<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-rumors-2027-salary-cap-lebron-doncic-free-agency');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers rumors: Los Angeles ‘prioritizing’ max salary cap space in 2027');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/lebron-james-and-luka-doncic-2.jpg"><figcaption>Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images.</figcaption></figure><h1>Lakers rumors: Los Angeles ‘prioritizing’ max salary cap space in 2027</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-30T22:57:28-07:00">June 30th, 10:57pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-30T22:57:59-07:00">June 30th, 10:57pm</time><address><a>Josh Davis</a>Josh Davis is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints with a focus on MLB. As the founder and creator of OutOfSightSports, Josh spearheads the development and expansion of an engaging social media platform, with a core focus on Twitter/X. A passionate sports writer, Josh is dedicated to delivering compelling content that connects fans and fuels vibrant sports conversations. His vision is to craft stories so vivid that fans feel like they’re standing at the plate or on the field.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/grading-jake-laravia-lakers-contract-2025-nba-free-agency">Los Angeles Lakers are once again making headlines</a>—this time not for on-court moves, but for their long-term financial strategy. According to recent reports from Shams Charania, the Lakers are prioritizing 2027 salary cap flexibility, with plans to preserve space for a potential max-level free agent signing. This forward-looking approach follows LeBron James’ player option decision and major roster changes, including the departure of Anthony Davis and the high-profile acquisition of Luka Doncic in a blockbuster trade earlier this year.</p><p>According to Charania, who posted an <a href="https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1939907387986457007" rel="noopener">update</a> on X, formerly known as Twitter, James’ mindset aligns with the Lakers’ front office strategy. He exercised his player option with the belief that the team can add the right piece to help him chase a fifth championship—his top priority—while also understanding that the organization is preparing to build around Doncic as the franchise centerpiece. However, if the Lakers fall short of building a true contender, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-mavericks-guard-lebron-james-trade-rumors">league insiders believe James could inform</a> the front office he wants a trade—potentially leading to an in-season move based on how the situation unfolds.</p><p>“LeBron James understands the Lakers are prioritizing the future… That really centers around Luka Doncic… He wants to compete for a championship wherever that may be.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">On LeBron James and the Lakers for the midnight <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsCenter?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SportsCenter</a>: <a href="https://t.co/XPK4lSo065">pic.twitter.com/XPK4lSo065</a></p><p>— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1939907387986457007?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>With James officially locked in for the 2025-26 season at $52.6 million, the player option adds short-term clarity while keeping long-term options open. This aligns with reports that the Lakers 2027 salary cap strategy centers around building a contender after LBJ’s potential departure or final extension.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-mavericks-luka-doncic-anthony-davis-trade">The acquisition of Doncic was a franchise-altering move.</a> The Slovenian superstar is expected to sign a long-term deal soon, with projections ranging from a three-year, $165 million option to a four-year, $229 million extension. It’s clear the Doncic contract will play a central role in shaping the team’s financial future, as the organization is fully committed to building a new era around him once he becomes eligible to sign an extension on August 2nd.</p><p>By shedding long-term salary and avoiding bloated offseason deals, the Lakers are clearly positioning themselves to strike big in the 2027 free agency class, creating the financial flexibility needed to eventually pair Doncic with a high-level co-star once James exits or retires.</p><p>With a combination of star power, short-term competitiveness, and forward-thinking planning, the Lakers are building around Doncic and positioning themselves for another franchise-defining splash in 2027—looking to maximize what remains of their time with James while preparing for the next chapter in Los Angeles.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers rumors: Los Angeles ‘prioritizing’ max salary cap space in 2027

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-mavericks-guard-lebron-james-trade-rumors');   ga('set', 'title', 'Former Mavericks guard adds intrigue to LeBron James trade rumors');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/LeBron-James-during-Lakers-warmups.jpg"><figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><h1>Former Mavericks guard adds intrigue to LeBron James trade rumors</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-30T18:40:08-07:00">June 30th, 6:40pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-30T18:40:08-07:00">June 30th, 6:40pm</time><address><a>Zachary Draves</a>Zachary Draves is a sportswriter and broadcaster based in the Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa. Zachary covers a variety of different sports as well as sports history, sport and society, and sport and culture. He is also a professor of sociology.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Dallas Mavericks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Even though <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-lebron-james-makes-52-6-million-contract-decision" rel="noopener">LeBron James exercised a $52.6 million player option</a> to stay with the LA Lakers, rumors persist of a possible trade. </p><p>They stem from <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-lebron-james-makes-52-6-million-contract-decision" rel="noopener">Rich Paul’s recent comments</a> that James would be open to a trade if the Lakers aren’t up to championship caliber. However, Paul clarified, saying that no trade option is available. </p><p>Among those believing James will abandon ship for greener pastures is former Dallas Mavericks guard Theo Pinson.</p><p>On Monday, Pinson <a href="https://x.com/tpinsonn/status/1939830329738457490" rel="noopener">took to X</a> to speak it into existence. </p><p>“Bron leaving LA,” he posted. </p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Bron leaving LA</p><p>— Theo pinson (@tpinsonn) <a href="https://twitter.com/tpinsonn/status/1939830329738457490?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>James will be entering his 23rd season in the NBA. He has been with the Lakers since 2020. Legacy-wise, James has won four NBA championships: two with the Miami Heat (2012, 2013), one with the Cleveland Cavaliers (2016), and one with the Lakers (2020). </p><p>James continues to defy the adage that superstar athletes typically decline in their early 40s by remaining at the top of their game. This past season, he averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game. </p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-lebron-james-makes-52-6-million-contract-decision" rel="noopener">Lakers lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs</a> in five games. </p><p>Pinson has been in the league since 2018. That year, he was drafted by the Brooklyn Nets before being traded to the Mavericks in 2021. </p><p>He has averaged 8.5 minutes per game while shooting 32% from the field. Pinson is currently playing with the Mets de Guaynabo of the Puerto Rican Basketball League. </p><h2>Why are rumors of the LeBron James trade swirling?</h2><p>Paul said that James wants to contend for another championship. This comes as speculation about his final season remains unresolved. </p><p>However, there is a no-trade clause in James’ contract. His age, 40 years old, is a factor, plus the situation involving the Lakers roster status has trade rumors fuming. </p><p>Nevertheless, James’ age could be a liability to any other team if a trade option was available. Among the teams highlighted as possible trade destinations include the New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns, and the Cavaliers. </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Former Mavericks guard adds intrigue to LeBron James trade rumors

