Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

Things continue to get weird, and expensive, around the NBA for teams that want off of cumbersome contracts. Reports indicate the Phoenix Suns might just buy out pricey guard Bradley Beal, and then stretch his remaining salary to open up space to sign more productive players.  Setting aside the wisdom of such a move, it would set off a frenzy around the league of teams trying to get Beal on a stee...

The Lakers did something that felt fairly inevitable, if not super popular, on Thursday, re-signing free agent center Jaxson Hayes to a one year, minimum level contract.  Is this a perfect outcome? No, and it would still be nice to improve over him as a backup to Deandre Ayton, particularly given Ayton's rather extensive injury history. But the Lakers have plenty of runway either to sign another p...

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The Lakers have a center, and he's a pretty good one. Certainly a lot better than could reasonably have been hoped at the start of the offseason. Particularly at a tidy price of $8.3 million a year, for two years. On Wednesday, the Lakers agreed to terms with former Suns and Portland center Deandre Ayton, who was bought out by the Blazers over the weekend.  Ayton comes with a lot of baggage, namel...

After promising a flurry of activity heading into the offseason, Rob Pelinka and the Lakers have been very quiet over the first two days of free agency. They signed forward Jake LaRavia on Monday, and Tuesday came and went with zero changes to the roster.  There are rumors, for sure. The Lakers are still connected to guard De'Anthony Melton, and (more importantly) centers Deandre Ayton and (in a n...

He comes with baggage, yes, but new Lakers center Deandre Ayton also comes with production.  In a down year last season with the Blazers, Ayton still averaged over 14 points and 10 rebounds a game. He's never averaged single digits on the boards in his career, and is a pretty reliable 14-18 point-a-night scorer. He's a lob threat. He's strong in the pick-and-roll, and he can hit the offensive glas...

Day 1 has come and gone, and the Lakers were quiet on the transaction front Monday, as free agency opened (officially) across the NBA.  Two big moves that impacted the team directly. First, Dorian Finney-Smith left (as was becoming apparent), heading to Houston on a four-year deal. That's more than the Lakers wanted to offer the 32-year old forward, which is understandable. They quickly responded...

A VERY busy day for the Lakers, as players and teams around the league faced a deadline to pick up or decline options for the upcoming season.  For the Lakers, the big name was LeBron James. Expected to pick up his $52.6 million option, that's exactly what he did, except it came with some very strong messaging from Rich Paul. Via ESPN: "LeBron wants to compete for a championship... He knows the La...

LeBron James is opting in, as expected, picking up his $52 million player option for next season.  That part, no surprise. What did make headlines via ESPN were Rich Paul's comments after the announcement:  "LeBron wants to compete for a championship," Paul told ESPN. "He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are v...

The Lakers didn't have a first round pick in this year's NBA Draft, but they did enter Thursday's Day 2 with the 55th pick. One they managed to red paper clip their way—with the benefit of a little cash‚up to the 45th selection, and then with one more trade, up to 36. There, they selected Arkansas forward Adou Thiero, a 6'8" (6'6.25" at the Combine) wing with top level athleticism and an insane mo...

The Lakers were (no surprise) quiet on the first night of the NBA Draft. They didn't have a pick, and didn't have much leeway to acquire one. Meanwhile, few players switched teams (with one very notable exception), so there weren't many opportunities for the Lakers to sneak into another team's deal. So what happens now?  Especially since one thing is clear: Centers are once again VERY highly value...

On Monday, the NBA's offseason center market got an interesting piece of news, when Dallas center Daniel Gafford signed a three-year extension that didn't make him trade-ineligible this offseason. Good news for the Lakers!  More good news, potentially, on Tuesday when the Celtics traded Kristaps Porzingis to the Hawks. What does that have to do with the Lakers? Well, it makes it a lot less likely...

