Tag: Dion Waiters

The HoopsHype Daily: After much flirtation, the Lakers have finally committed to Dion Waiters

You can get this content every morning in your email inbox. Click here to subscribe to the HoopsHype Daily newsletter. WAITERS ISLAND LIVES: It was reported yesterday that the Lakers would be picking up Dion Waiters for the home stretch of their …

You can get this content every morning in your email inbox. Click here to subscribe to the HoopsHype Daily newsletter.

WAITERS ISLAND LIVES: It was reported yesterday that the Lakers would be picking up Dion Waiters for the home stretch of their season, a move that isn’t too surprising considering there had been a lot of scuttle regarding L.A.’s interest in the enigmatic 2-guard since his release by the Grizzlies. On top of the money still owed to him by Memphis, Waiters will make just north of $503,000 from the Lakers, a minimum salary that would be easy for Los Angeles to waive if the former Heat guard acts up at any point this season.

Of course, there’s a chance that happens since Waiters was suspended on three separate occasions by Miami this year, but after meeting with him and his agent, Rich Paul, multiple times recently, the Lakers were convinced Waiters is focused and won’t become a locker-room problem.

If Los Angeles gets the peak version of Waiters, they’ll be acquiring a tough shot-maker who can create plays for others as well as defend at a decent level off the bench. For a contender as loaded as the Lakers, Waiters could be a luxury as a reserve, especially if he looks like the rendition Miami got in 2016-17. But even if they don’t, and Waiters proves to be a problem behind the scenes again, they can just cut him and take a minor cap hit for their troubles.

Solid gamble there for the Lakers.

KNICKS PLOTTING: According to a report, the Knicks could be looking at making a move for future Hall-of-Famer Chris Paul over the offseason. Oklahoma City already has a treasure trove of draft picks, but if they can get even more from New York in a Paul trade, they would at least have to consider it.

Paul is owed $41.4 million next season and $44.2 million the year after, and with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s absurd development so far, the Thunder have even more reason to consider such a trade.

ANOTHER FORWARD: The Rockets recently worked out a former player of theirs, Luc Richard Mbah A Moute. He would give Houston yet another traditional forward who could play small-ball center.

DELAYED DEBUT: There’s a chance recently acquired center Clint Capela doesn’t play a game for the Hawks this season due to his foot injury, and even if he does, he’ll have a strict minutes cap.

OFFSEASON PREVIEW: We broke down how the summer of 2020 is shaping up, including what teams have the most cap space, and what they could do to maximize it.

IMPROVED STROKE: Lonzo Ball is shooting a career-high 37.9 percent from three this year. Here’s how Ball and the Pelicans were able to fix his shooting stroke.

FAN FAVORITE: Tacko Fall used to dislike the attention, but now he’s embracing his role as a fan favorite and human victory cigar.

NEW INJURY STRATEGIES: The NBA has shifted its injury recovery plans to be as player-friendly as possible, and a lot of that has to do with the falling out between Kawhi Leonard and the Spurs due to contrasting opinions on his injury.

PLANNING AHEAD: Not only did Kobe Bryant’s tragic death lead to fans all over the world mourning, but it also led to a spike in the volume of life insurance submissions in the States.

AWESOME GESTURE: NBA 2K20 added a 15-year-old Make-A-Wish recipient as a playable athlete in the game, the first time that’s happened in the series’ long history.

CAUTIOUS BUT LIVING: The Hornets aren’t letting the recent coronavirus scare affect their interactions with fans, as they fully plan to continue signing autographs and interacting with the people that pay to see them.

Lakers have agreed to bring in Dion Waiters to boost bench

The former Cleveland Cavaliers will get another chance to run with LeBron James on the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers.

Waiters Island is coming to Los Angeles. Only three days after Dion Waiters came into the Los Angeles Lakers practice facility and had an “impressive workout,” the sturdy guard out of Syracuse has agreed to join the Lakers, taking the spot created by the decision to waive Troy Daniels on Sunday, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic/Stadium.

Waiters’ 2019-20 season in Miami was an abject disaster, as he was sent home from training camp for being out of shape, had a mishap on the team plane with a weed gummy and was suspended by the Heat three times before getting traded to Memphis, before immediately getting released. Now Waiters finds himself on the best team in the Western Conference. Waiters, like Dwight Howard was earlier in the season, will be on a short leash as the Lakers reserve the right to release him.

