Eagles

The NBA has levied a series of suspensions and fines following two mid-season altercations that broke out on the hardwood this week, sending tremors through playoff races in both conferences. In the most significant disciplinary action, four players involved in a Pistons-Hornets brawl have been suspended for a total of 17 games combined, while a separate skirmish between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Atlanta Hawks resulted in fines for both participants.&nbsp;
<h3>Pistons-Hornets brawl results in multi-game bans</h3>
Detroit Pistons forward-center Isaiah Stewart received the longest ban, a seven-game suspension from the league for leaving the bench area and aggressively entering an on-court altercation during the Feb. 9 game at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte. The NBA&rsquo;s announcement made clear Stewart&rsquo;s history of disciplinary issues was a factor in determining the length of his suspension.&nbsp;
Stewart&rsquo;s teammate, All-Star center Jalen Duren, was suspended for two games for initiating the altercation and fighting, while Charlotte Hornets forwards Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate each received four-game suspensions for their roles in escalating the melee.&nbsp;
The brawl unfolded midway through the third quarter of Detroit&rsquo;s 110-104 win over Charlotte, beginning with a physical exchange between Duren and Diabate that quickly escalated into a full-blown fight involving multiple players. All four were ultimately ejected and later disciplined by the league office.&nbsp;
Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff acknowledged the punishment this week, defending his players while expressing disappointment over the spotlight on the incident. Meanwhile, the Hornets &ndash; currently fighting for a playoff spot &ndash; will be without Bridges and Diabate for four games each.&nbsp;
Stewart&rsquo;s ban sidelines one of Detroit&rsquo;s key frontcourt defenders and enforcers, potentially affecting the team&rsquo;s interior defense as it navigates a difficult stretch of its schedule. Duren, however, remains eligible for Sunday&rsquo;s All-Star festivities despite his two-game suspension.&nbsp;
<h3>Wolves-Hawks incident draws fines</h3>
In a separate escalation during a Feb. 9 matchup, Minnesota Timberwolves forward Naz Reid and Atlanta Hawks forward Mouhamed Gueye were each fined $35,000 by the NBA after an on-court altercation. The clash occurred eight seconds into the fourth quarter of Minnesota&rsquo;s 138-116 victory, highlighted by Gueye making contact with Reid from behind, which led to both players grabbing each other and receiving technical fouls before being ejected.&nbsp;
While the scuffle didn&rsquo;t escalate to the level of the Pistons-Hornets incident, league officials underscored that overly aggressive behavior will continue to draw financial penalties even when suspensions aren&rsquo;t deemed necessary.&nbsp;
For the Pistons and Hornets, the suspensions come at a pivotal moment as both clubs seek to solidify their postseason positioning &ndash; Detroit atop the Eastern Conference standings and Charlotte clawing toward the play-in picture. Losing Stewart for seven games shifts rotation responsibilities and adds pressure to Detroit&rsquo;s frontcourt depth, particularly on the defensive end.&nbsp;
On the Wolves-Hawks front, the fines serve as a warning rather than a structural disruption, but the skirmish highlights rising competitive tensions as the postseason nears.&nbsp;
As the league continues to balance physicality with player safety and sportsmanship, the NBA&rsquo;s disciplinary actions this week underscore its focus on deterring on-court violence while maintaining competitive integrity.

The NBA has levied a series of suspensions and fines following two mid-season altercations that broke out on the hardwood this week.

NBA hands out suspensions after Pistons-Hornets brawl; Wolves-Hawks scuffle earns fines

LAS VEGAS (AP) &mdash; Every day he wasn&rsquo;t out recruiting or away at a game, Bill Musselman wrote a message on his son&rsquo;s school lunch bag.
Effort, energy, enthusiasm.
The message and the relentless pursuit of perfection it implored served as the substratum of Eric Musselman&rsquo;s life.
&ldquo;Everything that happened with my dad and I, whenever I was around him, being a competitor was kind of beyond belief,&rdquo; the Arkansas coach said Wednesday.
UConn coach Dan Hurley knows the feeling.
Like Musselman, he spent his childhood being told just good enough might as well be failure.
The two coaches&rsquo; sons have come together in the desert, preparing for a Sweet 16 game Thursday night that will push one a step closer to college basketball&rsquo;s ultimate goal.
&ldquo;I think being coaches&rsquo; kids just gives you such a unique perspective and it makes basketball such a huge part of your life,&rdquo; Hurley said. &ldquo;I think that&rsquo;s why we both coach with so much passion and we live and die with every possession.&rdquo;
Hurley&rsquo;s father, Bob, is one of the few high school coaches to be inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame, a hoops firebrand who led St. Anthony High School to 26 New Jersey state titles.
Dan and his brother Bobby played for their father and watched as he demanded excellence from his players on and off the court.
Bobby won two national championships as a player at Duke and is currently Arizona State&rsquo;s head coach.
Dan played at Seton Hall and, after stints at Wagner and Rhode Island, was tasked with rebuilding UConn back into national prominence when he was hired five years ago. The Huskies have gone to the NCAA Tournament in each of the past three seasons and are one win from the program&rsquo;s first Elite Eight since winning the 2014 national title.
&ldquo;I want to be the college version of my dad,&rdquo; Hurley said. &ldquo;I want to coach with integrity, be a man of my word and have the holistic type of approach that my dad had, be a coach&rsquo;s coach like my dad, not a phony or a fraud or a liar or a cheater.&rdquo;
How important has his dad been? Hurley had to compose himself for several seconds after being asked about him Wednesday in Las Vegas.
&ldquo;That was a brutal last question, buddy,&rdquo; he said before pausing. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m just glad my dad&rsquo;s at the games.&rdquo;
Musselman&rsquo;s dad, who died at 59 in 2000 after suffering a stroke, zigzagged his way across the country coaching in the NBA, American Basketball Association, Western Basketball Association and college over four decades.
His father&rsquo;s travels gave the younger Musselman a unique view into the world of basketball and beyond.
Musselman went on road trips with his father, served as a ball boy for opposing teams and got to know people most kids at the time only dreamed of meeting. He absorbed his father&rsquo;s intensity and attention to detail, and served as an assistant under him with the NBA&rsquo;s Minnesota Timberwolves.
&ldquo;To be able to work with him with the Timberwolves and watch his preparation, watch how he conducted practice, his attention to detail,&rdquo; Musselman said. &ldquo;And I was lucky to watch him meet with so many other coaches in different sports. I was just exposed to a whole different lifestyle than everybody else that I grew up with.&rdquo;
Musselman followed his father&rsquo;s coaching footsteps after playing at the University of San Diego. He became head coach of the Continental Basketball Association&rsquo;s Rapid City Thrillers at age 24 and later coached the NBA&rsquo;s Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors.
Intrigued by the prospect of coaching in college, Musselman wanted to learn from the ground level, so he took jobs as an assistant at Arizona State and LSU. He was clearly ready once he become a head coach, leading Nevada to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including a run to the 2018 Sweet 16.
Musselman has had even sweeter success in Fayetteville. He led the Razorbacks to the Elite Eight in his second season and returned there last year. He is seeking a third straight appearance in a regional final.
That run seemed to be headed toward an end this season when Trevon Brazile tore his ACL and five-star freshman Nick Smith Jr. was limited by knee injuries. The Razorbacks rallied like their tenacious coach, pulling off a win over No. 1 seed Kansas that Musselman&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-kansas-arkansas-upset-dfbf9716af7de6e346e47c6edeb87277" target="_blank" rel="noopener">celebrating with his shirt off.</a>
&ldquo;We just kept kind of grinding and looking at the next game on our schedule and trying to have belief,&rdquo; Musselman said. &ldquo;And here we are again. It&rsquo;s a resilient team that&rsquo;s overcome a lot for sure.&rdquo;
Just like its coach &mdash; and UConn&rsquo;s.

