It's been a minute since the Lakers had, and kept, a first round pick. But at least right now, signs point to the team holding on to the 17th pick in this year's NBA Draft, coming in a couple of weeks. So with that in mind, it's time to bring in the experts to help Lakers fans get ready. We spoke with Rafael Barlowe, host of Locked On NBA Big Board, and the NBA Big Board newsletter to get some insight into this year's class, and where the Lakers might find good value. We started with an...

Could Chris Paul finally be coming to the Lakers? This time, for real? Wednesday, multiple reports out of Phoenix said the Suns were looking at releasing Chris Paul, which would make him a free agent. The release could take a few different forms, including one where Paul could return to the Suns for less money than he's scheduled to make next season. But he could also end up on the free agent market, where he'd instantly be one of the more sought after names. And of course, one that would...

In August, the Lakers can give Anthony Davis a three-year extension worth $167 million. The decision of whether to give it to him, or risk him potentially opting out of his deal after next season and walking as a free agent, is a tricky one. On the one hand, the Lakers will be hard pressed to find a player better than him, even while factoring in additional age and mileage. Frustrating as he occasionally is, Davis is still in the NBA's elite tier, and those guys are really, really hard to...

The rumors linking Kyrie Irving to LeBron James are pretty old hat at this point, but Monday provided a new wrinkle. Instead of Irving heading to LA to join James with the Lakers, The Athletic's Shams Charania reported that Irving has called LeBron to try and get him to come to Dallas. He's got a fan club there, including Irving, Mavs star Luka Doncic, their coach in Jason Kidd, and more. But while Charania's report got everyone's attention, and fast, the actual mechanics of getting James to...

Few, if any, players across the NBA made themselves more money this season (and particularly this postseason) than Austin Reaves. Eligible for a 4 year, $52 million deal from the Lakers, Reaves has definitely established market value that goes well beyond that. Around the league, he can receive an offer for the same four years, up to about $100 million. The catch - most of a contract that big wold be backloaded. Reaves can only make about $25 mil over the first two years, meaning a "poison...

In any offseason, the question of payroll and taxes is always a question for the Lakers, who have been known to be far more cost-conscious than teams of their market size and value typically are. It's not that they don't spend a lot on players - they obviously do - but they have limits teams like the Clippers and Warriors might not. So now that the NBA's new CBA has put punitive penalties for high spending teams, measures that go well beyond just demanding more money and causing real pain...

It didn't exactly end well, but according to longtime NBA reporter/writer/podcaster Howard Beck (known in these parts as "The Great" Howard Beck), it's hard to call this season anything but a success for the Lakers. Especially, he says, when you consider where things started at the beginning of the year, and where they finished. Yes, as things improved Lakers fans got greedy - it's what fans do - and the team had a legitimate chance to reach the Finals. But from 2-10 to the Western Conference...

It might have been a holiday across the US this weekend, but that doesn't mean it was a holiday for the NBA's rumor mill. To wit: Marc Stein, on his Substack, reports that the Dallas Mavericks have zero interest in building a sign-and-trade around D'Angelo Russell that would result in Kyrie Irving finding his way to Los Angeles. Now, the Mavericks certainly have no incentive to make any interest public (would be horrible for their flexibility/negotiating position), but at the same time, the...

While a lot of the attention (understandably) around LeBron James following the season ending Game 4 loss to the Nuggets earlier this week was centered on the whole "I might retire" thing, James also had other interesting stuff to say. Notably, he told ESPN's Dave McMenamin that should he decide to come back and play next year (which is where most would put their money, even if some aren't taking the possibility of retirement seriously enough), he believes a full summer of rest and rehab of...

It's hard to argue the following: No Lakers player took more blame for the sweep at the ends of Denver than D'Angelo Russell. Of all the key players the Lakers need to make decisions about this summer, most fans look at D'Angelo Russell as the player they have the least interest in keeping. The reasons are pretty simple. Love him or hate him as a player, nobody would argue Russell showed out against the Nuggets. He was bad, and the Lakers suffered for it. Was he bad throughout the...

The big news setting the table for this Lakers' offseason came Monday night, after the team lost to the Nuggets in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, and LeBron James indicated he's considering retirement. Like for real. Now maybe it's a leverage play, maybe it's just the fatigue (and the likely need for foot surgery) talking. But maybe he really is mulling it over (a possibility that too many are underselling). One thing, though, was clear at Tuesday's exit interviews - Rob Pelinka,...

After the Lakers were eliminated Monday in Game 4 against the Nuggets, LeBron James finished his press conference with a somewhat cryptic message. "We'll see. We'll see what happens going forward. I don't know. I don't know. I've got a lot to think about to be honest," James said. "Just for me personally going forward with the game of basketball. I've got a lot to think about." Obviously that sounds like a guy who is considering retirement, and Monday he certainly played like a guy who might...