Waiters has career averages of 13.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game while shooting 41.2% from the field and 34.8% from the 3-point line. Waiters also has many connections to the Lakers. He was a former client of Lakers president Rob Pelinka and now he is currently represented by Rich Paul of Klutch Sports.

Waiters played with LeBron back in 2014-15 in LeBron’s first season back and it didn’t go too well as Waiters was eventually traded to Oklahoma City. However, Waiters did prove to be a valuable role player on the Oklahoma City squad in 2016 that pushed the 73-9 Golden State Warriors to seven games, averaging eight points, 2.3 rebounds. 2.6 rebounds and shooting 37.5% from the 3-point line on 56 attempts over 18 games. He then had a career year in Miami as their lead ballhandler the following season before an ankle injury cut his season short. Perhaps now that he has the Miami Heat DNA that LeBron also has, the connection will be much stronger the second time around.

[lawrence-related id=27812,27807]

J.R. Smith also worked out for the Lakers on Monday

The Los Angeles Lakers had a couple of players in for a workout on Monday, including former Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith.

The Los Angeles Lakers had a busy day back in Los Angeles on Monday, as LeBron James enjoyed his eggs benedict in the sunshine on Instagram. Two of LeBron’s Klutch Sports colleagues, Dion Waiters, and J.R. Smith, were in the Lakers practice facility for workouts on Monday, according to Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times.

Waiters was in for the first workout earlier today and he was reportedly “impressive,” according to at least one report. Waiters, a former client of Lakers president Rob Pelinka, would give the Lakers another ball-handler and a sturdy defender. The case for Smith, although he’s been away from the league for the better part of two seasons, is his track record of 3-point shooting alongside LeBron James.

In his four playoff runs with the Cavaliers, Smith shot 40.6% from the 3-point line on a total of 493 3-point attempts. If the Lakers sign him, the hope for them is that he can bring the same type of 3-point shooting he showed during Cleveland’s playoff runs to the Lake Show.

[lawrence-related id=27708,27687]

 

Report: Dion Waiters workout for Lakers was ‘impressive’

The Los Angeles Lakers had Dion Waiters in for a workout on Monday morning and they reportedly liked what they saw.

The Los Angeles Lakers are weighing their options for the last open roster spot on their team and on Monday, they had one perspective player in for an audition, which was reportedly “impressive” to the Lakers staff who watched.

Dion Waiters, recently traded from the Miami Heat and waived by the Memphis Grizzlies, had a workout on Monday with the Lakers and it was deemed “impressive,” according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. The next step for Waiters was a meeting with the Lakers decision-makers in the front-office, Rob Pelinka, and Kurt Rambis, as well as coach Frank Vogel. Rambis, of course, is a Lakers legend who is also married to Linda Rambis, the powerful Director of Special Projects.

The Lakers are also expected to host J.R. Smith for a workout this week. Although Smith, like Waiters, is a client of Klutch Sports and has been a good 3-point shooter in the playoffs, he has been out of the NBA for the better part of two seasons and is 34 years old. Meanwhile, Waiters is only 28, has improved a great deal since, but didn’t fare all that well in his short stint with LeBron James and the Cavs.

[lawrence-related id=27687,27676]

 

 

Report: J.R. Smith will be in for Lakers workout this week

The Los Angeles Lakers are evaluating their options for the open roster spot they created on Sunday by waiving Troy Daniels.

Dion Waiters isn’t the only free agent wing who will get a chance to prove his worth to the Los Angeles Lakers this week. There is another player who had a lot more success over the years with LeBron James that the Lakers will take a look at, former Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

Smith has been out of the league for the better part of two seasons but he and his representation have maintained all season that Smith has been working out regularly in Los Angeles to keep him in basketball shape. Smith played only 11 games last season with the Cavaliers before leaving the team and working out in exile.

In his last full season in the NBA, the 2017-18 season, Smith shot 37.5% from the 3-point line on 4.8 attempts per game. In his four playoff runs with the Cavaliers, Smith shot 40.6% from the 3-point line on a total of 493 3-point attempts. If the Lakers sign him, the hope for them is that he can bring the same type of 3-point shooting he showed during Cleveland’s playoff runs to the Lake Show.

[lawrence-related id=27660,27654]

 

Lakers are waiving Troy Daniels, opening up additional roster spot

The Los Angeles Lakers created some extra roster flexibility by waiving the sharpshooting guard on Sunday.