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-rumors-deandre-ayton-strong-possibility-nba-insider');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers rumors: DeAndre Ayton a ‘strong possibility’ to join Lakers per NBA Insider');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Blazers-center-DeAndre-Ayton-2.jpg"><figcaption>aime Valdez-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Lakers rumors: DeAndre Ayton a ‘strong possibility’ to join Lakers per NBA Insider</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-30T15:38:40-07:00">June 30th, 3:38pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-30T15:56:30-07:00">June 30th, 3:56pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/ranking-4-best-deandre-ayton-free-agency-destinations-blazers-buyout">Lakers remain the top suitors for DeAndre Ayton</a> following the center’s buyout with the Portland Blazers. For many, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-pursue-deandre-ayton-free-agency-blazers-buyout">Ayton is best suited to address the Lakers’ needs</a> at center as a rim protector who can clean up around the glass. One NBA insider believes there’s a strong chance, Chris Haynes.</p><p>Ayton signing with the Lakers is <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/1939787366450757837" rel="noopener">likely going to happen</a>, according to Haynes.</p><p>“That is a strong possibility. Strong possibility,” Haynes said of Ayton joining the Lakers. “The Lakers already had a plethora of options to look for at the center position in free agency. You had Clint Capela out there. You had Brook Lopez out there.</p><p>“Now, you add DeAndre Ayton, all of a sudden, to the equation. If they’re able to land this, which again, sources have told me this is a strong possibility, you will pair him up with Luka Doncic, who was in his draft class.</p><p>“DeAndre Ayton, the 2018 NBA Draft’s No. 1 pick. Luka Doncic, No. 3. So you have the pairing on that, and I think it makes sense just for the route the Lakers are trying to go. This is Luka’s team. They want to build for him. They want to have guys around the same age that can go where he goes. I think you’re look at the future of what the Lakers are trying to do,” Haynes concluded.</p><p>After the Lakers’ first-round exit to the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games, addressing the center position will be a top priority for Los Angeles this summer.</p><p>“Free agency hasn’t started, and he has to clear waivers. He clears waivers Wednesday,” Haynes added. “All signs are pointing in that direction.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Chris Haynes says there’s a ‘strong possibility’ that Deandre Ayton joins the Lakers 👀</p><p>“All signs are pointing in that direction.” </p><p> <a href="https://t.co/OQ0pXhLKwv">pic.twitter.com/OQ0pXhLKwv</a></p><p>— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) <a href="https://twitter.com/LADEig/status/1939783053033021753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The Lakers’ trade for Doncic sacrificed their All-Star center, Anthony Davis, and his two-way production in the frontcourt. After a deal for Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams was reversed at the trade deadline due to a failed physical, Los Angeles is undoubtedly in the market for an impactful center. And Ayton makes a lot of sense.</p><h2>Kendrick Perkins warns teams about DeAndre Ayton</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Blazers-center-DeAndre-Ayton.jpg"><figcaption>Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins believes DeAndre Ayton is on his last chance after a spoiled opportunity with the Blazers. However, Perkins believes if Ayton buys into the Lakers’ culture, it could be a success.</p><p>“When DeAndre Ayton is locked in, he’s focused, he’s losing himself in the team, he’s a hell of a player. Double-double. The problem is that it hasn’t been the case,” Perkins said.</p><p>We’ll see where Ayton’s next stop will be as he enters free agency.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers rumors: DeAndre Ayton a ‘strong possibility’ to join Lakers per NBA Insider

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-rumors-the-14-1-million-silver-lining-to-potential-dorian-finney-smith-loss');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers rumors: The $14.1 million silver lining to potential Dorian Finney-Smith loss');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Lakers-forward-Dorian-Finney-Smith-17-before-the-game.jpg"><figcaption>© Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Lakers rumors: The $14.1 million silver lining to potential Dorian Finney-Smith loss</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-30T15:22:12-07:00">June 30th, 3:22pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-30T15:22:12-07:00">June 30th, 3:22pm</time><address><a>Zachary Weinberger</a>Zachary Weinberger joined ClutchPoints in October 2023 as a Miami Heat reporter as well as an Associate Editor. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022 after covering the school's athletic programs since his freshman year at the FAU University Press, where he was a Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He then covered FAU Sports for The Palm Beach Post.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>With the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-rumors-rockets-hawks-fighting-make-multiple-wing-splashes">rumors surrounding Los Angeles Lakers forward Dorian Finney-Smith</a>, there has been speculation regarding what the future looks like for the 32-year-old. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-rumors-contenders-lurking-dorian-finney-smith-declines-option">Lakers’ power forward in Finney-Smith declined his player option</a> worth $15.4 million, meaning he will hit the open market, though that may not be the worst outcome for the team.</p><p>While Finney-Smith is effective as a two-way player, especially on the defensive side of the ball, and a close friend to Luka Doncic, the freeing up of his contract gives them some financial flexibility. According to Jake Fischer and Marc Stein, Finney-Smith’s departure has given Los Angeles <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/the-absolute-latest-nba-free-agency?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=167190832&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener">“the full $14,1 million midlevel exception,”</a> which, with the team needing a center, could be used to their advantage.</p><p>“Losing Finney-Smith would obviously be a tough blow — not only because of his two-way ability but his status as one of Luka Dončić’s favorite teammates — but it would potentially benefit the Lakers’ bookkeeping,” Fischer and Stein wrote on “The Stein Line” on Monday. “Finney-Smith’s exit would unlock the full $14.1 million midlevel exception for the Lakers, who badly need to come away with a front-line center from the business they conduct this week.”</p><h2><b>Lakers “remain hopeful” on retaining Dorian Finney-Smith</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Dorian-Finney-Smith.jpg"><figcaption>Matt Blewett-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>In terms of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-rumors-rockets-biggest-threat-steal-away-key-lakers-free-agent">players that will go after the Lakers’ free agent</a>, it has been speculated that the Houston Rockets are one of the front-runners to do so. After the team made a blockbuster deal for superstar Kevin Durant, the organization could also go after Finney-Smith, but Fischer and Marc Stein still say that Los Angeles<a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/the-latest-freshest-and-hottest-nba?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=167147450&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener"> “remain hopeful”</a> on getting back the Florida product.</p><p>“The Rockets have use of their full $14.1 million midlevel exception to offer to Finney-Smith even after their considerable roster business in recent days,” Marc Stein and Jake Fischer wrote for The Stein Line. “There were strong suggestions Sunday that Houston is preparing a four-year offer for Finney-Smith … but perhaps at a figure shy of the full MLE amount.”</p><p>“The Lakers, meanwhile, remain hopeful of retaining Finney-Smith. The 32-year-old’s decision to bypass his $15.4 million player option for next season — when that move wasn’t accompanied by the announcement that he had agreed to terms with the Lakers on a new multiyear contract to replace it — surprised numerous observers leaguewide.”</p><p>At any rate, Los Angeles looks to further improve with free agency having started on Monday evening.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers rumors: The $14.1 million silver lining to potential Dorian Finney-Smith loss

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-rumors-austin-reaves-high-regard-rival-executives');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers rumors: Austin Reaves held in ‘high regard’ by rival executives');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Austin-Reaves.jpg"><figcaption>Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Lakers rumors: Austin Reaves held in ‘high regard’ by rival executives</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-30T14:35:55-07:00">June 30th, 2:35pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-30T15:09:47-07:00">June 30th, 3:09pm</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a>Benedetto Vitale is an avid sports writer who is an expert at covering the NFL, college football, NBA, and UFC. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 2016 with a film degree but has since dedicated his career to sports writing.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>NBA trade season is heating up, and one player to keep an eye on is Austin Reaves. After <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-austin-reaves-declines-max-89-2-million-contract-extension">declining a contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers</a>, rumors are swirling that teams across the league are keeping tabs on Reaves.</p><p>The rumors surrounding the 27-year-old guard began after insider Chris Haynes <a href="https://x.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/1939789028158591057" rel="noopener">claimed that rival executives</a> hold Reaves in “high regard.” Based on his reporting, it sounds like the Lakers could receive offers from several organizations for Austin Reaves. Or at the very least, they’ll have competition to sign him as a free agent in 2026.</p><p>“There are a lot of rival executives who hold Austin Reaves in high regard. I think he’s gotten wind of that. I think his representation has gotten wind of that, and I think that’s why [Reaves and his camp] feel like they have to make that decision.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"There are a lot of rival executives who hold Austin Reaves in high regard."<a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ChrisBHaynes</a> weighs in on Reaves exploring free agency after turning down an initial contract offer from Los Angeles 👀 <a href="https://t.co/huxXA3wvrJ">pic.twitter.com/huxXA3wvrJ</a></p><p>— NBA TV (@NBATV) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1939786391551889558?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Reaves experienced career-highs playing as the third option behind LeBron James and Luka Doncic. He stepped up in a big way for the Lakers, and there is a chance Austin Reaves only improves moving forward, whether that’s in L.A. or elsewhere after he becomes a free agent a year from now.</p><p>Reaves ended the 2024-25 campaign experiencing career-highs in points per game (20.2), rebounds per game (4.5), assists per game (5.8), and steals per game (1.1). He also shot 46.0% from the field and 37.7% from beyond the arc.</p><p>That’s the type of production the Lakers can’t afford to lose, especially if the franchise hopes to get back in title contention with James and Doncic leading the way. It’s unclear what teams are potentially interested in the four-year guard, but based on his production throughout his career so far, he should garner plenty of interest from around the league.</p><p>Despite the rumored interest from other teams, there is a belief that the Lakers will keep him, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-rumors-where-austin-reaves-l-a-stand-rejected-contract-offer">Austin Reaves will eventually sign a long-term deal with the Lakers</a>. Although Reaves turned down a four-year, $89.2 million contract offer from Los Angeles, both sides seem motivated to agree to a long-term deal.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers rumors: Austin Reaves held in ‘high regard’ by rival executives

