be a big face in that community down there," said Speights. "[He's] going to get them to another level that they haven't been in the last couple of years."

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[lakersfreak]

Lakers “not locked on anyone” with the No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft
by Gary Kester - lakersoutsiders.com

Ever since the Los Angeles Lakers landed the No. 2 overall pick in the NBA Draft for the second straight year, everyone has assumed the pick would be used on one of two players.

The narrative has been that whoever the Philadelphia 76ers pass on between Brandon Ingram and Ben Simmons with the top pick, that’s who the Lakers will select at No. 2. All signs have pointed to the Sixers selecting Simmons, leaving Ingram for the Lakers, seeing as the rest of the draft class is in a lower tier than the likes of those two prospects.

Recently, there have been reports that Philly is locked in on Simmons, while the Lakers are set on taking Ingram. However, that is not the message they are sending out to agents, according to Steve Kyler from Basketball Insiders (h/t Harrison Faigen of Silver Screen and Roll).

For whats its worth - Lakers telling agents they are not locked on anyone yet, and will draft the guy they feel fits https://twitter.com/hoosiermumma/status/742092240621834240 …
1:34 PM - 12 Jun 2016

The narrative said to me was Lakers not guaranteeing anyone is the 2nd pick yet... https://twitter.com/hoosiermumma/status/742092240621834240 …
1:35 PM - 12 Jun 2016

Thats fine... and I am not in disagreement... but Lakers telling agents they are not there yet. https://twitter.com/Desmond1battle/status/742098869983404034 …
2:01 PM - 12 Jun 2016

The Lakers front office has quite the reputation of keeping things quiet, even if their mind is made up already. Last year, D’Angelo Russell had no idea the Lakers were picking him until NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced it up on the NBA Draft stage.

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[lakersfreak]

Lakers to hire Raptors 905 head coach Jesse Mermuys
by Ben Rosales - silverscreenandroll.com

As Los Angeles awaits the arrival of their new head coach, we receive a report on one of the names who might be joining Luke's staff.

Update: Chris Reichert of Upside and Motor (essentially the Adrian Wojnarowski of D-League journalists) reports he has confirmed Mermuys is joining Walton's stafff.

Original story follows:

Courtesy of the Golden State Warriors' continued playoff run, the Los Angeles Lakers have unfortunately yet to secure the services of their head-coach-to-be in Luke Walton. Around this time of year, new head coaches would be putting together their staff, helping the front office plan for the draft, and in a few weeks, preparing for summer league.

Save for the hiring of Brian Shaw as associate head coach to act as his proxy for such things, however, Luke has (justifiably) been much more interested in ensuring that the Warriors repeat as champions. His frequent contact with Mitch Kupchak notwithstanding, it is understandably difficult for Luke to execute any of the traditional duties of a head coach while devoting his full attention to his current responsibilities.

This noted, we might have received some indication of another name Luke has recruited for his staff:

Hearing Tucson native Jesse Mermuys will be joining LUKE WALTONS staff in LA...if my memory is correct he used to run Walton's youth camps

— Dave Miller (@coachdavemiller) June 11, 2016

Although he was recently let go by Time Warner Cable SportsNet, Dave Miller nevertheless is undoubtedly still tuned in to a certain degree to what the team is doing, and shares with Luke a connection to the University of Arizona that likely informed the possible hiring of Tucson-native and fellow Arizona graduate Jason Mermuys. None of the Lakers beat writers have substantiated Miller's report, but we likely will receive confirmation one way or another fairly soon as the Warriors are on the verge of wrapping up their series with Cleveland.

As for Mermuys, he was most recently the head coach of the Toronto Raptors' new D-League affiliate, Raptors 905, and played an important role in development of the Raptors' young players, surprising playoff contributor Norman Powell in particular. The prior two years, he was an assistant on Dwane Casey's bench and twice served as the team's summer league coach. The rest of his NBA career is rounded out by five years of assistant stints in Denver and Houston, and he also spent time organizing the basketball camps for both Luke and fellow Arizona alumni Richard Jefferson.