UConn coach Dan Hurley and Arkansas coach Eric Musselman are the sons of successful coaches. Now, they'll face off in the Sweet 16.

Coaches’ sons Dan Hurley and Eric Musselman to meet in Sweet 16

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Jeremy Roach scored 16 first-half points to help seventh-ranked Duke open Jon Scheyer&rsquo;s coaching tenure with a 71-44 win over Jacksonville on Monday night.
Freshman Mark Mitchell had a team-high 18 points for the Blue Devils, who used a 25-4 run spanning halftime to blow the game open.
It was a quality start to a season of massive change for the Blue Devils, starting with Scheyer taking over for retired Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski. Duke has 11 new players, including the nation&rsquo;s No. 1-ranked recruiting class and two power-conference transfers. The Blue Devils didn&rsquo;t have top freshmen Dereck Lively II and Dariq Whitehead for this one as they recover from preseason injuries.
Mike Marsh scored 15 points to lead the Dolphins, who shot 34% and missed 18 of 19 3-pointers before making two meaningless 3s late.
NO. 1 NORTH CAROLINA 69, UNC WILMINGTON 56
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Caleb Love and RJ Davis scored 17 points apiece and North Carolina began a season of grand expectations by pulling away from UNC Wilmington.
Armando Bacot added 16 points and nine rebounds for the Tar Heels, who were perhaps most impressive at the defensive end. UNCW shot 29.8% from the field.
The Tar Heels, who were the NCAA Tournament runner-up in April, began the new season with the top ranking for the first time in seven years. It&rsquo;s a record 10th time that North Carolina has been ranked No. 1 to start a season &mdash; one more than rival Duke.
Trazarien White scored 19 points for UNCW, which faced a top-ranked team for the first time in program history.
NO. 2 GONZAGA 104, NORTH FLORIDA 63
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) &mdash; Drew Timme scored 22 points, Julian Strawther added 16 and No. 2 Gonzaga used a big first-half run to beat North Florida in both teams&rsquo; opener.
Anton Watson had 10 points, four rebounds, four assists and five steals for Gonzaga, which won its 68th consecutive home game, the nation&rsquo;s longest such streak.
Carter Hendricksen scored 16 points, Jadyn Parker 13 and Jose Placer 12 for North Florida, a veteran-laden team from the Atlantic Sun Conference that returned its top four scorers from last season.
NO. 3 HOUSTON 83, NORTHERN COLORADO 36
HOUSTON (AP) &mdash; Marcus Sasser scored 21 points, J&rsquo;Wan Roberts added 12 points and six rebounds, and Houston opened the season by beating Northern Colorado.
Sasser, a preseason All-American, scored 11 points in the first half. He finished 7 of 14 from the field and made 4 of 8 3-pointers. The senior guard missed the second half of last season and all of Houston&rsquo;s run to the Elite Eight with a toe injury.
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson won his 700th career game and 200th with the Cougars.
Matt Johnson II, Riley Abercrombie and Caleb Shaw each scored eight points for the Bears.
NO. 4 KENTUCKY 95, HOWARD 63
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) &mdash; Antonio Reeves scored 22 points, CJ Fredrick had 20 and Kentucky beat Howard with All-American Oscar Tshiebwe and two other players sidelined.
Tshiebwe had a procedure last month on his right knee. Point guard Sahvir Wheeler (right leg) and sophomore forward Daimion Collins (personal reasons) were also out, but the Wildcats still shot 55% against the overmatched Bison.
Jacob Toppin and freshman Cason Wallace each added 15 points for Kentucky.
Kobe Dickson scored 17 points and Elijah Hawkins had 14 for Howard, which shot 34%.
NO. 5 KANSAS 89, OMAHA 64
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Jalen Wilson had 19 points and 11 rebounds, Gradey Dick added 23 points in his debut, and Kansas began defense of its national championship without suspended coach Bill Self by routing Omaha.
Bobby Pettiford Jr. added 13 points, Dajuan Harris had 11 points and eight assists, and Texas Tech transfer Kevin McCullar Jr. scored 10 for the Jayhawks, who broke open a close game in the second half with two big runs.
Self served the first of a four-game punishment along with assistant Kurtis Townsend as part of the fallout from a 2017 federal investigation into college basketball corruption.
Jaeden Marshall scored 13 points and Luke Jungers had 12 for the Mavericks.
NO. 5 BAYLOR 117, MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE 53
WACO, Texas (AP) &mdash; Adam Flagler scored 21 points to lead six players in double figures as Baylor won the opener of its 20th season with coach Scott Drew.
Flagler, a preseason All-Big 12 pick who also was the Bears&rsquo; leading scorer last season, also had eight assists and one of his four 3-pointers started a 24-0 run midway through the first half.
LJ Cryer had 16 points and Dale Bonner, another returning guard, had 14.
Alvin Stredic scored 14 points and Terry Collins 10 for Mississippi Valley State in its first game for new coach George Ivory.
NO. 9 CREIGHTON 72, ST. THOMAS 60
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) &mdash; Baylor Scheierman made back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the second half to give Creighton the lead for good.
Arthur Kaluma scored 17 points, Trey Alexander had 12 and Scheierman added 11 as the Bluejays won their 25th opener in 26 years.
St. Thomas, a Summit League member beginning its second season in Division I, gave the Bluejays all they could handle until the last few minutes. Andrew Rohde had 15 points to lead the Tommies.
NO. 10 ARKANSAS 76, NORTH DAKOTA STATE 58
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) &mdash; Trevon Brazile had 21 points and 12 rebounds in his debut as Arkansas won its season opener.
Brazile, a sophomore transfer from Missouri, scored six straight points during an 11-0 run early in the second half that gave Arkansas a 16-point lead with 15 minutes left.
Wichita State transfer Ricky Council led the Razorbacks with 22 points on 9-for-14 shooting.
Grant Nelson and Boden Skunberg had 17 points apiece to lead North Dakota State.
NO. 11 TENNESSEE 75, TENNESSEE TECH 43
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Tyreke Key came off the bench to score 17 points and Tennessee beat Tennessee Tech in both teams&rsquo; opener.
Key, an Indiana State transfer, connected on 4 of 8 3-pointers to ignite a sluggish Volunteer offense. Zakai Zeigler scored all but two of his 12 points in the second half.
Brett Thompson led the Golden Eagles with 15 points.
NO. 12 TEXAS 72, UTEP 57
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) &mdash; Tyrese Hunter scored 18 points to lead Texas past UTEP in the debut of its new arena.
Hunter, a transfer from Iowa State, was 6-of-8 shooting and added five rebounds. Ze&rsquo;Ri Onyema led UTEP with 10 points.
Texas this season moved to the $375 million Moody Center on the edge of campus, leaving behind the old Frank Erwin Center after 45 years.