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/nba-rumors-lakers-expected-to-show-interest-in-ex-warriors-guard');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rumor: Lakers expected to show interest in ex-Warriors guard');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/DeAnthony-Melton-8-is-pictured-against-the-Portland-Trailblazers.jpg"><figcaption>© Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Rumor: Lakers expected to show interest in ex-Warriors guard</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-30T14:29:47-07:00">June 30th, 2:29pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-30T14:31:44-07:00">June 30th, 2:31pm</time><address><a>Tomer Azarly</a>Tomer Azarly is in his ninth season as the LA Clippers beat writer and NBA reporter for ClutchPoints. From the Lob City era to the Kawhi Leonard-James Harden era, he brings you everything you need to know about the Clippers as well as coast-to-coast coverage of the NBA.In his free time, Tomer likes to play basketball, video games, and draw.You can follow his Twitter and Instagram for all Clippers content.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Golden State Warriors</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Lakers are bracing for a major offseason for the franchise. Following LeBron James’ decision to opt into the final year of his deal for the 2025-26 season, the Lakers could pursue a former player for their division rival.</p><p>Golden State Warriors free agent guard De’Anthony Melton will have a lot of interested suitors when freea gency opens up Monday evening at 3PM PST.</p><h2><b>Lakers expected to show interest in ex-Warriors guard De’Anthony Melton</b></h2><p>De’Anthony Melton was a big addition to the Golden State Warriors heading into the 2024-25 season, but only played six games after suffering a torn ACL in his left knee.</p><p>In those six games, Melton averaged 10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.2 steals in 20.2 minutes per game. The guard also shot 37.1 percent from three in the small handful of games, but has been a career 37 percent three point shooter</p><p>According to NBA insider Marc Stein, <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/the-absolute-latest-nba-free-agency" rel="noopener">the Lakers are expected to show interest</a> in De’Anthony Melton when free agency begins on Monday evening.</p><blockquote>If the Lakers lose Finney-Smith, they are expected to show interest in De’Anthony Melton, who was only able to play in six games last season with Golden State due to an ACL tear and was traded by the Warriors in December to Brooklyn for Dennis Schröder.</blockquote><p>Lakers beat writer for the Athletic Dan Woike reported similar whispers around <a href="https://x.com/DanWoikeSports/status/1939776484887195904" rel="noopener">Melton and interest from the Lakers</a>.</p><p>Melton has been a strong role player for the teams he’s played for over the last few years, but has unfortunately not been able to stay off the injury report. The Sixers guard only played 38 games for the Sixers in the 2023-24 season and just six last season for the Warriors. Still, when he’s available, Melton has been a strong piece for his respective teams.</p><p>Despite playing only 194 of a possible 328 games over his last four regular seasons, Melton has averaged 10.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.5 steals in 25.5 minutes per game while shooting 37.7 percent from three.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rumor: Lakers expected to show interest in ex-Warriors guard

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/nba-stories/nba-rumors-suns-center-linked-knicks-lakers-trade-talks');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Suns center linked to Knicks, Lakers in trade talks');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Suns-center-Nick-Richards.jpg"><figcaption>Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Suns center linked to Knicks, Lakers in trade talks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-30T10:35:16-07:00">June 30th, 10:35am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-30T11:01:24-07:00">June 30th, 11:01am</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After the Phoenix <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-phoenix-trades-for-mark-williams-drafts-khaman-maluach-moments-apart">Suns traded for Mark Williams and drafted a center</a> with the No. 10 pick in the NBA Draft, Nick Richards is perceived to be the odd man out in a logjam in the frontcourt.</p><p>After striking out on Williams in a collapsed deal with the Charlotte Hornets, the Los Angeles Lakers are expected to make a run at the Suns for Richards. One report is linking the Lakers and the New York Knicks to the veteran 7-footer.</p><p>The Suns should be <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/nba-intel-free-agency-deandre-ayton-malik-beasley-myles-turner-nickeil-alexander-walker-trades/" rel="noopener">combing through offers</a> for Richards this week, according to Hoopshype’s Michael Sotto.</p><p>“After trading for Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams and drafting Khaman Maluach with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Phoenix Suns center Nick Richards is a trade candidate to monitor,” Sotto reports. “Richards has a $5 million non-guaranteed salary for the 2025-26 season expected to be guaranteed by the Suns, which will give the team the ability to trade him.</p><p>“Richards has drawn trade interest from several teams, including the New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, and Los Angeles Lakers,” Sotto concluded.</p><p>The Suns could wind up with a solid haul for Richards in a move with the Knicks or Lakers. In an attempt to position themselves for a deep playoff run in the post-Kevin Durant era, the Suns are off to a strong start in addressing its frontcourt concerns with a starting center in Williams and a starting forward with All-Star potential in Jalen Green.</p><h2><b>Bill Simmons adds Lakers to landing spot for Suns’ Bradley Beal</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Suns-guard-Bradley-Beal.jpg"><figcaption>Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>If the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-bill-simmons-has-la-atop-bradley-beal-potential-landing-spots">Lakers are in the market for Bradley Beal</a>, perhaps the Suns could swing a move centered around Rui Hachimura and other pieces to match salary. It’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQjXScGWcS8&amp;t=5064s" rel="noopener">a move worth exploring</a> if you’re the Lakers, per The Ringer’s Bill Simmons.</p><p>“I think the Lakers are in there from a desperation standpoint on getting some sort of person that makes them feel different than they were last year,” Simmons said.</p><p>“I’m putting Sacramento in here because I think they’re just in no man’s land, and they’re somehow back to who they were for the entire 2010s, and they just have this weird team that doesn’t make sense, and are they capable of anything.”</p><p>“I had Phoenix because of this Beal situation,” Simmons continued. “What do you do? You can’t buy them out. That would be idiotic. Do you hope he’s gonna be better? You can’t trade him.”</p><p>The Suns front office will begin to execute its offseason gameplan this week.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Suns center linked to Knicks, Lakers in trade talks