Mavericks center Daniel Gafford signed an extension with Dallas on Monday afternoon. Initially, reporting had the contract worth about $60 million over three years, which because of the totally arcane CBA rules would have made Gafford ineligible to be traded for six months.  Bad for the Lakers, because it pulls a realistic center target off the market, and raises the price for everyone else.  Then...

Life didn't get any easier for the Lakers on Sunday.  First, the Oklahoma City Thunder won an NBA title, after winning 68 games in the regular season. While they caught a break with Indiana guard Tyrese Haliburton's horrific injury in the first half of Game 7, making it easier to pull ahead in the second half to gain and maintain a lead, it's also very likely that the Thunder are not done improvin...

So how much will this ownership change, from the Buss family to Dodgers owner Mark Walter, actually impact the Lakers? And just as importantly, when?  Those are the big questions that are yet to be answered. But early indications, delivered by reliable folks like ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, say that for the time being, at least, things are going to look pretty similar. Jeanie Buss will remain in char...

NBA mock draft madness! Who's the top pick and where will they land? Nick Angstadt and the Locked On NBA Squad dive into a thrilling mock draft, exploring potential picks and blockbuster trades. From the 76ers eyeing Ace Bailey to the Heat chasing Kevin Durant, every move is dissected. The hosts debate Bradley Beal's impact on the Phoenix Suns and analyze the Magic's bold trade for Desmond Bane. W...

The Lakers need a center. Everyone knows it. Getting one, however, won't be easy.  Earlier in the week, we broke down the challenge of filling the hole through free agency. There aren't that many good centers on the market, and the Lakers can't offer all that much money. So that leaves the trade market. And there, the Lakers only have a few genuinely marketable assets. There's the first round pick...

Well, a quiet offseason isn't quiet anymore.  Wednesday afternoon, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the Buss family is selling most of its ownership stake to Dodgers owner Mark Walter at a price that values the franchise at about $10 billion. (The Athletic reports that number might rise to $12 billion.) It's a stunning development in some ways, somewhat foreseeable in others. And the end result...

It's an end of an era.  The Lakers will no longer have controlling ownership of the franchise held by the Buss family. What started in 1979 ended on Wednesday, with reports that the Buss children have agreed to sell majority interest in the team to Dodgers owner Mark Walter at a price that values the franchise at about $10-$12 million. It's a massive number, but is the deal unexpected? People have...

There was no real expectation that the Lakers could make a play for Houston center Steven Adams. The Rockets didn't want him to get away, and certainly wouldn't let it happen for the slightly-less-than-$6 million a year the LA can offer. But when Adams re-upped with the Rockets for $39 mil over three years, it's possible the Lakers hoped that number would be a little less.  If Adams is worth $13 m...

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Sunday began with the NBA's first blockbuster move of the offseason, as the Memphis Grizzlies sent guard Desmond Bane to Orlando for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony and -- this is the big part -- four first round picks.  That is a big haul for a player who is an excellent shooter and a high end contributor, but nonetheless has never made an All-Star team.  So what's going on here?  First of...

One of the quiet underperformances of the playoffs for the Lakers was forward Dorian Finney-Smith, who essentially disappeared in five against the Timberwolves. One reason? He wasn't healthy, something confirmed on Thursday when it was reported that DFS underwent surgery to clean up a problematic left ankle. It's been bugging him for a while—he was banged up when the Lakers acquired him from Brook...

Every offseason, Luka Dončić is subject to criticisms about his level of fitness. This offseason brings plenty of that, but in a new context. This is the first time that Luka can't shrug off the chatter by pointing at his numbers. He's coming off of, for him, a subpar season. The Dallas Mavericks essentially said he's a bad bet, not worth the risk that would come with signing him to an extension. ...

Tuesday, we talked a lot about the possibility—remote as it may be—that the Lakers could acquire Utah's Walker Kessler. It's a long shot first because there's no indication that while the Jazz might be willing to listen to offers for their young big, that they are actually interested in trading him. Second, the Lakers would struggle to put a package together that would appeal to Utah (without over...