Tag: Kendrick Nunn

The Athletic gives Lakers’ offseason a B+ grade

The Los Angeles Lakers received a B-plus grade from The Athletic on their offseason moves.

The Los Angeles Lakers had one of the busiest offseasons of any team this summer in what was a major overhaul of the roster.

Los Angeles had over 10 free agents entering the market this summer, but the number of open roster spots increased when L.A. traded for Russell Westbrook.

The Lakers’ biggest moves financially were re-signing Talen Horton-Tucker to a three-year deal worth over $30 million and giving the full taxpayer MLE to Kendrick Nunn.

All of the other signings were minimum deals for one year. They went to Carmelo Anthony, Malik Monk, Trevor Ariza, Wayne Ellington, Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo and DeAndre Jordan.

Zach Harper of The Athletic gave the Lakers a B-plus for all of the moves in the series of team grades Harper has been doing for each NBA team. Here is what Harper said on if the Lakers improved from last year’s squad:

“The Lakers definitely got better from a talent standpoint, even though they lost a lot with their wing core. Especially after last season, the addition of Westbrook into the group provides a lot of relief. Sure, it might not fit together perfectly, and the issue of spacing will be there, but having three superstars affords the Lakers something we saw with Brooklyn a year ago. With three superstars on the roster, you can lose one guy and be fine. You can lose two guys and keep your head above water. Last season, the Lakers lost one guy and managed to keep things good enough — until they lost the other star. With the way Westbrook played for Washington a year ago, add that guy into the Lakers mix, and we don’t see them dip all the way down to the Play-In Tournament. They likely survive things and create an easier path for the playoffs, and maybe Davis doesn’t get hurt trying to do too much at that point. Nothing happens in a vacuum. That third-star balance alone makes the Lakers better than they were last season. We just have to see how it fits and if that fit puts them in the driver’s seat for the NBA title.”

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WATCH: Kendrick Nunn, Malik Monk train with Lakers’ Phil Handy

See new Los Angeles Lakers guards Malik Monk and Kendrick Nunn work on their dribbling with assistant coach Phil Handy.

The Los Angeles Lakers will have two fresh young guards in the backcourt next season in Kendrick Nunn and Malik Monk.

Nunn, 26, arrived in Los Angeles on a two-year deal worth the full taxpayer MLE, so he represents L.A.’s biggest signing from free agency who wasn’t a Laker previously; he broke out with the Miami Heat the last two seasons.

Monk, 23, came to L.A. on a one-year deal for the minimum after being the odd man out on the Charlotte Hornets roster.

Both have plenty of promise to boost Los Angeles’ offensive production next season, especially considering their abilities to hit 3-pointers in various ways to keep defenses honest.

As the two prepare for what should be a busy season, they’re already in the gym putting work in with Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy (h/t SHOWTIME FORUM):

Handy has been involved in workouts for other Lakers throughout the offseason. He worked out Talen Horton-Tucker and recording artist J. Cole earlier in the summer and Carmelo Anthony recently.

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ESPN gives Lakers a ‘C’ grade for offseason moves

The Los Angeles Lakers barely passed their offseason test, according to an ESPN analyst.

If the Los Angeles Lakers wanted to return to the NBA Finals during the LeBron James-Anthony Davis championship window, moves had to be made following last season’s rough first-round elimination.

The central move L.A. made was acquiring Russell Westbrook, and a sweetener of three future second-round picks, from the Washington Wizards for Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell and their 2021 first-round pick.

Westbrook’s fit on paper is the lingering question mark that will remain throughout the regular season unless it’s proven he can coexist alongside James and Davis while staying efficient.

Since landing Westbrook limited Los Angeles’ free-agency spending power even further, the rest of the roster needed to be filled out through veteran minimum deals.

The Lakers accomplished that by adding numerous veterans who had either represented the purple and gold in the past or are doing it for the first time to help win a ring. Names like Carmelo Anthony, Malik Monk and Wayne Ellington are new to the franchise while Rajon Rondo, Dwight Howard, Trevor Ariza and more are beloved for previous contributions.