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/nba-stories/nba-rumors-rockets-biggest-threat-steal-away-key-lakers-free-agent');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Rockets the biggest threat to steal away key Lakers free agent');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Rockets-biggest-threat-steal-away-key-Lakers-free-agent.jpg"><figcaption>© Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Rockets the biggest threat to steal away key Lakers free agent</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-30T08:23:42-07:00">June 30th, 8:23am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-30T08:23:42-07:00">June 30th, 8:23am</time><address><a>Preston Byers</a>Preston Byers is an experienced writer and journalist who currently serves as an associate editor for ClutchPoints and as a staff writer at The Vindicator and Tribune Chronicle, where he covers sports in the Mahoning Valley. Previously, Preston worked as an associate editor for Dot Esports and a site expert for FanSided's Union and Blue.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Rockets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers">The Los Angeles Lakers</a> apparently have some stiff competition in <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-rumors-curiosity-key-player-million-decision">signing Dorian Finney-Smith</a> this summer.</p><p>With Finney-Smith, for whom the Lakers traded in late December, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-rumors-contenders-lurking-dorian-finney-smith-declines-option">declining his player option</a>, it seems that the Lakers will have to really fight for him in free agency or risk losing him to one of the most active teams in the offseason, the Houston Rockets, who NBA insiders <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/the-latest-freshest-and-hottest-nba?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=167147450&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener">say are the</a> “foremost threat” to pry him him away from L.A.</p><p>“The Rockets have use of their full $14.1 million midlevel exception to offer to Finney-Smith even after their considerable roster business in recent days,” Marc Stein and Jake Fischer wrote for The Stein Line. “There were strong suggestions Sunday that Houston is preparing a four-year offer for Finney-Smith … but perhaps at a figure shy of the full MLE amount.</p><p>“The Lakers, meanwhile, remain hopeful of retaining Finney-Smith. The 32-year-old’s decision to bypass his $15.4 million player option for next season — when that move wasn’t accompanied by the announcement that he had agreed to terms with the Lakers on a new multiyear contract to replace it — surprised numerous observers leaguewide.”</p><p>Finney-Smith, if he is able to sign a three or four-year deal, likely will make less per year over the course of the contract than he would have had he exercised his player option. However, as he is already in his early 30s and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-key-lebron-james-luka-doncic-teammate-surgery">he had ankle surgery this offseason</a>, it does seem to make sense for the 3-and-D specialist to seize on the opportunity to guarantee himself potentially $40 or 50 million over a longer time period.</p><p>An undrafted free agent in 2016, Finney-Smith quickly caught on with the Dallas Mavericks as a rookie, playing about 20 minutes per game. He eventually earned a regular starting spot and became a valuable piece to the Mavericks while playing alongside Luka Doncic, who has called Finney-Smith one of his favorite teammates ever.</p><p>Early last year, Finney-Smith was dealt to the Brooklyn Nets in the Kyrie Irving trade. Nearly 11 months later,<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-dangelo-russell-trade-nets-4-player-trade"> the Nets traded him to the Lakers</a>, who soon thereafter acquired Doncic from the Mavericks in a stunning trade.</p><p>In 43 games with the Lakers, Finney-Smith averaged 7.9 points and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 39.8% on 3-pointers.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Rockets the biggest threat to steal away key Lakers free agent

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-rumors-brian-windhorst-befuddled-by-lebron-james-strategy-amid-trade-buzz');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers rumors: Brian Windhorst befuddled by LeBron James’ strategy amid trade buzz');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Los-Angeles-Lakers-forward-LeBron-James-23.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Lakers rumors: Brian Windhorst befuddled by LeBron James’ strategy amid trade buzz</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-30T07:35:15-07:00">June 30th, 7:35am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-30T07:35:15-07:00">June 30th, 7:35am</time><address><a>Zachary Weinberger</a>Zachary Weinberger joined ClutchPoints in October 2023 as a Miami Heat reporter as well as an Associate Editor. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022 after covering the school's athletic programs since his freshman year at the FAU University Press, where he was a Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He then covered FAU Sports for The Palm Beach Post.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-lebron-james-makes-52-6-million-contract-decision">Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James exercised</a> his player option for next season, valued at $53 million, there have been some questions about whether the player is fully sold on the direction of the team. As some <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-fans-thinking-lebron-james-trade-rich-paul-comments">fans believe James might want a trade from the Lakers,</a> there has been no communication of that thus far, though it hasn’t stopped the basketball world from theorizing, even some experts like Brian Windhorst.</p><p>The NBA insider was on ESPN Radio on Sunday and expressed <a href="https://x.com/ESPNRadio/status/1939497777287102955" rel="noopener">how confusing the comments were</a> from James’ agent, Rich Paul, as he said that while they understand Los Angeles is building for the future, the star’s main goal is competing for a title.</p><p>“I felt they were clear as mud,” Windhorst said. “I’m not really sure what they are trying to communicate. He has 100 percent full control of his situation; he had the option to become a free agent today, which he bypassed, he is one of two players in the league who has a no-trade clause—LeBron and Bradley Beal. When it comes to a trade, he has total control of whether he gets traded, what he gets traded for, etc.</p><p>“I’ll just say this: in 2025, trading a player who makes $53 million as LeBron will next season is extremely complicated, especially if you’re a contending team, which is what he would probably want,” Windhorst continued. “I would say right now that’s an interesting development, which I’m not sure will lead to any change.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">.<a href="https://twitter.com/WindhorstESPN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WindhorstESPN</a> joined <a href="https://twitter.com/EvCoRadio?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EvCoRadio</a> &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/TimBontemps?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TimBontemps</a> with Free Agency Frenzy on ESPN Radio.</p><p>🎥 Full in-studio video available NOW ⬇️ <a href="https://t.co/x1sCsLFsxK">pic.twitter.com/x1sCsLFsxK</a></p><p>— ESPN Radio (@ESPNRadio) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNRadio/status/1939497777287102955?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Brian Windhorst questions how realistic a Lakers’ LeBron James trade is</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/LeBron-James-during-Lakers-warmups.jpg"><figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>While <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-rumors-bill-simmons-lakers-cavs-jazz-lebron-james-trade">rumors are already spreading around James and the Lakers</a>, there is no doubt that Paul’s comments are interesting in acknowledging the team’s intent to build, while also stressing the importance of competing. Still, Windhorst would be confounded by James and his representation’s strategy, even saying that if they wanted a trade, it would not be feasible.</p><p>“Trust me, I’ve spent a large part of the last 24 hours trying to figure out LeBron trades,” Windhorst said. “And I don’t really see any that are feasible and make a lot of sense. If this is a drip, drip to get to there, I’m not sure we’re going to get there. I’m also not sure what sort of message he’s sending Luka Doncic, his teammate, who they are planning on trying to compete. At least they were for a run next year.”</p><p>“I’m not real sure about the strategy that is being employed here,” Windhorst continued. “I guess I will wait and watch and see what the next move is because I frankly do not think there’s much of a next move for LeBron other than show up for training camp in the fall because I don’t think the Lakers are interested in trading him.”</p><p>Los Angeles is looking to improve after finishing third in the West.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers rumors: Brian Windhorst befuddled by LeBron James’ strategy amid trade buzz