The Los Angeles Lakers have tipped their hand, ever so slightly, that they will be looking for another player to sign to their team ahead of a playoff run later this spring. After much speculation about who would get cut, the axe came down on Troy Daniels’ short Lakers tenure.

Vogel confirmed the roster move to reporters during his pre-game media availability in New Orleans, after it was reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The move was done on Sunday first and foremost to create flexibility, but they also did right by Daniels in the circumstance. By releasing him on Sunday instead of Monday, Daniels still has a chance to sign with a playoff team.

A career 39.7% 3-point shooter, Daniels shot just 35.7% from the 3-point line in his limited minutes with the Lakers. He had a season-high 17 points in the Lakers Jan. 15 home loss to the Orlando Magic.

It’s on the record that the Lakers are expected to meet with free-agent guard Dion Waiters tomorrow in Los Angeles. There are other guards such as Tyler Johnson, J.R. Smith, and Allen Crabbe, available on the market. Crabbe, an L.A.-native, was bought out by the Minnesota Timberwolves earlier this weekend.

[lawrence-related id=27616,27612]

 

 

 

Buyout News: Moe Harkless staying in NY, Tolliver available

The Los Angeles Lakers are meeting with Dion Waiters next week, but what about other potential buyout candidates?

The Los Angeles Lakers already have a meeting set for next week with available free agent guard Dion Waiters and that’s good because there are not a ton of options left available for them to sign someone to their team ahead of their playoff run. Moe Harkless, one of the veteran players thought to be a buyout candidate, will finish the season with the New York Knicks, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

That takes Harkless off the table as a potential free agent move. Another name that did come available on Saturday was Sacramento forward Anthony Tolliver. Tolliver has agreed to a buyout, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic/Stadium.

Players have to be released by March 1 to be playoff eligible, meaning that today is the last day players who are not yet free agents can get waived and still sign with a playoff team. After already adding a power forward in Markieff Morris, it’s unlikely the Lakers would pursue Tolliver to play that same position.

[lawrence-related id=27570,27561]

 

Lakers plan to meet with free agent Dion Waiters on March 2

The Los Angeles Lakers could still make a move to their roster, according to Yahoo’s Chris Haynes.

In the final minutes of last night’s exciting victory for the Los Angeles Lakers against Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans, news broke indicating the Lakers aren’t done tinkering with their roster as they prepare for the franchises first playoff run since 2013 and their first real shot at a championship since their last title in 2010.

Yahoo’s Chris Haynes, who also does sideline work for TNT, reported during last night’s game that the Lakers plan to meet with free agent guard Dion Waiters on March 2. Waiters was traded from the Miami Heat to the Memphis Grizzlies and then bought out by the Grizzlies. The connections to the Lakers for Waiters are strong and deep. Lakers President Rob Pelinka used to represent Waiters and now Waiters is represented by LeBron’s agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports.

After a career season in 2016-17 with the Miami Heat, where he averaged 16 points and four assists per game, Waiters’ career has been littered with injuries. Waiters was also suspended three times by the Heat this season for several violations of team rules. However, Waiters would give the Lakers another sturdy defender and some additional shot-creation that they currently lack.

A reason why the Lakers are waiting until March 2? First of all, they have a three-game road trip that starts on Thursday. Then they will be back in L.A. to start a stretch of six games in Los Angeles, with one “road” game against the Clippers, over the next two weeks. That would theoretically give the Lakers plenty of time to acclimate Waiters into their system with some actual practice time at their facility.

Another reason why the Lakers would wait until March 2 is so that any players that they waive, whether it be Troy Daniels, Quinn Cook or someone else, would not be eligible to play in the postseason for another team. However, it remains to be seen whether the Lakers will make the necessary move of waiving someone to add Waiters to the squad.

[lawrence-related id=27452,27444]

 

Breaking down what’s next for the Lakers, Clippers and Warriors

Discussing the Lakers and Clippers’ free-agent options, Darren Collison staying retired, Andrew Wiggins’ fit with the Warriors and more.