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[lakersfreak]

Buddy Hield Working Out on June 18
by Cody Williams - lakeshowlife.com

The Lakers will work out Buddy Hield on Saturday, June 18 ahead of the 2016 NBA Draft

It’s felt like a foregone conclusion for quite a while now as to what the Los Angeles Lakers are going to do in the 2016 NBA Draft as they own the No. 2 overall selection. In fact, there is seemingly little to no drama regarding the Lakers in the draft.

The consensus has been that the Lakers will take Brandon Ingram if the Philadelphia 76ers take Ben Simmons No. 1 overall and the Lakers will take Simmons if Philly goes with Ingram with the first pick. Seemingly that’s cut-and-dry.

However, a late workout for the Lakers has at least the potential to change things and shake up plans in Los Angles.

According to a report from Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times, the Lakers plan to workout Buddy Hield on June 18. That’s just five days before the draft on June 23:

Lakers to workout Oklahoma guard Buddy Hield June 18, per source. Wonder if Hield, a great shooter, is a possible dark horse candidate at 2?
11:20 AM - 10 Jun 2016

While the Lakers working out Hield, one of the best college players in the country last season, shouldn’t really come as a surprise to anyone, it’s the timing of the workout that is really intriguing when it comes to a player that can be as explosive as Hield having a workout.

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[lakersfreak]

The Lakers Potential Pursuit of Harrison Barnes
by lakersoutsiders.com

With the NBA Draft soon to be settled and the debate between Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram out of the Lakers’ hands, the next debate to ravage Lakers’ twitter is who the team should target in free agency.

No potential target is more polarizing than Harrison Barnes, a restricted free agent that is expected to command big money on the market this summer due both in part to his age and talent level as well as the huge jump in salary cap.

But is Barnes worth it? On the surface, he’s the fourth option for arguably the greatest team in NBA history. However, at 11.7 points per game, is Barnes worthy of the $20+ million annually a team will have to pony up for him this summer?

In a word: yes.

In a lot more words, Barnes fills a big need for the Lakers on the wing and would provide an instant upgrade to an 17-win team from last season (though, that won’t be hard to do).

Barnes is a the prototypical 3-and-D guy that the Lakers have needed since losing Trevor Ariza to free agency seven years ago. After the last handful of years of taking risks on players like Wes Johnson, having the injury bug bite Xavier Henry and plugging a square peg into a circle hole with Nick Young, Barnes would be the best Lakers small forward in nearly a decade (though, again, that isn’t a hard list to top).

Possibly the most appealing aspect of Barnes to teams targeting him this summer is his age. At just 24 years old, Barnes will be entering his fifth year in the league next fall. For the Lakers, his age means he can fit in with the young core they’ve assembled while his experience would make him a valuable asset.

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[lakersfreak]

Why the Lakers should save salary cap space for 2017
by Gary Kester - lakersoutsiders.com

Barring a miraculous roster turnaround this summer, the Los Angeles Lakers will not be competing for their 17th NBA championship next season.

Although the mentality of the purple and gold in years past has been championship or bust, that changes when you hit rock bottom. The Lakers finished a franchise-worst 17-65 last season, but have seen nothing but upward projection since the unforgettable regular season finale that saw Kobe Bryant exit in a way that only he could, giving us 60 more points to marvel at.

Who will take the torch that Bryant left behind? While many believe that it could be D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle or perhaps the player that the Lakers select with the second overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, Los Angeles will shoot for the stars when the free agency period begins on July 1.

The Lakers have a long history of making transactions that send shockwaves throughout the NBA, and have spent the past two summers trying to do so in free agency, with nothing to show for it. Reports have indicated that they will swing for the fences again, but how many true stars will be on the market in free agency this summer?

In terms of massive difference makers, the free agent market is extremely dry this year. Everyone will try to get in the same room as Kevin Durant, seeing as he is the only true superstar on the market this year — unless LeBron James shocks everyone and wants out of Cleveland again — followed by some talented players such as Al Horford, DeMar DeRozan and Hassan Whiteside.