Kendrick Nunn marked L.A.’s most expensive signing, as he received the full taxpayer MLE of $5.9 million for two years; Talen Horton-Tucker’s three-year extension worth over $30 million tops that, but he was already on the roster.

All these moves rounded out L.A.’s busy offseason, which doesn’t include the shuffling of the coaching staff.

ESPN has been grading the moves made by teams, and according to Kevin Pelton, the Lakers got a “C”:

“As long as Anthony Davis and LeBron James stay healthy, the Lakers look like the favorites to win the West. But it’s unclear their offseason moves improved their chances of getting back to the NBA Finals after last season’s first-round exit. In Russell Westbrook, the Lakers added a singular talent to help carry the load during the regular season, but they’ll have to work around his shooting limitations in a playoff setting.

The Lakers did well to replace the depth lost in the Westbrook trade with a series of veterans minimum signings as well as the value pickup of Kendrick Nunn using the taxpayer midlevel exception. Still, the Lakers don’t have as many reliable two-way contributors around their stars as in 2020, when Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Danny Green played those roles during their title run.”

The biggest takeaways from Pelton’s analysis hammer what the primary consensus is of Westbrook’s addition. He’s a poor shooter the farther away he is from the rim, which exacerbates the floor-spacing concerns L.A. needed to resolve.

And despite the signings being good offensive players, it’s plausible the defense, which was No. 1 in the league last year, will plunge. The Lakers could use Kent Bazemore in the role Caldwell-Pope and Green had in previous years, but all the other guards have notable defensive weaknesses.

For the new forwards, Anthony hasn’t been a plus defender in recent seasons, and it’ll be interesting to see how Ariza’s mobility holds up this year. He used to have the ability to guard faster players, but as his legs accumulate more mileage, he primarily matches up against bigger forwards now.

The talent on the roster is undeniable, but the Lakers need to prove they can assemble the pieces for a title run.

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Bleacher Report ranks Lakers’ Kendrick Nunn as eighth-best free agency signing

New Los Angeles Lakers guard Kendrick Nunn cracked the top 10 in Bleacher Report’s best free agency signings ranking.

The free agency period isn’t completely in the books, but by now, the best players available have primarily been signed by teams.

The Los Angeles Lakers prioritized adding shooters to surround LeBron James, Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis, with win-now veterans at the helm.

Players like Carmelo Anthony, Kent Bazemore, Wayne Ellington and Trevor Ariza will all hold crucial roles as catch-and-shoot threats out on the perimeter, and younger players like Malik Monk can do knock down shots both on and off the ball.

Those players were all signed to one-year minimum deals. The highest-paid free agent the Lakers picked up was Kendrick Nunn for the full MLE on a two-year deal worth $10.3 million; the second year is a player option.

Nunn will play a role as the backup point guard who can play shooting guard in some lineups as well; he can handle the ball and hunt for a shot or spot up and convert off passes from teammates.

The signing received praise from the NBA world because of how L.A. added someone of Nunn’s caliber at a relatively cheaper price.

In Bleacher Report’s top 10 ranking of the best free-agent signings, Nunn came in at No. 8:

When The Athletic’s John Hollinger projected pay rates for this year’s free agents, he saw Nunn collecting a salary north of $11 million. The Lakers won’t even have to pay him that much across two seasons, and they can thank their contending credentials and experienced roster for that.

Nunn could be a more consistently engaged defender and willing passer, but he’s also someone who just averaged 14.6 points on 48.5/38.1/93.3 as an NBA sophomore. His scoring punch and shooting stroke are for real, and if the Lakers can help iron out the rest of this game, they’ll turn this from a bargain to outright larceny—even if Nunn plays well enough the first season to opt out of the second.

Nunn topped Reggie Bullock to the Dallas Mavericks and Jeff Green to the Denver Nuggets, while former Lakers guard Dennis Schroder came in at first with his agreement with the Boston Celtics.
The 26-year-old Nunn, who went undrafted, will be in for a big season with the task at hand. He even turned down more money for a chance at a ring, so look for him to be hungry on the court.

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Kendrick Nunn explains why he turned down more money to join Lakers

Kendrick Nunn could’ve signed elsewhere for a better payday, but he detailed why he chose to join the Los Angeles Lakers.