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/nba-stories/nba-rumors-bill-simmons-lakers-cavs-jazz-lebron-james-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Bill Simmons already has a Lakers-Cavs-Jazz LeBron James trade idea');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/LeBron-James-during-Lakers-warmups.jpg"><figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Bill Simmons already has a Lakers-Cavs-Jazz LeBron James trade idea</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-30T07:29:30-07:00">June 30th, 7:29am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-30T07:32:49-07:00">June 30th, 7:32am</time><address><a>Rishav Bhat</a>Rishav is a seasoned NBA and sports journalist and editor with over seven years of experience working for reputed organizations. A novelist first and foremost, he has written three fiction books. His high threshold of knowledge combined with his writing skills gives him the ability to write uniquely insightful pieces across basketball, soccer, cricket, lawn tennis, eSports, and a variety of other sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Cavaliers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>As is true with any major LeBron James move, his decision to opt in for the final year of his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers has sent teams into a frenzy. Instead of becoming a free agent, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-rumors-what-lebron-james-didnt-discuss-la-contract">James exercised a $52.6 million player option</a> for the 2025-26 season.</p><p>This may be James’ way of monitoring what moves the Lakers make and whether the team is capable of contending for a championship in the near future. However, The Ringer’s Bill Simmons already has a trade idea that sees <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-bobby-marks-details-why-lebron-james-trade-cavs-wont-be-easy">James and Bronny leave to Cleveland in a three-team trade</a> that also involves the Utah Jazz.</p><p>“Does he have a trade veto?” Simmons joked, when <a href="https://x.com/ringer/status/1939548574871945704" rel="noopener">asked about the possibility</a> of Bronny not wanting to go to Cleveland. </p><p>“Utah gets Darius Garland and Rui Hachimura, the Lakers get Kessler, Lonzo Ball, Jordan Clarkson, and John Collins. Utah has to throw a pick or two, has to sprinkle some picks around, because ultimately they are getting Darius Garland,” Simmons continued.</p><p>The Cavs have been said to be open to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-rumors-bill-simmons-floats-intriguing-darius-garland-trade-nets">listening to offers for Darius Garland</a>, and a potential reunion with LeBron will surely tempt them. Garland earned All-Star honors, averaging 20.6 points and 6.7 assists per game last season. </p><h2><b>Should Lakers cash in on LeBron (and Bronny)?</b></h2><p>While Simmons does not believe the Cavs should trade Garland, he suggested it may be in the Lakers’ best interest to get assets for LeBron.</p><p>“On the record, I don’t think Cleveland should trade Darius Garland, But I’m just saying, I wonder if those type of deals are being talked about. The whole reason I am talking about this, I think this is going to be really hard now that he has opted in, for any other option, monitoring it,” Simmons said.</p><p>Simmons claimed that now that LeBron has opted in, the Lakers are left with few assets to get a starting center. Further, considering LeBron may be looking to ‘monitor progress’ over the next season before making his decision over a new contract, focusing on building around Luka Doncic makes more short and long-term sense.</p><p>Whichever way this goes, LeBron’s decision to opt in will undoubtedly <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-fans-thinking-lebron-james-trade-rich-paul-comments">force the Lakers to make big decisions</a>. Should they continue hoping to land a championship with the LeBron-Luka duo, especially now, when they may struggle to get a starting center this offseason? </p><p>Rob Pelinka and co. might instead be better served building a winning team around Doncic. </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Bill Simmons already has a Lakers-Cavs-Jazz LeBron James trade idea

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/nba-stories/nba-rumors-lakers-insider-buzz-lebron-james-trade-mavericks');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Lakers insider reveals ‘buzz’ for LeBron James trade to Mavericks');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/LeBron-James-7.jpg"><figcaption>Jerome Miron-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Lakers insider reveals ‘buzz’ for LeBron James trade to Mavericks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-30T07:23:53-07:00">June 30th, 7:23am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-30T07:23:53-07:00">June 30th, 7:23am</time><address><a>Troy Finnegan</a>Troy Finnegan is a Senior Editor and College Sports Lead at ClutchPoints. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2023 with a degree in journalism and minors in communications and sports media, as well as a critical sports studies certificate. He has had a passion for sports his entire life, and enjoys covering and writing about all sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Dallas Mavericks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Los Angeles Lakers superstar <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/lakers-rumors-what-lebron-james-didnt-discuss-la-contract">LeBron James has already been a talking point</a> this offseason after picking up his $52.6 million player option on Sunday. However, that decision along with comments from his agent, Rich Paul, have sparked all kinds of discussion in the 24 hours since the news broke.</p><p>Paul’s comments raised concerns about a possible trade away from the Lakers, which has been all the rage in the day since he spoke. As it turns out, there is some <a href="https://x.com/NationMffl/status/1939527027024871535" rel="noopener">buzz around a potential trade</a> with James going to the Dallas Mavericks, according to Lakers insider Jovan Buha.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jovan Buha on LeBron James:</p><p>There has been some buzz I will say in the general NBA ether over the last week or two with LeBron and Dallas… If he does ask out… I would say keep an eye on Dallas…</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/jovanbuha?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jovanbuha</a>, h/t <a href="https://twitter.com/KevinGraySports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KevinGraySports</a>)<br> <a href="https://t.co/SrH00IUfFE">pic.twitter.com/SrH00IUfFE</a></p><p>— MFFL NATION (@NationMffl) <a href="https://twitter.com/NationMffl/status/1939527027024871535?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“I don’t think we’re at the point of him asking out,” Buha said on his podcast, <i>Buha’s Block. </i>“But if he does, I assume there will be a list. In terms of teams that make sense, I came up with four: Dallas, Cleveland, New York and Golden State in no particular order. I will say that there has been some LeBron and Dallas buzz going on a couple years now. …</p><p>“If you just loom at the situation, they have [Anthony Davis], they have Kyrie [Irving], they have Jason Kidd, who LeBron played with on Team USA and also played under with the Lakers. They also have Nico Harrison, which as funny as that is to some, he is a former Nike guy and LeBron is Mr. Nike.”</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/lakers-news-fans-thinking-lebron-james-trade-rich-paul-comments">comments from Paul were a bit strange</a>, with the Klutch Sports CEO talking about James wanting to compete for a title next season.</p><p>“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Paul said. “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.</p><p>“We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him.”</p><p>That certainly sounds more like a farewell wish than an all-in message to Los Angeles. However, for now, James is still a Laker as LA looks toward next season.</p><p>James has also traditionally declined his player options in the past to sign long-term deals, so this decision raised speculation about this potentially being his final season. The four-time champion will turn 41 years old in December and will be playing his 23rd season in the NBA, so such speculation is only natural.</p><p>Regardless, any trade buzz around LeBron James at the moment is purely conjecture and the likely outcome is still that he will be suiting up in the purple and gold next season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Lakers insider reveals ‘buzz’ for LeBron James trade to Mavericks

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-rumors-sam-amick-reveals-uncomfortable-truth-lebron-james-future');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers rumors: Sam Amick reveals ‘uncomfortable truth’ about LeBron James’ future');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/LeBron-James-during-Lakers-warmups.jpg"><figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><h1>Lakers rumors: Sam Amick reveals ‘uncomfortable truth’ about LeBron James’ future</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-30T06:58:49-07:00">June 30th, 6:58am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-30T06:59:02-07:00">June 30th, 6:59am</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>LeBron James remains the face of the NBA at 40 years old, an unprecedented achievement that perfectly encapsulates his mind-boggling longevity. He is coming off a stellar individual season and just logged 70-plus games in consecutive campaigns for the first time since he played for the Cleveland Cavaliers. This all-time great is causing many to wonder if a genuine decline will ever come. But the Los Angeles Lakers do not appear to be letting his enduring excellence alter their long-term plans.</p><p>When general manager Rob Pelinka completed a monumental trade to acquire Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks in February, the franchise’s vision seemingly centered around the five-time All-NBA First-Team selection. James remains an integral part of their current championship aspirations, which appear rather lukewarm after falling to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs, but anticipating this union to last beyond next season seems bold in light of the latest developments.</p><p>Following James’ decision to exercise his $52.6 million player option, his agent, Rich Paul, unexpectedly revealed that the four-time Finals MVP wants a “realistic chance” to contend for a championship and is “evaluating what is best at this stage of his life and career.” Fans immediately started <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/ranking-best-lebron-james-trade-destinations-rich-paul-bombshell-lakers-quotes">pondering trade scenarios</a> and envisioning James in a different uniform.</p><p>Sam Amick of The Athletic acknowledges that this could merely be a tactic designed to light a fire under the organization this offseason, but LA may not be concerned regardless. Management has <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-rumors-what-lebron-james-didnt-discuss-la-contract">not discussed a multi-year contract extension</a>, for it knows how such a move could complicate its salary cap flexibility going forward. Although LA obviously still values the NBA scoring king’s on-court impact and off-court star power, it is <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6461518/2025/06/29/lebron-james-contract-lakers-luka-doncic/" rel="noopener">not interested in looking ahead</a> at this time.</p><h2><b>Where Lakers stand on the LeBron James situation</b></h2><p>“While the Lakers most certainly care about how James’ final chapter goes, and would love nothing more than to celebrate the 40-year-old’s legendary career all season long before he headed off into the proverbial sunset, any plans that go beyond that point present roster-building problems when it comes to paving a path forward with the 26-year-old Dončić,” Sam Amick writes. “That’s the uncomfortable truth that was laid bare Sunday.</p><p>“So long as they’re able to secure Dončić’s signature on an extension when he’s eligible on Aug. 2, as is widely expected, then every move from there must be made with a long-term view in mind. As such, the notion of the Lakers committing to James at a max-salary level beyond this season was clearly seen internally as unwise.”</p><p>Analysts and fans alike have lambasted Rob Pelinka and the front office for not making the necessary personnel changes to maximize the LeBron James era — the absence of a true center has become a touchy subject — and that criticism would likely grow louder if the Lakers failed to retain the icon for the remainder of his career. Luka Doncic is the future, however, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-rumors-luka-doncic-offseason-eurobasket-contract-decision">signing him to a monster extension</a> could result in some tough decisions.</p><p>An already pivotal summer in Los Angeles is heating up to uncomfortable levels.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers rumors: Sam Amick reveals ‘uncomfortable truth’ about LeBron James’ future