The Lakers can certainly add talent to the roster and they should look to do so, despite a shortage of the star players they typically covet. And while they would ideally like to sign guys that fit seamlessly into the current structure of the roster and the system that new head coach Luke Walton will implement, an overall upgrade in talent can be considered a glaring need as well. The important part is to avoid getting tied up giving long-term money to players on bad deals. If the last two summers have shown us anything, it’s that the Lakers don’t spend money just because they can.

With an excess of $60 million in salary cap space this summer due to an exploding salary cap and a number of expiring contracts, the Lakers will have the flexibility to splurge on free agents this summer, but should they?

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[lakersfreak]

Can Lakers Avoid Jinx Associated With No. 2 Picks In NBA Draft?

by Hannah Kulik - lakersnation.com

With the 2016 NBA Draft less than two weeks away, fans of the Los Angeles Lakers are anxiously waiting to see who the team selects in the first round. While hoping for the number one choice, they were still happy and relieved when the team ended up with number two, as they could easily have lost their first round pick entirely if they had fallen out of the top three.

Given that the experts say there are two equally outstanding players in this year’s draft, in the end, it didn’t matter whether the Lakers chose number one or number two. Or did it?

It seems that every year two players are vying to be chosen number one, players who pundits believe stand apart from the rest of the potential draftees. Last year, it was Karl-Anthony Towns vs. Jahlil Okafor, with Towns winning the competition (somehow D’Angelo Russell snuck past Okafor at the last moment for the number two pick). The year before, it was Andrew Wiggins vs. Jabari Parker, with Wiggins the winner.

This year, the competition is between Ben Simmons of LSU and Brandon Ingram of Duke. Ingram, after making a positive impression at the draft combine last month, just finished his pre-draft workout and interview with the Lakers and will do the same with the Philadelphia 76ers, holder of the first choice in this year’s draft. While Ingram has been very visible, Simmons has kept to himself and did not attend the combine. He has not met or worked out for any team and reportedly has nothing scheduled.

The conventional wisdom is that Simmons and Ingram, though possessing different skill sets are comparable to one another, so for the Lakers, it doesn’t matter which player falls to them at number two. If history is any indication, it makes an enormous difference. Historically, players chosen number one have consistently excelled in the NBA while players chosen second overall have not.

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[lakersfreak]

Predicting the 10 Biggest Risers of the 2016 Offseason - D'Angelo Russell
by Zach Buckley - bleacherreport.com

Barring something dramatic, D'Angelo Russell will report to the same building next season he occupied this past one. And yet, nothing may feel the same for the second-year guard.

Russell should move up the offensive pecking order by default with a retired Kobe Bryant's high-volume game out of the equation. If sharpshooter Brandon Ingram comes in the draft, Russell could have more room to operate, and that's before the Lakers spend any of their cap space.

More importantly, he'll go from having an outdated coach who openly criticized him in Byron Scott to a modern, much more supportive one in Luke Walton.

"To me, he can be a perennial All-Star," Walton said of Russell, per Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. "He has the vision that you want your point guard to have. He sees the floor. ... If he puts in the work and is committed to wanting to be great, he can be a great point guard in this league."

Russell is a creative passer, ignitable scorer and floor-stretching shooter. He averaged over 15 points per game and shot nearly 39 percent from three after the All-Star break. If Walton institutes a free-flowing, equal-opportunity offense, Russell will have the freedom to be aggressive, inventive and ultimately highly productive.

Complete story....

[lakersfreak]

Anthony Brown Looking To Build Upper Body, Hip Strength In Offseason
by Maximo Gonzales - lakersnation.com

Following the abysmal 2016 campaign, the Los Angeles Angeles Lakers’ young core wasted no time getting back to work in the weight room, even dubbing themselves “The Breakfast Club” as regulars for early morning workouts.