Though veteran signings of Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard and Trevor Ariza have been prominent in analyzing the moves the Los Angeles Lakers made so far this summer, discussing the younger signings is also important.

The Lakers picked up Malik Monk on the veteran minimum for one season and added Kendrick Nunn from the Miami Heat.

Nunn, 26, went undrafted a few seasons ago but finally gained an opportunity in Miami to showcase his skills. He quickly rose to prominence with his silky scoring ability, though his defensive limitations bit him at times.

However, after the Lakers traded for Russell Westbrook, Nunn appears set to be the backup point guard.

The former Illinois standout stood out two seasons ago with his ability to put the ball in the basket, especially from 3-point range. This season, he made 38.% of his 3s on 5.7 attempts, which is the exact style of shooting L.A. needed.

During his introductory press conference, Nunn, who reportedly had bigger offers from other teams, explained why he came to the Lakers, via Harrison Faigen of SB Nation:

The Lakers signed Nunn using the $5.9 million taxpayer MLE, which was the most L.A. could offer any free agent this offseason.

Sacrificing has been a prevalent theme for players the Lakers have signed this summer. Howard and Ariza both mentioned during their introductory conferences how they’ll need to sacrifice their roles and just do whatever is necessary to help the team win.

With the way the Lakers have constructed this roster, it’s not a secret that the franchise’s 18th championship is the end goal this season. With Nunn’s words, it further indicates this squad understands the memo of what each of them will need to do on their end to make their goals a reality.

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Lakers sign Kendrick Nunn to two-year deal

The Los Angeles Lakers are adding another scoring guard in Kendrick Nunn.

The Los Angeles Lakers continued their free-agent haul with another scoring guard.

So far, the Lakers have added Dwight Howard, Wayne Ellington, Malik Monk, Trevor Ariza, Kent Bazemore and Carmelo Anthony, who should all play their own respective roles this season.

The Lakers also retained 20-year-old guard Talen Horton-Tucker, who should also make an imperative leap this season given his physical tools and overall prowess.

But the guard room got another addition as the Lakers signed Kendrick Nunn.

Nunn has played two seasons with the Miami Heat after going undrafted and made a name for himself immediately as a rookie.

Nunn is capable of finding his own shot as a crafty lefty; he also made 38.1 percent of his 3-pointers on 5.7 attempts last season.

The deal is for two years and worth $10 million, with a player option for next season, via Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN and Shams Charania of The Athletic:

The Lakers used their MLE deal to offer Nunn this contract.

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Kendrick Nunn outduels Kevin Porter Jr. as Rockets fade late in Miami

Christian Wood and Kevin Porter Jr. each scored 18, but it wasn’t nearly enough versus Kendrick Nunn (30 points, 8 assists) and the Heat.

After holding a small lead at halftime, the Rockets faded in the second half in Monday’s 113-91 loss (box score) at Miami. Coming off Sunday’s win at Orlando, it was Houston’s second game of a road back-to-back.

Christian Wood (18 points, 7 rebounds) and Kevin Porter Jr. (18 points) led the weary Rockets in scoring, while veteran guard John Wall returned but shot just 4-of-14 from the field (28.6%). Wall sat out Sunday’s game for planned maintenance during the split back-to-back.

Second-year guard Kendrick Nunn led the Heat (30-27) with 30 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds, including 6-of-12 (50%) on 3-pointers. Veteran swingman Andre Iguodala (16 points, 7 assists) hit 4-of-7 shots (57.1%) from 3-point range, and Miami was +38 in his 28 minutes.

As usual, the Rockets were short-handed with six players out, and they were also reeling from the shocking news of Sterling Brown being assaulted. While Brown is expected to fully recover from his facial lacerations, he was with the team in Miami when the attack occurred.

See below for a compilation of highlights and postgame reaction. Houston (15-43) returns to action at home on Wednesday night for a game against the Utah Jazz, with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Central.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpeV3hyH_PA

Could the Sixers send Josh Richardson back to Heat in a trade?

Could the Philadelphia 76ers send Josh Richardson back to the Miami Heat?

