Last week, Harrison Faigen of SB Nation/Silver Screen and Roll joined the show, and we spent much of the show talking about Rob Pelinka, and the redemptive arc he's been riding over the last several months. On the one hand, he has unquestionably fixed the mess the Lakers were in. On the other, he was the one who created it. So how has Pelinka grown? Is he a different type of GM now than he was when he arrived in LA? Has he been humbled? Has he evolved? Is it a matter of gaining more...

What a mess they've got on their hands in Philadelphia, with James Harden declaring GM Daryl Morey a "liar," and that he won't play on the team as long as he's there. He wants to get traded to the Clippers, and reportedly will make things as "uncomfortable" as possible for the Sixers until he gets his wish. Mercifully, this turn of events has, other than the potential impacts on a conference rival, literally nothing to do with the Lakers. There is no rumor, no supposition, no anything linking...

Austin Reaves is the only undrafted free agent playing for Team USA in the World Cup this summer. He's one of only two players (Jalen Brunson, the other) who wasn't a first round pick. But while surrounded by some of the best young talent in the NBA (including some All-Stars), Reaves is showing that he absolutely belongs. He's playing very well, providing a real spark for the US as it preps for the real tournament later this month. For Lakers fans, this isn't exactly surprising. And it's...

The Lakers have many, many Hall of Fame players. And now they have one more. Pau Gasol entered the Naismith Basketball HOF over the weekend, and did so in typical Gasol fashion - meaning with class and grace, honoring his family and teammates and, of course, Kobe Bryant. Gasol isn't in the Hall because he is a tremendous person, but it's hard not to focus on that. He is as well-respected a player and person as you'll find in this industry. There are players who have excellent public...

The NBA released its Christmas Day slate, and no surprise, the Lakers (who are also featured on opening night against the Nuggets) are right in the center of it. A marquee time slot hosting the Boston Celtics. The NBA went for tradition in a year where both teams are expected to compete for a title. Nice. Not featured? Arguably the most challenging team in the Western Conference, and perhaps the entire league, to predict, the Los Angeles Clippers. Why? Let's break that, and more, down with...

Lakers Nation has been focused on that 14th player, who GM Rob Pelinka promises will be another big to help back up Anthony Davis. That's centered the conversation around Bismack Biyombo, and of course Christian Wood, who was with the Mavericks last season and clearly will not be returning to Dallas this year. So after extensive scouting reports on the players the Lakers have acquired, it's time for one they're interested in acquiring. Nick Angstadt, host of Locked On Mavs, joins to break...

So how good a GM is Rob Pelinka? There are very few questions you could ask of Lakers fans, and Lakers media, over the last few years and receive a wider variety of answers, depending on the date. The swings here are massive. On the one hand, he's won a title! On the other, he completely destroyed a season-and-a-half with the Russell Westbrook trade, and made a bunch of other technical errors that have cost the Lakers over the last few years. But then again, the man completely rescued the...

On Monday, Aaron Larsuel (Official Lakers Podcast, All Access Lakers on Playback) joined the show for a deep dive on Anthony Davis. Today? We hit a bunch of subjects, starting with who ought to get that 14th spot. What type of player are the Lakers looking for? What matters more, the ability to play with Anthony Davis, or effectively sub for him in the games he (very likely) misses? How important is predictability? A good discussion to lay out the differences with Christian Wood and Bismack...

Anthony Davis made news on Friday, agreeing to a three-year, $186 million extension with the Lakers that will keep him with the team—or at least under contract with the team—for the next five seasons. What is the impact for the team? How does the size of the deal, and the numbers that get published around it, reflect changes in the CBA and cost structure of the league that fans (and media) have to get used to? These are some of the questions kicked around with Aaron Larsuel, host of the...

Friday was the first day the Lakers could offer Anthony Davis a contract extension under CBA rules. It's been widely reported that both parties shared a mutual interest in getting that extension done sooner rather than later. Well, sooner rather than later turned out to mean Day 1. The Lakers and Davis agreed Friday to a 3-year, $186 million max extension that keeps him under contract with the Lakers for the next five seasons, and locks in a star for the team that extends past the (presumed)...

Thursday's show centered on big questions in the Lakers rotation. How will Darvin Ham chop up the minutes at point guard between D'Angelo Russell and Gabe Vincent? Is it really possible that Anthony Davis spends more time at power forward, which would open up center minutes (while also demanding LeBron James guard small fowards, and put a real minutes crunch on some of the team's better players) for Jaxson Hayes and/or big-man-to-be-signed-later? That conversation still left one big spot on...

The Lakers have a roster that is far more balanced than the one they had at the beginning of August in 2022. It features coherent parts that make real sense together. There is a sense of legitimate depth, as well. But with these first world problems come challenging questions about how to divide up a limited amount of minutes. Jovan Buha, who covers the Lakers for The Athletic, has a story up this week providing and early projection about who starts, who finishes, and how many minutes guys...

The Lakers, by all accounts, plan to offer Anthony Davis a three year extension worth about $170 million as early as this week. The logic behind it is sound, the arguments for waiting less so. The Lakers have a star that is, without question, capable of playing at a level only a few other guys around the league can, particularly when you take both ends of the floor into account. When you have guys like that, you keep them, and you don't screw around with it. None of that, however, changes the...