One of those members is last year’s second-round pick Anthony Brown, whose season was cut short after a stress reaction in his right foot caused him to sit out the final stretch of the season.

However, Brown is now focused in on getting back to work and has even impressed strength and conditioning coach Tim DiFrancesco, who says the 23-year-old shares a similar trait to past greats he’s trained per Joey Ramirez of NBA.com

“With Anthony, the most impressive part is the consistency, the real long-term successful pros that I’ve had a chance to work with: Metta World Peace stands out to me, Pau Gasol is one. Obviously Kobe and Steve Nash. That quality and caliber of pro has a certain common denominator that you see […] Anthony has that in a way, some younger guys take time to develop that. He walked into the door with that. That, to me is the most important thing.”

DiFrancesco noted that the plan was to build up Brown’s upper body and hip strength to help him deal with the athletes that generally occupy the NBA’s wing positions:

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[lakersfreak]

Top-5 Under-The-Radar Free Agent Guards For The Lakers
by Trevor Lane - lakersnation.com

The Los Angeles Lakers are heading into one of the most important summers in recent memory. Not only must they make the correct decision with the number two pick in the NBA Draft, but they also need to do better in free agency than they have in the past three seasons.

Unfortunately, the free agent market is going to be challenging. Over two-thirds of the league will have enough cap space to offer a max contract thanks to a spike in the cap due driven by the new TV deal. Combine that with a relatively shallow pool of impact free agents this summer, and the Lakers’ chances certainly look daunting.

With that being the case, it’s entirely possible that the team will need to focus on finding value contracts, as they did last summer when they signed both Lou Williams and Brandon Bass at below-market-value (as much as some don’t agree with Williams’ fit in L.A, his contract is excellent).

I poured over the list of available free agents to identify value targets, and grouped them into three categories: guards, wings, and bigs, then narrowed it down to the top five options in each. These won’t be the headline-grabbing names like Kevin Durant or Hassan Whiteside that Lakers’ fans are hoping for, but all are dependable fall backs that won’t break the bank.

If optimism is your thing, these are guys who could be added after the big fish are already on the hook.

I stayed away from restricted free agents because historically the Lakers’ modus operandi has been to not tie up their money just to watch the incumbent team eventually match. Also, the Lakers current roster matters. For example, with bigs, I’m looking for a starting-caliber center, but at the guard spots, a quality backup will do just fine thanks to D’Angelo Russell and (almost certainly) Jordan Clarkson being in town.

Got it? Time to go bargain-bin shopping. Let’s start with the guards, in no particular order:

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[KobeButler]

[yinoma2001]

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[lakersfreak]

The Lakers reportedly aren't interested in trading for Jahlil Okafor
by silverscreenandroll.com

One deal many have speculated about doesn't seem likely any longer.

A popular speculative rumor this offseason has been some iteration of Jahlil Okafor winding up with the Lakers and/or D'Angelo Russell being sent to the 76ers. The deal hasn't made very much sense from the get-go as the Lakers could just have easily drafted Okafor last season and both rookies had solid first years, but here we are.

The deal continues to look less likely each time it's brought up, and this instance is no different.

As everyone knows at this point, the Sixers sit at the top draft slot, with the Lakers following second in what many perceive as a two-man draft. The Lakers don't have a center and the Sixers seem intent on collecting as many as they possibly can, which is an odd strategy. On the surface, there might be a fit, but there's really nothing there beyond that.

According to several actual reports, Philly preferred Russell to Okafor, but had to go with the latter when the Lakers surprised everyone and drafted a point guard. Now that the Sixers have three young centers (Okafor, Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid) and the two other prospects who could join them this years play power forward (Ben Simmons and Dario Saric), they need to free up the log jam. The Lakers, it seems will not help them do so.

This, via Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (though with the following disclaimer*):

Nothing I have heard leads me there. 76ers have been all over the place looking at options. LA not one I am aware of https://t.co/ITQ1r2gVAA

— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) June 14, 2016

The since-deleted tweet asked Kyler about a possible Okafor-to-L.A. trade, but as he says, it doesn't seem all that likely.