NO. 13 INDIANA 88, MOREHEAD STATE 53
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Preseason All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis and freshman Malik Reneau each scored 15 points, helping Indiana beat Morehead State in the season opener for both teams.
The Hoosiers have won all six matchups in the series and are 26-0 all-time against Ohio Valley Conference foes.
Mark Freeman led the Eagles with 14 points, and Drew Thelwell had 11 for the OVC favorites.
NO. 14 TCU 73, ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF 72
WACO, Texas (AP) &mdash; Mike Miles hit a 3-pointer with 51 seconds remaining to finally put TCU ahead to stay against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, which built an early 20-point lead in the season opener for both teams.
Miles, the preseason Big 12 player of the year, hit from deep beyond the top of the key for a 71-68 lead.
Emanuel Miller had 15 of his 19 points in the second half, and Miles finished with 15 points for the Horned Frogs. They returned all five starters and five other scholarship players after winning their first NCAA Tournament game since 1987.
Shaun Doss had 25 points with four of Arkansas-Pine Bluff&rsquo;s 13 3-pointers.
NO. 15 AUBURN 70, GEORGE MASON 52
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) &mdash; Wendell Green Jr. scored 16 points while K.D. Johnson and Johni Broome each had 12 to lead Auburn to a season-opening win over George Mason.
The Tigers weren&rsquo;t really challenged much in their first game since losing NBA first-round draft picks Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler.
Ronald Polite III led George Mason with 10 points, and Victor Bailey Jr. had nine.
NO. 16 VILLANOVA 81, LA SALLE 68
VILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) &mdash; Caleb Daniels scored 24 points to make coach Kyle Neptune a winner in his Villanova debut.
Neptune replaced Hall of Famer Jay Wright, who retired in the offseason. The Wildcats returned three starters (a fourth, Justin Moore, was injured) from the team that lost a national semifinal game to Kansas. Eric Dixon added 20 points for Villanova.
Daniels made his first five 3-pointers and the Wildcats used an early 10-0 run to put away their city rival and spoiled 74-year-old coach Fran Dunphy&rsquo;s return to the bench.
Josh Nickelberry scored 22 points to lead the Explorers.
NO. 17 ARIZONA 117, NICHOLLS STATE 75
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) &mdash; Azuolas Tubelis scored 23 points and Arizona went on a massive opening run to begin its second season under coach Tommy Lloyd with a rout.
Ballo scored 18 points, helping Arizona set a school record with 71.7% shooting from the floor against the reigning Southland Conference regular-season champions. The Wildcats opened the game with a 30-4 run.
Micah Thomas led Nicholls State with 20 points.
NO. 18 VIRGINIA 73, NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL 61
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) &mdash; Kihei Clark and Reece Beekman sparked a 15-2 second-half run, and Virginia beat North Carolina Central after blowing a 16-point first-half lead.
Armaan Franklin led Virginia with 21 points in the season opener for both teams, and Francisco Caffaro had 10.
Justin Wright scored 20 and Eric Boone had 18 for the Eagles, who used a 12-0 run just after halftime to go ahead. But Clark hit a 3 and Beekman followed with a steal and a breakaway.
NO. 19 SAN DIEGO STATE 80, CAL STATE FULLERTON 57
SAN DIEGO (AP) &mdash; Darrion Trammell hit three 3-pointers during a 29-10 run to open the second half and finished with 18 points as San Diego State beat Cal State Fullerton.
Fellow newcomer Jaedon LeDee and Lamont Butler scored 11 points apiece and Nathan Mensah had 10 for the Aztecs, who won their 10th straight season opener and their 17th in 18 seasons.
Vincent Lee scored 11 and Jalen Harris 10 for the Titans, the defending Big West Conference champions.
NO. 20 ALABAMA 75, LONGWOOD 54
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) &mdash; Freshman Brandon Miller had 14 points and 13 rebounds in his debut as Alabama beat Longwood.
Fellow freshman Rylan Griffen also scored 14 for the Crimson Tide, and point guard Mark Sears had 12 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Freshman guard Jaden Bradley added 11 points and six boards.
Alabama held Longwood to 27% shooting and blocked nine shots. Michael Christmas led Longwood with 12 points.
NO. 21 OREGON 80, FLORIDA A&amp;M 45
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) &mdash; N&rsquo;Faly Dante had 16 points and 10 rebounds as Oregon opened with an easy win over Florida A&amp;M.
Keeshawn Barthelemy added 13 points for the Ducks, ranked to start the season for the ninth straight year. Will Richardson scored 11.
Jordan Tillmon and Jordan Chatman had eight points apiece for the Rattlers, who have 11 new players. Florida A&amp;M coach Robert McCullum was on Oregon coach Dana Altman&rsquo;s staff from 2014-17.
NO. 22 MICHIGAN 75, PURDUE FORT WAYNE 56
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) &mdash; Hunter Dickinson had 22 points and 12 rebounds, and freshman Jett Howard added 21 points in Michigan&rsquo;s season-opening win.
After Purdue Fort Wayne opened an 8-4 lead, Michigan went on a 20-0 run to take control.
Quinton Morton-Robertson scored 15 points and Bobby Planutis added 13 for the Mastodons.
NO. 23 ILLINOIS 87, EASTERN ILLINOIS 57
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) &mdash; Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 24 points and Coleman Hawkins had 23 points and 12 rebounds as Illinois cruised past Eastern Illinois.
Dain Dainja added 17 points on 8-of-9 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Illini, who outrebounded the Panthers 53-30 in the opener for both teams.
Kinyon Hodges scored 14 points and Yaakema Rose added 10 for Eastern Illinois.
NO. 24 DAYTON 73, LINDENWOOD 46
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) &mdash; Mustapha Amzil scored 14 points, DaRon Holmes II and R.J. Blakney each had 13 and Dayton beat Lindenwood in a sluggish opener for both teams.
Dayton was without injured point guard Malachi Smith and didn&rsquo;t play particularly well until late, but it had a large margin for error against Lindenwood, which was playing its first game after moving up to Division I.
Chris Childs had 15 points for the Lions, who shot 33% from the field.
NO. 25 TEXAS TECH 73, NORTHWESTERN STATE 49
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) &mdash; Daniel Batcho had 12 points and 10 rebounds as Texas Tech rolled past Northwestern State in both teams&rsquo; opener.
Texas Tech broke it open late in the first half and led 42-23 at halftime.
Isaac Haney led Northwestern State with 16 points.

It was a quality start to a season of massive change for the Blue Devils, starting with Jon Scheyer taking over Duke's program.

Roach leads No. 7 Duke past Jacksonville in Scheyer’s debut

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NBA Expansion Mock Draft: What would a new expansion team look like?