[protected-iframe id=”0a4aecef334a57ca7ae1b08668c5aef5-85827622-115340648″ info=”https://omny.fm/shows/the-hoopshype-podcast-with-alex-kennedy/whats-next-for-lakers-and-clippers-andrew-wiggins/embed” width=”100%” height=”180″ frameborder=”0″]

On this episode of The HoopsHype Podcast, Alex Kennedy chats with Josh Martin, who is the Editorial Director of CloseUp360 and co-host of the Hollywood Hoops podcast. They discuss what’s next for the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angles Clippers and Golden State Warriors after the NBA trade deadline. Time-stamps are below.

:45: Alex and Josh discuss the Clippers’ acquisition of Marcus Morris and how much it improves this team.

3:25: The Lakers and Clippers have targeted many of the same players and this has been described as an arms race by Adrian Wojnarowski and others in the media. Will these two teams continue to battle over the same free agents and trade targets going forward?

7:00: Discussing Darren Collison’s decision not to return to the NBA this season and what that means for the Lakers and Clippers.

10:10: The Lakers are now shifting their focus to free agents such as Dion Waiters and JR Smith. Other available guards include Isaiah Thomas and Tyler Johnson. Do any of these players make sense for the Lakers?

14:45: Who should the Clippers target, if anyone, from free agency or the buyout market?

16:50: Lance Stephenson has history with Frank Vogel and the Lakers. Alex and Josh talk about whether he’d make any sense in Los Angeles.

19:50: Which team is the current favorite to win it all this season: the Lakers or the Clippers? And which team is better positioned for the long haul?

24:30: Breaking down whether the Warriors made the right decision trading D’Angelo Russell to the Minnesota Timberwolves last week. Can Andrew Wiggins take the next step and realize his full potential in Golden State?

Analyzing every deal from 2020 NBA trade deadline with Ben Golliver

Alex Kennedy and Ben Golliver break down every deal from the 2020 NBA trade deadline, the biggest winners/losers, possible buyouts and more.

[protected-iframe id=”ca5c3716b66d8d89a5127e0784481e3c-85827622-115340648″ info=”https://omny.fm/shows/the-hoopshype-podcast-with-alex-kennedy/analyzing-every-deal-from-the-2020-nba-trade-deadl/embed” width=”100%” height=”180″ frameborder=”0″]

On this episode of The HoopsHype Podcast, Alex Kennedy is joined by Ben Golliver of the Washington Post. They break down every deal from the 2020 NBA trade deadline, the biggest winners and losers, possible buyout candidates and more. Time-stamps are below!

1:35: Alex and Ben discuss their biggest winners of the deadline.

5:12: Alex and Ben discuss their biggest losers of the deadline.

7:55: Did the Golden State Warriors make the right move trading D’Angelo Russell to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Andrew Wiggins and a top-three protected 2021 first-round pick? Alex and Ben debate whether Golden State should’ve waited to see if a better offer emerged over the offseason, what to expect from Minnesota’s new-look team and more.

13:50: Breaking down the three-team deal that sends Marcus Morris to the Los Angeles Clippers. How much better does Morris make them? And what does this deal mean for the New York Knicks and Washington Wizards?

16:05: Alex and Ben discuss Darren Collison’s options if he decides to make an NBA comeback. If you were Collison, would you sign with the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers or another team (such as the Denver Nuggets or Philadelphia 76ers, who have shown interest in him)?

20:15: The Cleveland Cavaliers added Andre Drummond and they didn’t have to give up very much to the Detroit Pistons. Alex and Ben discuss the trade, why they like the move for Cleveland and what Detroit was thinking. They also talk about what this trade says about the evolution of the NBA.

25:10: Alex and Ben discuss the four-team, 12-player trade between the Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets. They break down Atlanta’s acquisition of Clint Capela, Houston’s addition of Robert Covington and the Rockets’ decision to go super small.

32:45: The Miami Heat acquired Andre Iguodala in a three-team deal with the Memphis Grizzlies and Minnesota Timberwolves, parting ways with Justise Winslow, Dion Waiters and James Johnson. The Heat also added Jae Crowder and Solomon Hill from the deal. Alex and Ben discuss Iguodala’s fit in Miami and the two-year, $30 million extension he signed with the Heat, as well as Memphis’ return for the 36-year-old.

37:25: Alex and Ben rattle off the remainder of minor deals that went down before the deadline and discuss their significance.

39:25: After the trade deadline, focus shifts to the buyout market. Alex and Ben talk about a number of veterans who could potentially be bought out and what kind of impact they could make on a contending team.