The Lakers seem to really like Russell, who has been working his tail off this summer. They've referred to him and Jordan Clarkson as the backcourt of the future at least once (and probably more than that), and if that's how they see those two, it's unlikely they'd let Clarkson walk via free agency or split them up by trading Russell away.

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[lakersfreak]

DeMar DeRozan Officially Opts Out Of Contract With Raptors
by Ryan Ward - lakersnation.com

The start of NBA free agency is less than a month away with a few All-Star-caliber players set to hit the open market with the intention of signing lucrative long-term deals. Although the headlines will be dominated by the Kevin Durant sweepstakes on a daily basis this summer, there are a couple of players that will receive considerable interest around the league and may be a game-changer if they change teams.

According to Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com, Toronto Raptors star DeMar DeRozan will officially join the group of unrestricted free agents after opting out of his deal a few days ahead of the June 15 deadline:

Raptors G DeMar DeRozan has officially opted out and is a free agent, league sources informed @clevelanddotcom. His deadline was June 15.
3:50 PM - 13 Jun 2016

Following a historic run for the Raptors in the NBA playoffs, DeRozan seemed to make it clear he had no intention of leaving Toronto. The veteran guard had his fair share of ups and downs during the postseason but ended his year on a high note proving he’s worth the lucrative deal he will sign this summer.

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[lakersfreak]

Draft Days: Brandon Ingram (Episode Two)
by Brandon Ingram - theplayerstribune.com

I’m way stronger than people think I am.

When people see my slim frame and they think they’re going to bully me, I just come back with a strength you can’t see.

I feel I have something to prove every day.

Video

[lakersfreak]

Ben Simmons will not be working out for any team
by Honi Ahmadian - lakersoutsiders.com

We are just about one week away from the NBA Draft and there is still plenty to figure out. The Los Angeles Lakers have the second overall pick again this summer and so far all indications are that they will be drafting Brandon Ingram come June 23.

The Duke product has already worked out for the Lakers and followed up that session by working out for the Philadelphia 76ers who have the top pick in the draft.

But the other possibility at #2 overall is taking a different approach to the pre-draft process. LSU’s Ben Simmons is billed by most to be the first overall pick in the draft and as such, the power forward has seemingly decided not to work out for anyone before the draft.

Following from Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (h/t Pro Basketball Talk):

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[lakersfreak]

Perry Ellis has reportedly worked out for the Lakers
by Harrison Faigen - silverscreenandroll.com

Could Los Angeles bring in the Jayhawks' big man?

The Los Angeles Lakers are among several teams Kansas senior Perry Ellis has worked out for, according to Alex Kenned y of Basketball Insiders. Kennedy reports that the Jayhawks center has also worked out for the "Bucks, Suns, Spurs, Hawks, Celtics, Raptors, Knicks, and Pelicans" while all teams and prospects prepare for the 2016 NBA Draft.

Ellis averaged 17 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in his 37th fourth year at Kansas, and Draft Express ranks him as the 68th best prospect in the class. That relatively low ranking likely means the Lakers are investigating Ellis for a possible Las Vegas Summer League and/or training camp invite, rather than looking to draft him with their 32nd overall pick.

Our own Kansas alumnus Tom Fehr watched the majority of Ellis game's with the Jayhawks, and he offered this scouting report on what the Lakers might be able to expect from the big man if they were to sign him following the draft:

Ellis is a bit of a tweener. He was a power forward in college, but is too small to be a big in the NBA. He is highly skilled offensively, with a great post game and developed a great jumper.

However, he's not a good defender, and likely won't be able to defend either wings or bigs effectively at the next level. He's probably going to be a guy that plays overseas for a long time if he can't make it in the NBA.

Wherever he ends up, that team's fans will additionally notice that Ellis looks, well, older than his college status would suggest. This has led to many a few joke over his 4 years at Kansas:

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