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-rumors-what-lebron-james-didnt-discuss-la-contract');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers rumors: What LeBron James didn’t discuss with LA about contract');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Lakers-news-LeBron-James-back-on-the-court-after-knee-surgery.jpg"><figcaption>Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Lakers rumors: What LeBron James didn’t discuss with LA about contract</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-30T06:27:27-07:00">June 30th, 6:27am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-30T06:27:27-07:00">June 30th, 6:27am</time><address><a>Ben Strauss</a>Ben Strauss is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a die-hard NFL fan who cheers for the Detroit Lions. He has previously written fantasy football content for IDPGuys and ImportantNonsense.com.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Lakers are at a crossroads. LA has two superstar players in <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-rumors-franchise-sale-breeds-excitement-luka-doncic-lebron-james">LeBron James and Luka Dončić</a>, but they won’t be able to afford both for long. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-when-10-billion-sale-is-expected-to-close">Soon-to-be owner Mark Walter</a> could soon face the reality of a Lakers team without James.</p><p>Lakers star LeBron James reportedly <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-lebron-james-makes-52-6-million-contract-decision" rel="noopener">did not discuss additional years</a> on his contract, per The Athletic’s Sam Amick. This creates the possibility that James could leave the Lakers after the 2025-26 NBA season.</p><p>“Team sources say James and the Lakers did not discuss deals that would have added years to his Lakers tenure that began in 2018, either by way of extension or with him opting out and signing a new deal,” Amick wrote. “Conversely, James and his camp signaled months ago that there would be no discounts offered this time around (the Lakers, team sources say, didn’t propose any sort of discounted deal out of respect for James).”</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-lebron-james-makes-52-6-million-contract-decision">James will play on a $52.6 million player option</a> next season. After that, nobody knows.</p><p>This contract decision could signal a shift in LA from James to Luka Dončić as the future of the franchise.</p><p>“If the Lakers have any hope of staying nimble in the crucial years to come, and potentially adding the <i>next </i>co-star to put alongside Dončić after James is gone, then it behooves them to maintain as much flexibility as possible. The second-apron realities of today’s NBA mean that elite talents could shake loose at any time, with owners who pushed for this virtual hard cap now facing its grave consequences.”</p><h2><b>LeBron James’ agent, Rich Paul, discusses contract with Lakers</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/LeBron-James-6.jpg"><figcaption>Petre Thomas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>James does not seem to have the leverage he once did.</p><p>His agent, Rich Paul, recently explained the situation his client finds himself in with the Lakers.</p><p>“LeBron knows the Lakers are building for the future, and he also wants to compete for championships,” Paul told The Athletic and ESPN. “We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with Jeanie (Buss) and Rob (Pelinka) and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.”</p><p>James is rumored to be facing <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-lebron-james-overheard-revealing-wife-wants-retire">pressure from his wife to retire “in the next year or so.”</a></p><p>Paul’s messaging seems to suggest that next season could be James’ final year with the Lakers.</p><p>There’s no telling where James could go after that. But retirement now seems to be an option for the 40-year-old basketball legend.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers rumors: What LeBron James didn’t discuss with LA about contract

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/cleveland-cavaliers/nba-rumors-kevin-oconnor-suggests-cavs-try-lebron-james-trade-lakers');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Kevin O’Connor suggests Cavs try LeBron James trade with Lakers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Brian-Windhorst-sends-Lakers-dangerous-warning-NBA-sale.jpg"><figcaption>Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Kevin O’Connor suggests Cavs try LeBron James trade with Lakers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-29T12:27:22-07:00">June 29th, 12:27pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-29T12:27:22-07:00">June 29th, 12:27pm</time><address><a>Jaren Kawada</a>Jaren Kawada is a former full-time sports bettor and is now a NFL, College Football and Betting Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. Kawada was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, but now resides in Indianapolis, Indiana, after graduating from Butler University with a B.A. in sports media. Aside from football, Kawada is an avid combat sports and basketball bettor.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Cavaliers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>With <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-lebron-james-makes-52-6-million-contract-decision">LeBron James opting into his $52.6 million player option</a> for the 2025-2026 season, many assume he is returning for one final season. However, NBA reporter Kevin O’Connor proposed an interesting trade idea that the Cleveland Cavaliers could offer the Los Angeles Lakers to bring ‘The King’ back home for one last ride.</p><p>The Cavaliers could <a href="https://x.com/KevinOConnorNBA/status/1939369064893190569" rel="noopener">pull off the blockbuster trade</a> with an offer based around point guard Darius Garland and All-Star center Jarrett Allen, according to O’Connor. The reporter believes the trade would actually be beneficial for Cleveland’s short-term and long-term outlook.</p><p>“LeBron James to the Cavaliers would require getting under the second apron, which would mean losing Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland and a third guy,” O’Connor tweeted. “It’s a lot to give up for a player who may not put you over the top and may have only one year left. Then again, Allen has folded in the playoffs and Garland is a tiny guard. Could trading them be a low-key salary dump for Cleveland?</p><p>“Then, whenever LeBron retires, the front office would have cap flexibility to build next to Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley with better-fitting players than Allen and Garland. So in a strange way, adding LeBron could help them optimize their short-term title odds while also helping in the long term.”</p><p>James, 40, continues to mull retirement each offseason, but has yet to show any signs of significant decline on the court. His decision to exercise his player option instead of re-negotiating his deal furthers his one-year-at-a-time approach. However, James’ agent, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-fans-thinking-lebron-james-trade-rich-paul-comments">Rich Paul, recently raised another question</a> with his comments on his client’s latest career decision.</p><h2><b>LeBron James’ agent Rich Paul sparks Lakers trade rumors</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Lakers-fans-thinking-LeBron-James-trade-after-Rich-Paul-comments.jpg"><figcaption>David Richard-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>After James opted into his final contract year, Paul raised eyebrows with his cryptic comments on the decision. Paul told ESPN’s Shams Charania that James “wants to compete for a championship” and wants to end his career with a team that has a “realistic chance” to give him his fifth ring. Paul’s comments alluded to their belief that the Lakers are not in a position to win a title.</p><p>James managed to check off the final item on his retirement bucket list by playing with his son, Bronny James, for the Lakers. With nothing else left to prove in his dominant career, James seems to continue to be on the brink of retirement.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Kevin O’Connor suggests Cavs try LeBron James trade with Lakers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-rumors-contenders-lurking-dorian-finney-smith-declines-option');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers rumors: Contenders lurking after Dorian Finney-Smith declines $15.4 million option');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Dorian-Finney-Smith.jpg"><figcaption>Matt Blewett-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Lakers rumors: Contenders lurking after Dorian Finney-Smith declines $15.4 million option</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-29T11:31:23-07:00">June 29th, 11:31am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-29T11:32:58-07:00">June 29th, 11:32am</time><address><a>Troy Finnegan</a>Troy Finnegan is a Senior Editor and College Sports Lead at ClutchPoints. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2023 with a degree in journalism and minors in communications and sports media, as well as a critical sports studies certificate. He has had a passion for sports his entire life, and enjoys covering and writing about all sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Lakers’ biggest goal this offseason has to be addressing their lack of depth and getting a big man or two in the room after gutting their roster to acquire Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks last offseason. While <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/editorials/the-player-lakers-must-avoid-in-nba-free-agency">Los Angeles waits to see what big men it can make a run after</a>, it was also waiting on the decision from Dorian Finney-Smith.</p><p>Finney-Smith had a player option worth $15.4 million this offseason, and he is choosing to hit the open market instead. The former Maverick has officially declined his player option and <a href="https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1939354198560387073" rel="noopener">will be a free agent</a> when it opens on Monday, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.</p><p>Charania also stated that there will be <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-rumors-curiosity-key-player-million-decision">contending teams that are after Finney-Smith</a> in free agency.</p><p>“Los Angeles Lakers forward Dorian Finney-Smith is declining his $15.4 million player option for the 2025-26 season and will enter free agency, sources tell ESPN,” Charania reported on X, formerly Twitter. “Multiple contending teams are expected to pursue Finney-Smith beginning Monday night and a Lakers return is possible.”</p><p>While the Lakers are still in play for Finney-Smith, it appears that it’s going to take a substantial raise in order to keep him in Los Angeles. The Florida product has an ideal skillset on the wing for a contender, with the ability to guard elite perimeter scorers and also knock down open shots from the 3-point line.</p><p>He did just that for the Lakers last season, making nearly 40% of his triples after arriving in Los Angeles following a trade from the Brooklyn Nets. He was also a big piece of the defense for JJ Redick and company and was one of the few players that the first-year head coach trusted in the playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves.</p><p>Finney-Smith played with Doncic during their time in Dallas and they even went to the Western Conference Finals together in 2022, so those two already have good chemistry together. As a result, the Lakers may decide that it’s worth paying a premium to keep the 32-year old around for the long haul as they pivot to building for the future around their new superstar.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers rumors: Contenders lurking after Dorian Finney-Smith declines $15.4 million option