After everything the Brooklyn Nets went through this season, they still entered the playoffs with the third-best championship odds (+600), which is a testament to this team's talent on paper. However, though they were considered a favorite to hoist the Larry O&rsquo;Brien trophy and boasted the NBA&rsquo;s second-highest payroll ($174,811,922), the Nets failed to win a single playoff game. &nbsp;
Multiple players blamed Brooklyn&rsquo;s lack of continuity. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving played just 17 games together this season after playing only 27 games together last year. Irving couldn&rsquo;t suit up in home games until late March due to New York City&rsquo;s vaccine mandate. A number of key contributors were acquired halfway through the campaign, including Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and Goran Dragic, making it even tougher for the team to get everyone on the same page.&nbsp;
Injuries also impacted the team&rsquo;s ability to play at full strength and develop chemistry, as Durant missed 27 games with a sprained MCL, Joe Harris suffered a season-ending ankle injury in November and Ben Simmons dealt with a herniated disc in his back after being traded to Brooklyn as the centerpiece of the James Harden blockbuster.
Now, after being swept by the Boston Celtics on Monday night, what&rsquo;s next for the Nets?
&ldquo;This summer is gonna be a very, very important summer for our organization,&rdquo; Durant said after the Game 4 loss. &ldquo;We'll see where we go next year."
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Durant is correct, as the Nets will be one of the most interesting teams to watch this offseason, and it&rsquo;s possible that their roster could look very different entering the 2022-23 season.
The Nets have only six players with guaranteed contracts for next season: Durant, Simmons, Harris, Curry, Cam Thomas and Day'Ron Sharpe. Brooklyn already has $144,555,667 in guaranteed money on their books for 2022-23. Next year&rsquo;s salary cap is projected to be $122 million and the luxury tax is expected to be $149 million, so they&rsquo;ll likely have one of the NBA&rsquo;s most expensive payrolls once again.
The Nets are already close to being a tax-paying team before factoring in any of their potential free agents such as Irving, Drummond, Dragic, Bruce Brown, Patty Mills, Nic Claxton, Blake Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge, Kessler Edwards and David Duke Jr.&nbsp;
Irving has a player option worth $35,328,700. On Monday night, Irving was asked about his future and said, &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t really plan on going anywhere... There's no question where I'm going: I'm here with 7 (Durant)."
Either Irving will opt-in and cost quite a bit, or he&rsquo;ll opt-out and potentially cost even more if he signs a new, multi-year deal with the Nets.
Mills also has a player option, which is worth $6,184,500. He could opt-in, but it&rsquo;s also possible that the 33-year-old will prioritize his long-term security and try to ink a multi-year contract elsewhere. He's coming off a productive season, averaging 11.4 points, 2.8 threes and 2.3 assists while shooting 40.0% from three, so he will likely have other suitors.
Claxton and Duke will hit restricted free agency, assuming the Nets extend qualifying offers to both players ($2,228,276 for Claxton and $1,576,305 for Duke). Also, Edwards has a team option worth $1,563,518.
The rest of Brooklyn's players are unrestricted free agents including Brown, Drummond, Dragic, Aldridge, Griffin and Johnson.&nbsp;
Brown earned $4,736,102 this season, but he's going to get a significant raise after his career-year, averaging 9.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.7 blocks on .506/.404/.758 shooting splits. He was one of the Nets' most dependable and versatile players all season long. He stepped up in the playoffs, averaging 14.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.8 blocks on .568/.429/.800 shooting splits. This is a relatively weak free-agency class, so don&rsquo;t be surprised if some team makes a big offer to the 25-year-old.
When asked about the possibility of re-signing with the Nets, Brown responded, &ldquo;Yeah, hopefully. The season just ended. I&rsquo;m not thinking about it. If there's a chance to stay, we'll talk about it. But we'll see."&nbsp;
It remains to be seen if Drummond, Dragic, Aldridge and Griffin will return.&nbsp;
Drummond played well as the Nets' starting center, averaging 11.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.0 block and 0.9 steals (while shooting 61.0% from the field) in 22.3 minutes per game. When Drummond signed a one-year deal last offseason, it seemed like he wanted to showcase his value and then ink a larger contract this summer, so if he gets the kind of offer he&rsquo;s anticipating, he&rsquo;ll likely be too expensive for Brooklyn to retain.
In a shockingly candid moment back in March, Drummond <a href="https://twitter.com/krisplashed/status/1506663720931500046" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told reporters</a>: "If we're all being honest, I'm only here &lsquo;til the rest of the season. Who knows what&rsquo;s gonna happen in the offseason? So they need a guy like [Claxton].&rdquo;
Last season, the NBA world was outraged that a super-team like the Nets was able to add Griffin and Aldridge for nothing via the buyout market, putting them alongside their Big Three of Durant, Irving and Harden. At one point, Brooklyn&rsquo;s roster had a combined 41 All-Star appearances and 32 All-NBA selections. However, it didn't translate to postseason success. It remains to be seen if Griffin, Aldridge or Dragic will return. It&rsquo;s possible that Brooklyn will be able to attract other ring-chasing veterans to take their places.
After all, despite their first-round flameout, the Nets will once again enter next season as a top contender. If Simmons is able to return his All-NBA, Defensive-Player-of-the-Year-candidate form, it would be a huge addition that makes the Nets much scarier. And the more Durant and Irving play together, the more dangerous they&rsquo;ll become as a duo. Also, with Harris and Curry, the Nets will have two outstanding shooters to put around their Big Three. If this team is able to stay healthy and develop chemistry, Brooklyn has the talent to go on a deep postseason run.
Using the taxpayer mid-level exception and minimum deals, Brooklyn shouldn&rsquo;t have trouble surrounding its core with decent veterans.
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When asked specifically about who might be back and what the Nets need to add to their roster in order to contend, Durant shrugged.
"We just got done playing. You know I don't know the answer to that question right now,&rdquo; Durant said. &ldquo;I don't know the situations with the contracts. I just don't know. Obviously when you lose in the playoffs, you&rsquo;re looking toward next year and who may be on the team, and there's a lot of high expectations around the Nets so people want to have some hope of what may happen in the future. But at this point, an hour after the game, it's hard for me to say.&rdquo;
Another avenue for the Nets to improve is through the 2022 NBA Draft, where they&rsquo;ll have the No. 23 overall pick via the Philadelphia 76ers. In <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com's latest 2022 NBA Mock Draft</a>, Brooklyn is projected to take Jaden Hardy of the G League Ignite with its late-first-round selection.
The Nets can try to find a diamond-in-the-rough with that selection, or they can attempt to trade that pick for a win-now piece. Since the Nets will be above the luxury tax and the rookie will be a relatively cheap contributor, it may make sense to keep the pick. Remember, this year&rsquo;s roster featured four rookies: Thomas, Sharpe, Edwards and Duke.
In recent years, players such as OG Anunoby, Darius Bazley and Rodney Hood have been selected at No. 23 overall. Other notable players drafted at that spot include Tayshaun Prince, A.C. Green, Wesley Person, Wilson Chandler, Bobby Jackson, Trevor Booker, DeShawn Stevenson and Tyronn Lue.
While the roster could look very different, don&rsquo;t expect the Nets to make a coaching change. Steve Nash expressed that he hopes to return as the team&rsquo;s head coach, and Durant got annoyed and shot down a question about whether Nash is still the right coach to lead the Nets.
&nbsp;&ldquo;Come on, man. Yeah,&rdquo; Durant said. &ldquo;Steve has been dealt a crazy hand the last three years. He&rsquo;s had to deal with so much stuff as a first-time head coach &mdash; trades, injuries, COVID, just a lot of stuff he had to deal with. I&rsquo;m proud of how he just focused and of his passion for us. We'll all continue developing over the summer and see what happens.&rdquo;
Durant did express that he wants to have some input over this offseason&rsquo;s personnel decisions.
&ldquo;Yeah, of course! I want to know who I'm playing with out on the floor. I want to know what we're thinking,&rdquo; Durant said. &ldquo;[Nets general manager] Sean [Marks] and the front office, we all just talk basketball regardless because we all enjoy basketball; sometimes our team may come up and what we need and what I see from a player&rsquo;s perspective. We always have conversations and that&rsquo;s what makes great organizations.&rdquo;
Irving made it clear that he wants to be involved in &ldquo;managing this franchise&rdquo; as well.
&ldquo;When I say I&rsquo;m here with Kev, it really entails us managing this franchise together alongside [Nets governor] Joe [Tsai], Sean and our group of family members that we have in our locker room and organization,&rdquo; Irving said.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not just about me and Kev. We're cornerstones here, but we have Ben and a few other guys who are under contract [too]. I think we've just gotta make some moves this offseason and really talk about it and really be intentional about what we&rsquo;re building, and have some fun with it and make it enjoyable.&rdquo;
After a disappointing season, all eyes will be on the Nets to see how their decision-makers attempt to right the ship.
If the last year has been any indication, there won&rsquo;t be a dull moment.&nbsp;
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After getting swept by the Celtics, the Nets are poised for a very interesting offseason. What's next for the team?

