Mar 21, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) shoots and makes the game winning buzzer beater over Detroit Pistons center Aron Baynes (12) during the fourth quarter at Barclays Center. Photo Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
The Los Angeles Lakers hold the No. 2 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, but they did not wait until Thursday night to begin reshaping their roster.
The Lakers have reached an agreement to trade point guard D’Angelo Russell and center Timofey Mozgov to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for center Brook Lopez and the 27th selection in this year’s draft, The Vertical reported Tuesday.
Trading Russell, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 draft, all but assures that Los Angeles will select point guard Lonzo Ball of UCLA at No. 2 Thursday. It also gives the Lakers three first-round selections in the draft.
Russell averaged 15.6 points and 4.8 assists in his second season with the Lakers and the 7-foot-1 Mozgov averaged 7.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 0.9 blocked shots last season.
The 7-foot Lopez represents a dramatic upgrade for Los Angeles, particularly at the offensive end. He averaged a team-high 20.5 points last season for Brooklyn and owns career averages of 18.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in nine seasons with the Nets.
–Chicago Bulls shooting guard Dwyane Wade is reportedly leaning toward exercising his $24 million player option to remain with the franchise next season.
The 35-year-old Wade has until June 27 to make a decision.
The Chicago native averaged 18.3 points in his first season with the Bulls. He played in 60 games and was sidelined late in the season with a fractured elbow. The scoring average was the second lowest of his 14-year career.
Wade told the Bulls he didn’t want to be part of a rebuilding process, so the former Miami Heat star is certainly closely watching the situation involving All-Star swingman Jimmy Butler. The Bulls are shopping Butler leading up to Thursday’s NBA Draft and the Cleveland Cavaliers have reportedly expressed interest.
–Pau Gasol will decline a $16.2 million contract option for next season and become a free agent, but he is expected to re-sign with the San Antonio Spurs on a long-term deal, according to multiple reports.
The 36-year-old center intends to negotiate a lower annual salary so that the Spurs are able to offer free agents more money this offseason, according to the San Antonio Express-News. Gasol averaged a career-low 12.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks over 64 games (39 starts) in his first season with the Spurs last season.
Former All-Star David Lee is also expected to opt out of his deal with San Antonio. Lee’s option for next season is worth $1.6 million. The 34-year-old averaged 7.3 points and 5.6 rebounds in 79 games last season.
–The Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Lakers have begun discussing the possibilities of a Paul George trade, according to multiple reports.
George recently relayed to the Pacers that he won’t re-sign with the club after the 2017-18 season and added that he hopes to sign with the Lakers as a free agent. With Thursday’s NBA draft approaching, Indiana is investigating whether it can trade the four-time All-Star forward to the Lakers either before the draft or on draft night.
The Pacers are apparently asking for the No. 2 overall pick in the draft that belongs to the Lakers, as well as forward Brandon Ingram, who was the No. 2 overall pick in last season’s draft. The Lakers aren’t interested in that scenario as they have the knowledge that George could be had on the free-agent market 13 months from now.
Indiana also has engaged in talks with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Other teams reported to have interest are the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers and Washington Wizards.
–Kristaps Porzingis may not be long for New York as Knicks president Phil Jackson is considering trading the 7-foot-3 Latvian and has been fielding trade calls ahead of the draft, according to multiple reports.
Porzingis, 21, has not been in contact with anybody within the Knicks’ front office since the end of the season. He skipped exit meetings with Jackson and the team due to his frustration with the Knicks’ dysfunction.
The former fourth-overall draft pick in 2015 has averaged 16.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks over 138 games in his first two seasons with the Knicks. Last season, Porzingis averaged a career-high 18.1 points, 7.2 boards and two blocks in 66 contests.
–Aron Baynes is set to become a free agent as the Detroit Pistons center will decline his $6.5 million player option, according to The Vertical.
Pistons president and coach Stan Van Gundy has said repeatedly that he expected the 30-year-old Baynes to opt out and seek a better deal, the Detroit Free Press reports.
The 6-foot-10 Baynes averaged 4.9 points and 4.4 rebounds in 75 games (two starts) last season with the Pistons. He has career averages of 5.2 points and 4.1 boards in 295 games over five seasons with the Pistons and San Antonio Spurs.