Lakers owner Jeanie Buss made it clear in a recent interview that LeBron James will have his number retired by the Lakers once his playing days are over. Whether he'll have to wait to formally enter the Hall of Fame, which is itself a requirement for jersey retirement with this franchise, we'll wait and see. (I think we can all agree it would be safe for the Lakers to raise his number before the HOF actually performs the ceremony - he seems like a pretty safe bet for admission...) So GOAT...

Cam Reddish has been linked to the Lakers for at least two seasons, whether because he's a young wing with possible upside (a commodity the Lakers have typically lacked), because he's a Klutch client (a commodity the Lakers often sign), or some combination of both. What everyone agrees on, however, is that Reddish has been equal parts tantalizing, maddening and polarizing throughout his career. At times, he's appeared on the verge of a breakout after starts and stops. Others, he's appeared...

For a guy potentially slated to make a veteran's minimum deal, the final destination for free agent big man Christian Wood has garnered a lot of attention and rumor mill grist, much of connecting him to the Lakers, who are outwardly on the market for a forward/center. But has Wood, often regarded as an empty calories, me-first scorer, unwanted among the most important Lakers? According to what Lakers Nation's Trevor Lane (joined here by LN cohort Sean "Spaces" Davis) heard while in Vegas for...

The Lakers' fourteenth roster spot remains in flux, and according to multiple reports, could be earmarked for free agent Christian Wood, a talented but highly polarizing journeyman forward/center. Why does he rub some folks the wrong way? Because other than scoring, which he's admittedly quite good at, he doesn't seem dedicated to much else, especially defense. How hard would it be to change this? Well, according to an NBA source who spoke to Dan Woike (LA Times), “If LeBron [James] can get...

The overwhelming consensus this offseason among pundits, fans, and seemingly LeBron James, was that the Lakers did quite well for themselves in free agency. At worst, they maintained a nice status quo. At best, they even improved. But was there perhaps a better route that could have been pursued, with more big picture flexibility? Anthony Irwin, host of the Lakers Lounge Podcast and Substack author, thinks so. In Irwin's opinion, the Lakers could have set themselves up better with an approach...

NBA headlines have been occupied by the trade demands of James Harden from Philadelphia, and Damian Lillard from Portland. Tuesday, NBA headlines were occupied by journeyman guard Austin Rivers talking about those trade demands. He doesn't think they're good for the game, and are contributing to what he sees as a bad deal for players in the new CBA. So beyond the philosophical questions about whether he's right, there are implications for the Lakers in how fans, media and owners view these...

The Lakers are still waiting on Christian Wood, and are still linked to Bismack Biyombo. Those are the most prominent names attached to their pursuit of a back up center. And if JaVale McGee is eventually released by Dallas, you can throw his name in the mix, too. This weekend, however, following his release by the Oklahoma City Thunder (following a trade out of Utah), a new name landed on the radar: Rudy Gay. The (very) veteran forward has, technically, filled the role of a backup, small...

On the All the Smoke podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, Austin Reaves talked about his free agency, and who exactly was courting him before he eventually resigned with L.A... Not surprisingly, it was Houston and San Antonio. Neither team ended up making an offer. The Spurs held off on any big signings, instead choosing to fill in their cap space with more temporary veterans and extensions for their own guys. Houston, meanwhile, went big with Fred Van Vleet and Dillon Brooks. But...

The Lakers are among a group of teams across the NBA interested in signing free agent forward Christian Wood. One reason? Rob Pelinka would like to sign another big who doesn't share the same profile as Jaxson Hayes. Wood certainly qualifies there, with a much more polished offensive game and a general degree of skill Hayes has yet to come close to matching. On the other hand, he makes Hayes look like a DPOY candidate. So who is the competition for Wood? How long is this going to take to...

With most of the big free agent work done, attention can turn to other important issues central to the team's future. Like what's coming for Anthony Davis. The Lakers star is eligible for a new contract extension before the season, one that could add another three years and nearly $168 million to his contract. ESPN's Dave McMenamin reports the Lakers are likely to come to some sort of arrangement with A.D. before the season starts - details TBD. Obviously those details matter, but bigger...

One of the more significant signings of the offseason for the Lakers - some might say the most significant - was Miami guard Gabe Vincent. At the very least, he was their biggest investment, at three years and $33 million dollars. He slots into the role held by Dennis Schröder, and is set to play a really big role in the team's rotation. He had a very impressive playoffs, including some particularly important moments in the Eastern Conference Finals against Boston. Particularly notable was...

Do not kill the messenger. Sunday, Sam Quinn at CBS noted on Twitter that (relaying a report from Marc Stein) the Mavericks would be willing/happy to flip Christian Wood in a sign-and-trade deal. For obvious reasons, since they could get something in return for him. Wood would clearly love that outcome, because it would mean he's getting something more than a minimum deal. And the Lakers are part of the conversation because they're one of the teams linked to Wood as a possible free agent...