2022 NBA offseason preview: What's next for the Brooklyn Nets?

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) &mdash; Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points and Rudy Gobert had 25 points and 17 rebounds as the Utah Jazz snapped a five-game losing streak with a 122-109 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night.
&ldquo;It was huge to get a win,&rdquo; Mitchell said. &ldquo;The negativity and the losses and all that pressure was more external, but it was not an ideal time to have a five-game losing streak. So it&rsquo;s nice to celebrate this one tonight.&rdquo;
Jordan Clarkson scored 19 points, Mike Conley added 18 and Bojan Bogdanovic 11 in his return from injury as the Jazz continued their fight to stay out of a Western Conference play-in game.
Utah led wire-to-wire, the fourth game of the season in which it never trailed. But, the Lakers stayed within striking distance until Gobert slammed down Mitchell&rsquo;s miss to make it 120-104 with 2:54 to play.
&ldquo;We were finding guys, making the right reads, getting switches, being able to break down the defense, get in the paint and make the extra pass,&rdquo; Mitchell said of the Jazz offense returning to its efficient ways with 51 percent shooting and only eight turnovers.
Russell Westbrook scored 24 points and Dwight Howard had 21 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers, who were without LeBron James (ankle sprain) and Anthony Davis (foot sprain). Howard even hit a step-back 3-pointer as he reached double figures for the second time in his last 12 games.
&ldquo;I know how important these games are down the stretch. I just wanted to get my body and my mind prepared for tonight. Felt really good out there. Just a little bit hurt about not winning the game,&rdquo; Howard said.
Lakers have dropped five of six and are 4-14 since beating the Jazz on Feb. 16. They played their 37th different starting lineup against Utah.
&ldquo;For me, personally, it&rsquo;s a big adjustment. You don&rsquo;t know who&rsquo;s playing and who&rsquo;s out. Who&rsquo;s starting and who&rsquo;s not. Something I&rsquo;m not accustomed to. But like I said, I make no excuses. I own whatever it is, play whoever is playing and try to make the best out of it,&rdquo; Westbrook said.
Utah&rsquo;s losing streak included a demoralizing defeat in which it blew a 25-point lead against the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday. The Jazz have lost 14 games this season in which they held double-digit leads.
When the Lakers closed to 113-103 on Talen Horton-Tucker&rsquo;s 3-pointer, an audible nervous buzz grew among the Jazz faithful as they anticipated another collapse. But, the Lakers couldn&rsquo;t consistently get enough stops to make it interesting.
&ldquo;I really like the way we were able to re-focus together and reconnect. We did a good job closing &hellip; and that&rsquo;s big for us,&rdquo; Gobert said.
Both teams have been weighed down by disappointing losses and unrealized expectations. Some of the dropoff has been due to injuries, as James has missed three of the Lakers&rsquo; last four games and Davis has been out for 18 games.
Utah&rsquo;s losing ways have corresponded with Bogdanovic&rsquo;s nine-game absence with a calf strain and House&rsquo;s knee bruise.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s great to have them back, just having that presence on the court &hellip; for spacing. You know guys have to think twice when they decide to help on the roll or drives and it opens the floor,&rdquo; Gobert said.
Hassan Whiteside has also been out with a foot sprain during three games of the skid and missed the Lakers game.
The Jazz were able to get into transition and outscored Los Angeles 14-2 on fast breaks. Not only did the Jazz stymie the Lakers on the move, they took away the perimeter shots as Los Angeles made just seven 3-pointers.
The Jazz are 28-11 on the season when they have their starting lineup of Conley, Mitchell, Bogdanovic, Royce O&rsquo;Neale and Gobert.
REFRAIN FROM POINTING FINGERS
When the losses were piling up and it didn&rsquo;t look like they were enjoying playing together, Mitchell knew they had to block the outside noise.
&ldquo;The biggest thing was just being able to stay together as a group,&rdquo; Mitchell said. &ldquo;We have a group of guys who are seasoned and have been through ups and downs. So if a five-game losing streak is what breaks us, that&rsquo;s not who we think we are. I think we are a team that is locked in as a group.&rdquo;
Clarkson agreed and said the swoon actually helped the team communicate better.
&ldquo;There isn&rsquo;t a sense of panic with this team &hellip; a lot of it is looking at yourself and what you can do to help the team,&rdquo; Clarkson said. &ldquo;That takes out the finger-pointing if you hold yourself accountable.&rdquo;
LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL?
Lakers coach Frank Vogel liked how his team competed without his stars and hopes they can make a run when they return.
&ldquo;We have to stay in the fight and we have to give ourselves a chance. If we&rsquo;re able to get into the play-in game at full strength, we know we got a shot. &hellip; Tomorrow is even bigger obviously with the head-to-head with the Pelicans,&rdquo; Vogel said.
TIP-INS
Lakers: Trevor Ariza had a season-high two blocked shots. &hellip; The Lakers went 34 for 58 from 2-point range. &hellip; Malik Monk scored 14 and Carmelo Anthony added 12.
Jazz: Utah had one turnover in the first quarter, which came with 17.6 seconds left. &hellip; Gobert, who had been barking at the officials all game, finally got a technical in the third quarter. &hellip; The Jazz, who aim to get up 40-plus 3-point attempts a game, made 15 of 44 from beyond the arc.
UP NEXT
Lakers: Host the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.
Jazz: Visit the Golden State Warriors on Saturday.
&nbsp;

Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points as the Utah Jazz snapped a five-game losing streak with a 122-109 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Utah snaps five-game skid with 122-109 win over Lakers

After the Los Angeles Lakers were embarrassed by the Milwaukee Bucks at home on Tuesday night (before Los Angeles lost to a bad Portland Trail Blazers team missing half their roster), a reporter asked LeBron James how his squad stacks up against Milwaukee and the league's other elite teams.
LeBron gave a surprisingly candid response: "<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lakers-players-believe-changes-must-be-made-before-trade-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">We ain't on their level</a>."
When asked if he believed the Lakers could eventually reach the Bucks' level this season, <a href="https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nba/lebron-james-admits-lakers-are-not-on-championship-level#:~:text=After%20the%20game%2C%20LeBron%20James,a%20flat%2C%20%22No.%22" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James replied</a>, "Where they are right now? I don't know. Do I think we can reach the level where Milwaukee is right now? No. Is that what you want to hear from me? No. We can't get to where they are right now. They're the defending champions for a reason and I guarantee you if you would've asked teams coming out of the bubble if they could get to the level that we were playing at when we won a championship, they would've said the same thing."
Let's flashback to the championship group for a second, shall we?
It may seem like it's been 16 years or so since LeBron led LA to a title in the bubble, but, incredibly, it's been less than 16 months. The Lakers beat the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the Finals on Oct. 11, 2020. The team's two cornerstones, Anthony Davis and LeBron, remain, but the rest of the rotation has been turned over completely.&nbsp;
So, how did this team go from raising the Larry O'Brien trophy, to being four games under .500 and fighting for a spot in the play-in tournament just a year-and-a-half later?&nbsp;
Let's break it down.&nbsp;
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In the offseason following their championship, LA's major move was trading Danny Green (a significant two-way contributor on their title team) and LA's 2021 first-round pick (Jaden McDaniels) to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Dennis Schroder. That summer, LA re-signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (three years, $39 million) and used its cap space to ink free agent Montrezl Harrell to a two-year, $18.9 million contract. They also brought in Wesley Matthews and Markieff Morris for the veteran minimum and inked Marc Gasol to a two-year, $5.3 million deal.&nbsp;
In mid-March, in the days leading up to last season's trade deadline, the Lakers were cruising. More than halfway through the 2020-21 campaign, the Lakers' were 15 games above .500 and owned the league's second-best record at 28-13.&nbsp;
At that point, the Lakers made a decision that would come back to haunt them. Hindsight is 20/20, of course, but the Lakers arrived at a fork in the road and chose the wrong path. They've been headed downhill ever since. (Over the past 11 months, the Lakers are 43-51 in the 94 games they've played).&nbsp;
On the eve of the 2021 trade deadline, the Lakers and Toronto Raptors were engaged in serious discussions on a potential deal that would have sent Kyle Lowry to LaLa Land, giving LeBron and Co. the established veteran point guard (and proven winner) the team desperately needed. The Lakers and Raps <a href="https://theathletic.com/2477311/2021/03/25/what-the-lakers-were-willing-to-trade-for-kyle-lowry-and-what-it-says-about-the-future/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> were close to finalizing a swap sending Schroder, Caldwell-Pope and some draft capital to Toronto in exchange for Lowry. Yet, in the hours right before the deadline arrived, "the sticking point was the inclusion of Talen Horton-Tucker," <a href="https://theathletic.com/2477311/2021/03/25/what-the-lakers-were-willing-to-trade-for-kyle-lowry-and-what-it-says-about-the-future/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Jovan Buha and Bill Oram of The Athletic</a>.&nbsp;
"Rob Pelinka, the Lakers' vice president of basketball operations, insisted that price was too high for the 35-year-old Lowry, and that he was not willing to trade Horton-Tucker, the 20-year-old combo guard who has emerged as a valuable rotation player for the Lakers in his second season," Buha and Oram <a href="https://theathletic.com/2477311/2021/03/25/what-the-lakers-were-willing-to-trade-for-kyle-lowry-and-what-it-says-about-the-future/">reported</a>.
Looking back, it's impossible not to wonder how the future of several franchises might have changed if the Lakers had been willing to pony up for Lowry, who is now averaging 13.0 points and 8.1 assists per game for the Heat. This is the same Heat team that is poised to enter the All-Star break with the best record in the Eastern Conference.&nbsp;
As we know, the Lakers stood pat at last year's deadline and would struggle mightily in the six subsequent weeks. Over a 25-game stretch from mid-March through the first week in May, LA posted an 8-17 record.
The Lakers would eventually be eliminated in six games by the Suns in the first round of the 2021 playoffs. Anthony Davis returned to the Lakers' starting lineup in Game 6 after missing the second half of Game 4 and all of Game 5 due to a groin injury, but logged just five minutes before limping off the court. It was the first and only time in LeBron's career that he lost a first-round series (he had been 14-0).
"What matters to me is getting this team back healthy," James told reporters after the loss to Phoenix.
Well, as it turns out, Pelinka and James were unwilling to run it back with the same squad and hope the group would avoid injuries.&nbsp;
Instead, the Lakers rolled the dice, agreeing to one of the most dramatic and controversial trades in recent NBA history.&nbsp;
On the evening of July 29, both Woj and Shams <a href="https://twitter.com/shamscharania/status/1420855153410854925" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the Lakers had consented to take on Russell Westbrook (and his onerous contract).&nbsp;
A week later, the trade was officially announced. LA had traded away Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell, Kyle Kuzma and the draft rights to Isaiah Jackson (whom the Lakers had selected with the 22nd overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft) in exchange for Russ and several future second-rounders.&nbsp;
The justification from the Lakers was that they viewed Westbrook as an offensive powerhouse that could lighten the load LeBron had been forced to carry.&nbsp;
The Lakers rounded out their roster this past offseason by adding Trevor Ariza, Dwight Howard, Wayne Ellington, Kent Bazemore, Carmelo Anthony, Malik Monk and Rajon Rondo. They gave Kendrick Nunn the taxpayer mid-level exception ($5.9 million for two years). They also re-signed Horton-Tucker to a three-year deal worth $32 million.
Shockingly, despite advanced analytics that confirmed he was a near-perfect fit playing alongside LeBron, the Lakers decided not to bring back Alex Caruso, who had excelled as a role player in LA. Caruso's aggressiveness and versatility on the defensive end, as well as unselfishness on offense, made him an ideal wingman to AD and King James.&nbsp;
However, having Westbrook on the books for $44.2 million in 2021-22 and another $47.1 million in 2022-23 undoubtedly played a part in Pelinka's decision to let Carouso leave.&nbsp;
Still, as he explained on <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/how-the-lakers-botched-alex-carusos-free-agency-and-lost-a-key-piece" target="_blank" rel="noopener">JJ Redick's "Old Man and the Three" podcast</a> back in November, Carouso had hoped to re-sign with the Lakers and was even willing to give them a hometown discount. Before ultimately accepting the offer he received from Chicago (a four-year, $37 million contract, though the final season only carries a $3 million guarantee), <a href="https://twitter.com/oldmanandthree/status/1458257821405954052?s=21" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Caruso said</a> he and his agent "went back to L.A., asked if they could do the same, they said no. We asked for something else that was a little bit less; they said no."
As it turns out, the concerns many critics envisioned over the summer related to potential issues arising from the addition of Westbrook have reared their ugly head. Unfortunately for Los Angeles, Westbrook's declining athleticism has hamstrung the former All-Star.
At various points this season, Westbrook's alarming regression has been uncomfortable to watch. In the closing minutes of LA's victory over the New York Knicks last weekend, Russ found himself alone in the corner and as he was about to launch a three-pointer, the home crowd <a href="https://twitter.com/FanMahome/status/1490172360892329985">screamed at him not to shoot</a>. Coach Frank Vogel yanked him out of the lineup in overtime vs. New York. In the Lakers' embarrassing loss to the Bucks on Tuesday, Westbrook was benched for the final 14 minutes of the game, including the entire fourth quarter. Russ sat out Wednesday's loss to Portland with a "lower back" injury.&nbsp;
His counting stats on the season are solid (18/7/7), but the peripheral numbers are putrid, and his plus/minus is the worst on the team. This season, the Lakers have been outscored by 123 points with Westbrook on the floor, whereas they have outscored their opponents by 35 points with Russ on the bench.
The situation has careened toward rock-bottom this month. Over the Lakers' last four games, Westbrook is shooting just 27% from the floor, 15% from downtown and 55.0% from the free-throw line. He's also leading the league in turnovers.
Yet, now that the 2022 trade deadline has passed, we know that Lakers fans have no choice but to hope Russ can somehow locate his confidence and contribute to winning.&nbsp;
It has been rumored this week that the Houston Rockets were willing to trade John Wall to the Lakers for Westbrook, but Pelinka was reportedly unwilling to include LA's 2027 first-round pick, which Houston was demanding. Will the decision come back to bite LA, as refusing to include THT at last year's deadline did? Even if Wall failed to live up to expectations, would it have amounted to addition by subtraction?&nbsp;
Although Monk has been fantastic, and Melo has given LA as much as they could have hoped for, Howard, Ellington and Bazemore have failed to deliver. Ariza is averaging 4.2 points while shooting 36% from the floor. Rondo is no longer on the roster. Nunn, hampered by a bone bruise in his right knee, has yet to log a single second in an NBA game this season. Horton-Tucker is converting career-lows from the floor (41%) and behind the arc (27%). Despite playing nearly six more minutes per game, THT is averaging fewer assists this season (2.7) than he did in 2020-21, while still committing 1.5 turnovers a night.
Sum it all up, and you see why the Lakers have lost more than half of their games and find themselves in ninth place in the West, despite LeBron authoring the greatest season in NBA history by a 37-year-old.&nbsp;
This is a particularly bitter pill for Lakers fans to swallow considering the team purportedly had several different options to choose from this summer when shopping around their Kuz/&rsquo;Trez/draft picks package, including a deal for Sacramento sharpshooter Buddy Hield. In that scenario, the Lakers could have held onto KCP and added Hield, and the combined salary of both players still would have been $8 million less than Westbrook's cap hit of $44.2 million.&nbsp;
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To be fair, it's worth noting that in 2020-21, Westbrook played his best basketball of the season after the All-Star break. Over the Wizards' final 35 games of the season, he averaged 23.3 points, 13.3 rebounds, 13.4 assists and 1.5 steals, while shooting a respectable 44% from the floor, 32% from behind the arc and 72% from the FT line. Washington closed the regular season by going 17-6 over their final 23 contests and advanced to the playoffs.&nbsp;
Will Russ and his teammates feel less pressure now that the deadline has passed? LeBron and the Lakers don't need Westbrook to dominate the ball and chase triple-doubles, but they do need him to focus on playing the best defense of his career and help facilitate the offense, especially when James needs a breather.&nbsp;
If Russ cannot shake out of his slump, LA will have a very tough time getting back on track and achieving the goals they set for themselves back in October.&nbsp;
And if Los Angeles fails to right the ship (wasting a year of "Prime LeBron" in the process), the team's fans will look back with rage on the terrible trades and free-agency failures over the past 12 months that led to the Lakers' demise.&nbsp;
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Tommy Beer delves into the errors of the Lakers' ways following their championship success one-and-a-half years ago.