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-rumors-curiosity-key-player-million-decision');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers rumors: ‘Curiosity’ around key player before $15.4 million decision');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Lakers-curiosity-key-player-before-15.4-million-decision.jpg"><figcaption>© Jerome Miron-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Lakers rumors: ‘Curiosity’ around key player before $15.4 million decision</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-29T07:37:59-07:00">June 29th, 7:37am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-29T07:37:59-07:00">June 29th, 7:37am</time><address><a>Preston Byers</a>Preston Byers is an experienced writer and journalist who currently serves as an associate editor for ClutchPoints and as a staff writer at The Vindicator and Tribune Chronicle, where he covers sports in the Mahoning Valley. Previously, Preston worked as an associate editor for Dot Esports and a site expert for FanSided's Union and Blue.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers">The Los Angeles Lakers</a> have yet another important offseason ahead of them, with several players currently on the roster expected to depart, whether the Lakers want them to.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/players/a32008e2/dorian-finney-smith">Dorian Finney-Smith was</a> not widely expected to be one of them, considering the Lakers traded for him around the halfway point of this past season and, additionally, he is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-dorian-finney-smith-luka-doncic-defense-weight-criticism">very close friends with Luka Doncic</a>, who the Lakers similarly acquired from the Dallas Mavericks, where they played together for several years.</p><p>However, Finney-Smith is reportedly receiving interest across the NBA, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers" rel="noopener">which could make it</a> a better financial decision to leave the Lakers this summer.</p><p>“Two potential free agents generating a considerable amount of curiosity leaguewide as Monday night draws near, I’m told, are Milwaukee’s Bobby Portis Jr. and the Lakers’ Dorian Finney-Smith,” NBA insider Jake Fischer wrote for The Stein Line.</p><p>“Both have player options (Portis at $13.4 million; Finney-Smith at $15.4 million) that must be activated by Sunday’s deadline and which, if bypassed, will thrust both players to the top of the midlevel market for frontcourt players.”</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-key-lebron-james-luka-doncic-teammate-surgery">Finney-Smith, who underwent ankle surgery recently</a>, earned $14.9 million this past season, and at 32, he realistically has only one long-term deal left to sign in his career, which could make for an interesting offseason.</p><p>A true 3-and-D player, Finney-Smith has spent most of his career with the Mavericks, with whom he signed as an undrafted free agent in 2016. Immediately establishing himself as a rotation piece and occasional starter, Finney-Smith played for the Mavs from 2016 until February 2023, when they traded him to the Brooklyn Nets as part of the Kyrie Irving deal. Despite persistent rumors that he and several other players were going to be traded, he stayed with Brooklyn for nearly two years before finally being dealt to the Lakers on December 29, 2024, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-dangelo-russell-trade-nets-4-player-trade">in exchange for, among other things, D’Angelo Russell</a>.</p><p>While at risk of aging out, especially as a perimeter defender during the course of a medium or long-term deal, Finney-Smith would appear to be a perfect fit next to the likes of Doncic and LeBron James, neither of whom is a strong defender currently. Finney-Smith also has proven his worth from beyond the arc; he is a career 36.2% shooter who made 41.1% of his 3-pointers this past season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers rumors: ‘Curiosity’ around key player before $15.4 million decision

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/nba-rumors-lakers-again-linked-to-longtime-bucks-star');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Lakers again linked to longtime Bucks star');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Alex-Len-27-defends-against-Milwaukee-Bucks-center-Brook-Lopez-11-during-the-first-half-at-Crypto.com-Arena.jpg"><figcaption>© Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Lakers again linked to longtime Bucks star</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-29T06:48:34-07:00">June 29th, 6:48am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-29T06:48:34-07:00">June 29th, 6:48am</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-rumors-will-la-pursue-center-they-long-been-fans-of-in-free-agency">Lakers have been looking for the same thing</a> to help them improve their roster for the past calendar year, and it’s been a center. They were not able to upgrade the position as they wanted to during last season, and it came back to bite them in their series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, where Rudy Gobert had a field day with their frontcourt.</p><p>The Lakers have come into this offseason with the same goal in mind, which is upgrading their center depth, and they are <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/more-of-the-nba-free-agency-and-trade?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=167070775&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener">already showing interest</a> in one player, according to Jake Fischer.</p><p>“Perhaps the most established center headed for the open market is the ring-winning Brook Lopez,” Fischer said. “Two summers ago, you’ll recall, both San Antonio and Houston pursued Lopez aggressively before the Bucks successfully convinced him to re-sign.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Lakers again linked to longtime Bucks star