There was actually a decent amount to like in Monday's 113-111 loss in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals at the Crypt against the Nuggets. The Lakers, led by LeBron James (40 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists, 48 minutes), played through the tape. They did not quit, even while understanding that a win on Monday likely wouldn't have a happy ending overall. Unfortunately, there were too many things not to like. Anthony Davis did not provide nearly enough as LeBron was leaving everything...

It took a few minutes, but Darvin Ham had finally seemed to build up a little bit of goodwill with Lakers fans through the first two rounds of the playoffs. Well, a big chunk of that has been eaten away by the results of the first three games of the team's Western Conference Finals series against Denver. Facing an 0-3 hole and the chances of getting swept tonight at the Crypt in Game 4, scrutiny has again returned in a big way. Is Darvin making the right moves? Is he pushing the right...

The Lakers had to win Game 3 at Crypto.com to keep any reasonable hopes for the season alive. The Nuggets clearly had no interest in giving the Lakers any hope. Jamal Murray picked up right where he left off after Thursday's absurd fourth quarter pushed the Nuggets to victory in Game 2, lighting the Lakers up in the first quarter Saturday to give Denver a big early lead. The Lakers did what they could to fight back, but were playing uphill for the entire game, and simply didn't have the juice...

As it was in Game 1, the Lakers gave themselves a great chance to win Game 2 in Denver and tilt the series in their favor heading back to LA for Saturday's Game 3. And as it was in Game 1, the Lakers fell short, this time losing 108-103. But while the results were the same, how they got there was very different. The Lakers built and early lead, but couldn't maintain it. Anthony Davis, who was great in Game 1, was definitely not in Game 2. 4-15 from the floor, and while he did block four shots...

The Lakers played essentially two different games on Wednesday in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals - a small lineup game that put them in a big hole, and a large lineup game that helped them climb out. And while it wasn't enough to actually win, many wonder if the Lakers found a formula they can use in tonight's Game 2 in Denver. Will Rui Hachimura spend a lot of time guarding Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, helping Anthony Davis roam the paint more actively as a help defender? It worked on...

The Lakers were thoroughly outplayed early in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Nuggets in Denver, falling behind by 12 after the first quarter, and 18 at the half. It was a matter of execution—the Nuggets were razor sharp, and playing with tremendous energy—and it was a matter of lineups—the Lakers went small with three guards, and had trouble matching up with a large Denver squad—and all told, it looked like a game that the Nuggets would run away with. Not so fast! The...

The Denver Nuggets have been the best team in the Western Conference all season long. The Lakers were a dumpster fire-turned-contender at the deadline and have been among the NBA's best since reshaping their roster. Both teams have made it through the first two rounds in (by NBA standards) relatively easy fashion. So in this rematch of the 2020 Bubble Western Conference Finals, who has the advantage as the series opens tonight in Denver? The Nuggets are more rested, enjoying the benefits of...

All things considered, we really haven't had a lot of time to learn about these Lakers. Yes, some of the team has been there all year, but the crew we've seen in the playoffs is a creation of the trade deadline, and even then the number of games played with the core together has been limited by injuries to LeBron James, Anthony Davis and D'Angelo Russell. So while we likely won't see a true top end for this team that would come with a training camp and a season of seasoning, there is...

The Lakers took a lot of the drama out of Friday's closeout game at the Crypt against Golden State, getting out on a big run in the first quarter and never letting the lead get away. A 10 point lead at the half was stretched out in the third, and the Warriors never really threatened after. Final score, 122-101. Lakers win the series 4-2, and will advance to face the Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals starting Tuesday in Denver. This was a great game for the Lakers. LeBron James got off...

When Anthony Davis left the floor, and then the arena, following that big fourth quarter forearm to the head from Golden State center Kevon Looney, it was reasonable to think that he might not play in Game 6 Friday night. Or even Game 7, if the series went back to San Francisco on Sunday. It was incredibly deflating in the moment, for the Lakers as a team, and definitely for Lakers fans. Good news! He's gonna play. Davis didn't even have to enter the league's concussion protocol. So whatever...

There was always a good chance the Lakers could lose Game 5. Golden State wasn't just facing elimination, down 3-1 in the series, but perhaps the end of their championship era, with talk of summer time changes in the air should they be eliminated. The Lakers could always lean in on Game 6 Friday at Crypto.com. So the final score (121-106) isn't necessarily a big deal. How they lost? Oh yeah, that's a problem. Anthony Davis absorbed a careless forearm from Warriors center Kevon Looney about...

The Lakers have a 3-1 lead over Golden State in this Western Conference Semi-Final. They won the regular season series 3-1. So at this point, it's fair to say they understand how to play against the Warriors, and are a really bad matchup for them in the same way the Clippers are a bad matchup for the Lakers. That said, the Warriors will be playing for their season tonight in San Francisco, and depending on who you listen to, potentially even the opportunity to extend this group's window into...