How the Lakers managed to turn a contending team into a sub-.500 mess

When the Los Angeles Lakers acquired Russell Westbrook in a blockbuster trade during the 2021 NBA Draft, many eyes looked towards Hollywood as a new Big Three formed. LeBron James and Anthony Davis were already a dynamic duo with a championship on their resume together.
Westbrook&rsquo;s arrival was a massive change and, if it worked, fireworks would commence in the Western Conference&rsquo;s arms race for an NBA Finals berth. For multiple years, Los Angeles has been trying to find an ideal backcourt piece to take the ball-handling pressure off LeBron.
However, the fit with Westbrook from the beginning was viewed as clunky. Westbrook isn&rsquo;t a floor-spacer. Instead, he's an extremely high-usage, on-ball scorer who can facilitate an offense and push the pace.
If the Lakers wanted to see the Westbrook addition lead to a beautiful brand of consistently great basketball, everything around him, James and Davis included, would need to be perfect. Perimeter shooting was of the utmost importance, which Los Angeles addressed head-on during free agency, bringing aboard all of the following plus-40% three-point marksmen: Malik Monk, Carmelo Anthony, Wayne Ellington and Kent Bazemore.
Here&rsquo;s the issue, though &mdash; only Monk and Anthony have made a significant dent within the Lakers&rsquo; full-time rotation. Bazemore is being openly shopped before the Feb. 10 trade deadline. Ellington&rsquo;s hot-and-cold stretches have been too damaging. Trevor Ariza was another offseason addition who has yet to make a certified impact.
So, when canvassing the Lakers&rsquo; entire list of issues, there&rsquo;s no wonder why LeBron&rsquo;s MVP-level heroics have been unable to pull them out of mediocrity. It also doesn&rsquo;t help that Davis has been sidelined for the past month with a sprained MCL.
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Halfway through the season, Los Angeles is at .500 with a disappointing 21-21 record. LeBron is not at fault. Davis has been inconsistent when he's been on the court &mdash; nowhere close to superstar-type play &mdash; but who knows where the Lakers would be if he was currently available. The role players haven&rsquo;t stepped up on a consistent basis, which was the all-in bet Lakers vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka made when he brought Westbrook to Hollywood.
All roads lead back to Westbrook when it comes to the real issue at hand for Los Angeles. In the last three games, Westbrook has been a buzzkill for the Lakers, shooting 8 of 40 overall (20%). Even expanding out to a season-long sample size though, Westbrook&rsquo;s lack of adjustment to being a secondary option has been apparent whenever I tune into the Lakers.
Westbrook is averaging 18.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and 8.1 assists while carrying a below-average 50.4% True Shooting percentage. The polarizing point guard has always checked in below the Mendoza line for efficiency, but that&rsquo;s been buffered by his sky-high usage rate throughout his career. As the No. 3 option &mdash; and more recently at No. 2 in AD&rsquo;s absence &mdash; Westbrook has been unable to find his footing even with the lowest usage rate since his second NBA season (27.6%). Another worrisome advanced metric for Westbrook is his 0.2 VORP (Value Over Replacement Player), which checks in as his worst since entering the league.
More times than not, Westbrook has looked lost when he&rsquo;s on the court alongside LeBron. It&rsquo;s eerily similar to the one-year stint Westbrook experienced with James Harden in Houston two seasons ago. That ended in a swift divorce, where Westbrook was sent to the Washington Wizards before ultimately winding up in Hollywood for the 2021-22 campaign.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
I think my guy is officially broken mentally now <a href="https://t.co/bcZ4EZhjSd">pic.twitter.com/bcZ4EZhjSd</a>
&mdash; ⚡️ (@TheWestbrookEra) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheWestbrookEra/status/1480416058188128256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2022</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