The Philadelphia 76ers are working to get back on track after a tough 2019-20 season on the floor. They have two bright stars in Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid to lead the way, but they need to fix the supporting cast around them.

The main options are to try and move either Al Horford or Tobias Harris who have the highest salaries on the team, but due to production concerns, it will be tough to move either of them. Philadelphia would have to attach quite a few assets to either guy to move them.

So, why not Josh Richardson? He had a solid first season with the Sixers and he does a few different things on the floor that affect winning, but he does not entirely fit on this roster. He also has a player option for the 2021-22 season so his contract is a little easier to move.

Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel examined a possible Richardson return trade to the Miami Heat recently and he came up with this one:

First, it would come down to what the 76ers are seeking, with the Heat lacking in draft capital. Would Kendrick Nunn be enough as the centerpiece for a trade? Then there is Josh’s contract, which has an $11.6 million player option for 2021-22. Even if he opts out, there would be a cap hold of about $16 million. So, as with so much of the speculation with the Heat’s future, it comes down to whether 2021 free agency (Read: Giannis Antetokounmpo) is an unbending priority.

The Heat would have to throw in more as Kendrick Nunn is only set to make about $1.6 million in the 2020-21 season compared to $10.8 million for Richardson, but Nunn could be what the team needs. He shot 39.1% from deep in the NBA Finals and he shot 35% from deep during the regular season. On top of that, he is an aggressive player who can put the ball on the floor and create for himself, like Richardson.

Essentially, this type of trade would come down to cap flexibility and whether the Sixers want to get out of Richardson’s contract. His deal is the one that would be the easiest to get out of himself, Harris, and Horford. [lawrence-related id=38436,38433]

Goran Dragic mentored Herro, Nunn while injured in the NBA Finals

Despite missing four games, Dragic helped give tips and advice to Tyler Herro and Kendrick Nunn during the NBA Finals.

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Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic missed four games during the NBA Finals due to a left foot injury but that doesn’t mean the 12-year veteran wasn’t helping his team while he was off of the court.

Dragic tore his left plantar fascia during Game 1 of the NBA Finals and missed the next four games before returning on Sunday in Game 6 versus the Los Angeles Lakers. Prior to the injury, Dragic had been playing magnificently, even leading the Heat in scoring to that point of the postseason.

He recorded five points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal in 18 minutes during Game 6 as the Lakers closed out the Heat to win their 17th championship. While Dragic was injured on the bench, though, he said he was constantly talking to rookies Tyler Herro and Kendrick Nunn to offer tips and feedback.

Tried to be, tried to talk to Tyler and K-Nunn as much as possible. Those fellas had a tremendous playoff. They played well. And, you know, do whatever it takes. If I cannot be on the floor with my team, try to be there for them, try to tell them what I see and stay engaged through the whole game.

After Game 6, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra commended Dragic as one of the veterans on the team that helped Herro and Nunn throughout the year. Spoelstra pointed to Dragic, Jimmy Butler and Udonis Haslem as key players this year in terms of mentoring the younger guys on the roster.

The display by Dragic to help Herro and Nunn proved to be yet another example of the strong chemistry the Heat had all season long. The end result wasn’t there, of course, but the Heat proved to be one of the best stories to surface from the season.

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Miami’s Goran Dragic will be active for Game 6 of Finals vs. Lakers

Miami’s Goran Dragic has decided he is able to play in Game 6 of the NBA Finals with a torn plantar fascia in his left foot.

As of the injury reports issued on the morning of Game 6, Goran Dragic was considered doubtful to play again in the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers but the veteran guard has found a way to make it work and his return in this best-of-seven series. Dragic is active for Game 6 of the NBA Finals, despite dealing with a torn plantar fascia in his left foot, which he suffered in Game 1 of the series. Dragic attempted to play in Game 4 of the Finals but decided he was unable to. However, the extra week has apparently allowed him to find a way to the court.

Among the Heat’s players, Dragic is the second-leading scorer throughout the playoffs, averaging 19.9 points per game in 16 games of playoff action. The Heat have gone to a more guard-heavy lineup even without him, but Dragic might be even more needed as the Lakers are also responding by going small and starting Alex Caruso in place of Dwight Howard.

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