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-rumors-2-big-men-l-a-checked-last-season-failed-mark-williams-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers rumors: The 2 big men L.A. checked on last season before failed Mark Williams trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Hornets-C-Mark-Williams.jpg"><figcaption>Scott Kinser-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Lakers rumors: The 2 big men L.A. checked on last season before failed Mark Williams trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-28T08:54:52-07:00">June 28th, 8:54am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-28T08:54:52-07:00">June 28th, 8:54am</time><address><a>Jaren Kawada</a>Jaren Kawada is a former full-time sports bettor and is now a NFL, College Football and Betting Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. Kawada was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, but now resides in Indianapolis, Indiana, after graduating from Butler University with a B.A. in sports media. Aside from football, Kawada is an avid combat sports and basketball bettor.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/hornets-news-failed-mark-williams-lakers-trade-leads-charlotte-dispute">Los Angeles Lakers made a lot of noise at the 2025 trade deadline</a>, both for their deal acquiring Luka Doncic and their failed transaction involving Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams. However, before attempting to get Williams, the Lakers reportedly had their eyes on Onyeka Okongwu and Walker Kessler.</p><p>The Lakers kept an internal list of players before <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/45598239/nba-offseason-2025-hearing-luka-lebron-los-angeles-lakers-offseason" rel="noopener">reaching out to several teams</a> in search of a deal, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. The Utah Jazz reportedly asked for too much in return for Kessler, while the Atlanta Hawks seemed to have no interest in trading Okongwu.</p><p>“[Walker] Kessler was one of the centers L.A. inquired about last season before the Williams trade, sources told ESPN, but Utah’s asking price — multiple first-round picks — was too steep,” McMenamin wrote. “The Lakers called the Atlanta Hawks about their 6-10, athletic big man Onyeka Okongwu last season, sources told ESPN. Other centers under contract that the Lakers have mulled internally since last season include Brooklyn’s Nic Claxton and Portland’s Robert Williams III.”</p><p>With a clear roster need to address, the Lakers had their sights set on adding a center at the deadline. They managed to obtain one of the top available players in Williams before a failed physical caused the trade to fall apart at the seams. Without Williams, Los Angeles was forced to turn back to Jaxson Hayes and Alex Len, while giving LeBron James and Rui Hachimura more minutes at small-ball center.</p><h2><b>Lakers’ lack of interior presence doomed 2024-2025 season</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Walker-Kessler-guarding-LeBron-James.jpg"><figcaption>Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Despite landing Doncic at the deadline, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers-most-to-blame-for-pathetic-series-loss-to-timberwolves">Lakers still suffered another early playoff exit</a>, losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games. Their defensive woes doomed them in the series, as Minnesota dominated three of its four victories by double digits.</p><p>Without a starting-caliber big man on the roster, the Lakers failed to keep up with the Timberwolves’ frontcourt. Julius Randle, Naz Reid and Rudy Gobert feasted all series for as long as it lasted. Los Angeles’ lack of a center also gave the team no shot-blocking presence, allowing Anthony Edwards and Randle to attack the rim at will.</p><p>The Lakers struggled with size all season, ranking 20th in points per game and 26th in rebounds, while opponents consistently outperformed them in both categories. Before he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks for Doncic, Anthony Davis publicly complained about the team’s lack of a true center, a void that forced him to play inside more than he wanted.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers rumors: The 2 big men L.A. checked on last season before failed Mark Williams trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-rumors-luka-doncic-motivated-mavericks-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers rumors: Luka Doncic still ‘motivated’ by stunning Mavericks trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Lakers-general-manager-Rob-Pelinka-guard-Luka-Doncic-and-head-coach-JJ-Redick.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Lakers rumors: Luka Doncic still ‘motivated’ by stunning Mavericks trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-28T07:59:09-07:00">June 28th, 7:59am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-28T08:18:53-07:00">June 28th, 8:18am</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>While the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/mavericks-news-how-cooper-flagg-saved-ticket-sales-in-dallas">Dallas Mavericks are transitioning</a> into a new era with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/mavericks-news-dallas-officially-selects-cooper-flagg-2025-nba-draft">Cooper Flagg now on the roster</a>, Luka Doncic is preparing to settle into his new home with the Los Angeles Lakers. According to Dave McMenamin ESPN, Doncic <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/45598239/nba-offseason-2025-hearing-luka-lebron-los-angeles-lakers-offseason" rel="noopener">is still motivated</a> by everything that happened following the Mavericks’ shocking decision to trade him to the Lakers in February.</p><p>“Doncic remains motivated by how the Dallas Mavericks treated him in the aftermath of the trade and how the Lakers’ season ended, and has committed to an offseason training and nutrition program, sources told ESPN,” McMenamin wrote in a recent article.</p><p>Doncic now has a full offseason with his new team. In February, he had to immediately make the adjustment to playing for his first franchise other than the Mavericks in the NBA. Doncic displayed signs of his MVP-caliber play in LA, but one has to imagine he will take a step forward after a full offseason of preparation with the Lakers.</p><p>The 26-year-old averaged 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He also shot 43.8 percent from the field and 37.9 percent from beyond the arc. Injuries limited Doncic during the 2024-25 season, but he played well while on the floor. When healthy, Luka is an MVP candidate.</p><p>The Lakers’ outlook is intriguing. With LeBron James and Luka Doncic leading the way, they will likely be a serious contender in 2025-26. LA also needs to think about the future, though. They are beginning the process of building around Doncic while also still trying to compete in the near future.</p><p>If Doncic does indeed have extra motivation — which is being reported — he may even take a step forward. Although Doncic is becoming a veteran in the NBA, he still is only 26 years old. Luka could realistically get even better and that is a frightening thought for opposing teams.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers rumors: Luka Doncic still ‘motivated’ by stunning Mavericks trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-rumors-where-austin-reaves-l-a-stand-rejected-contract-offer');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers rumors: Where Austin Reaves, L.A. stand after rejected contract offer');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Lakers-guard-Austin-Reaves.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Lakers rumors: Where Austin Reaves, L.A. stand after rejected contract offer</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-28T07:50:13-07:00">June 28th, 7:50am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-28T07:50:13-07:00">June 28th, 7:50am</time><address><a>Owen Crisafulli</a>Owen Crisafulli is a Senior Editor and NFL Lead at ClutchPoints, who also covers the NBA and MLB. He received his Masters in Business Administration Bachelor's degree in Sports Management from Nichols College. Previously, ran his own website, and had bylines at FanSided, Basketball Network, Athlon Sports, and The Sporting News. In addition to his work at ClutchPoints, Owen is also a Breaking News Writer at Heavy and a Content Producer for More Views Media.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Lakers took some steps in the right direction during the 2024-25 campaign, but they crashed out of the playoffs in the first round when all was said and done. Now, they enter another very important offseason, and while his future isn’t the team’s biggest concern, the Lakers have some work to do when it comes to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/lakers-rumors-nick-wright-predicts-austin-reaves-trade-value-after-desmond-bane">Austin Reaves and his contract situation</a>.</p><p>Reaves emerged as the crucial No. 3 option behind Luka Doncic and LeBron James down the stretch last season, and it’s clear he will be getting a big pay raise in the near future. However, he turned down a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/lakers-austin-reaves-declines-max-89-2-million-contract-extension">four-year, $89.2 million contract</a> offer Los Angeles handed to him earlier this week, although that wasn’t much of a surprise. Despite that decision, it sounds like both the Lakers and Reaves have <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/45598239/nba-offseason-2025-hearing-luka-lebron-los-angeles-lakers-offseason" rel="noopener">interest in hammering out a new deal</a> in the future.</p><p>“Reaves, for his part, declined the Lakers’ four-year, $89.2 million offer this week, which sources said came as no surprise,” Dave McMenamin of ESPN reported. “The Lakers made the offer, sources said, understanding that Reaves would turn it down, but the franchise wanted to show its interest in him nonetheless and did not want to send the wrong signal by not offering it. Both sides, sources told ESPN, are motivated to find a deal next summer.”</p><h2><b>Lakers, Austin Reaves still motivated to find common ground in contract talks</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Lakers-Austin-Reaves-celebrates-after-making-a-bucket.jpg"><figcaption>Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Reaves has gradually turned himself into an indispensable piece for Los Angeles, and he’s fresh off the best season of his career. In 73 games, Reaves averaged career-highs across the board (20.2 points, 5.8 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game) while shooting 46% from the field. With James’ career coming to a close, Reaves is the second-most important player on the team behind Doncic when it comes to the Lakers’ long-term future.</p><p>The good news is that Reaves still has one year left on his deal, and while he does have a player option for the 2026-27 season, there’s no doubt he will be declining that. L.A. and Reaves will revisit these talks at some point in the future, and while his decision to decline the aforementioned offer may seem like bad news, there’s still a desire from both parties to come to terms on a long-term deal.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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