This is Westbrook&rsquo;s fourth team in four years. We know who the triple-double king is at this point in his illustrious career. We also know the answer to what he is within the construct of a team.
He can be the No. 1 option on a playoff contender, where he can put up his usual monster stat lines without issue. However, in this new environment in Los Angeles, Westbrook is wilting. The problem for Russ and the Lakers is there&rsquo;s one year remaining on his contract, a player option for an eye-popping $47.1 million.
There&rsquo;s already been smoke billowing from Los Angeles that the Lakers have been open to shopping Westbrook before February&rsquo;s trade deadline, including an offer to the Philadelphia 76ers for Ben Simmons. (Unsurprisingly, Philly <a href="https://theathletic.com/3066096/2022/01/12/nba-trade-deadline-looms-but-ben-simmons-remains-a-sixer-what-do-we-know-and-which-teams-could-deal-for-him/?source=twitterhq" target="_blank" rel="noopener">would not be interested in such a deal</a>.)
If the Lakers pulled off their trade for Buddy Hield on draft night instead of Westbrook, how different would they look? Hield&rsquo;s brilliance in perimeter shooting wouldn&rsquo;t cap their salary flexibility, which ultimately could've led to Alex Caruso re-signing in L.A.
Back at that time, it might've been a damning statement to say the Lakers would be better off with a combination of Hield and Caruso compared to Westbrook, but that&rsquo;s just how the cookie has crumbled for this awkward player-team fit.
The Lakers made their bed with the Westbrook trade, and now, they have to lie in it for (potentially) another 18 months. It&rsquo;s a shame, because the Lakers had the correct formula in mind to make this work on the court. However, a failure on the part of multiple role players, Davis' inconsistency and health &mdash; plus Westbrook looking like a deer in the headlights &mdash; has put the good news of LeBron&rsquo;s excellence at age 37 on the national media backburner.

Halfway through the 2021-22 season, the Russell Westbrook trade now looks like a huge disaster for the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Russell Westbrook experiment has been a huge failure for Lakers

In short order, Kyrie Irving is going to cross a defender out of his shoes, and Klay Thompson will begin raining threes like it&rsquo;s nobody&rsquo;s business.
The rich stand to get richer in Brooklyn and San Francisco while the Los Angeles Lakers live as paupers.
LeBron James has been incredible, and despite his best efforts, the Lakers brought in the New Year one game under .500. Worse yet, they haven&rsquo;t exactly looked like a team that knows what it&rsquo;s doing &mdash; neither on the basketball court nor in the front office.&nbsp;
Having ripped off three wins in a row, there&rsquo;s still a chance for them to turn things around. But until they do, the team&rsquo;s relative lack of success opens it up to plenty of second-guessing.
In an alternate reality, the Lakers could&rsquo;ve had Kyle Lowry and Buddy Hield, the latter of which was in town Tuesday evening. Perhaps they could still have Montrezl Harrell and Alex Caruso. Maybe, just maybe, they could&rsquo;ve still resembled the champion they once were.
Instead, they&rsquo;ve look every bit like puzzle pieces that don&rsquo;t fit.
Had Anthony Davis not gotten injured during last season&rsquo;s first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns, there&rsquo;s no telling where the 2020-21 season would&rsquo;ve ended for LeBron and company.&nbsp;
In most instances, a defending champion that saw one of its top players' season end early would exhibit a certain amount of patience and attempt to plug holes rather than blow the entire team up, but not in Tinseltown.
Between then and now, the team added talent without considering fit, playing an NBA version of supermarket sweep. A mad dash down the aisles, the Lakers have grabbed any and everyone they could, and they&rsquo;ve done so all at the expense of the identity and harmony that brought them a championship in 2020.
Aside from James and Davis, Dwight Howard and Talen Horton-Tucker are the only members of the championship team that remain. And although Avery Bradley was technically a member of the squad, he didn&rsquo;t play in the Orlando Bubble. In all, the team brought in nine new faces, not including replacement players.
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And to what end?
It would be foolish to believe that the Lakers would have reinvented themselves without James at least blessing the moves, if not downright advocating for them. But to this point, it&rsquo;s been more of a car wreck than a smooth drive down the I-110 freeway.
Russell Westbrook appears to have lost a step and hasn&rsquo;t exactly thrived alongside James and Davis. It&rsquo;s damning considering the fact that Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope were sent to Washington along with Harrell. And it gets even worse when one considers that Westbrook&rsquo;s $44 million salary probably had something to do with the team deciding to let Caruso take his talents to Chicago.
According to Kuzma himself, a deal that would have <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/lakers/news/laker-news-kyle-kuzma-reveals-he-was-almost-previously-traded-to-the-kings-for-buddy-hield" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sent him to Sacramento</a> in exchange for Hield &ldquo;was done,&rdquo; but the Lakers obviously opted to pursue the deal for the bigger-named superstar &mdash; not the piece that would have better augmented the team&rsquo;s core duo.
Last February, seeking an upgrade at point guard, the team pursued Toronto Raptors veteran Kyle Lowry. A deal failed to materialize because the Lakers reportedly <a href="https://theathletic.com/2477311/2021/03/25/what-the-lakers-were-willing-to-trade-for-kyle-lowry-and-what-it-says-about-the-future/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">refused to include Horton-Tucker</a>.&nbsp;
On. Jan. 5, with Los Angeles sitting one game over .500 at 20-19, one can&rsquo;t help but to wonder how a Lowry-Hield-James triumvirate would&rsquo;ve looked, particularly when Lowry and Hield possess the gifts that seem to be lacking around James in Los Angeles.
Hindsight might be 20/20, but in the NBA, the best general managers can tell the future.
At the time the Westbrook trade was made, it wasn&rsquo;t completely unreasonable to believe that he could create for both Davis and James and relieve some of the pressure on James to play point guard. But Westbrook&rsquo;s poor decision-making and errant shooting has undercut his value to the team. That they sacrificed so much to bring him in can&rsquo;t be ignored.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Russell Westbrook 😬 <a href="https://t.co/rR7EHchRu3">pic.twitter.com/rR7EHchRu3</a>
&mdash; The Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) <a href="https://twitter.com/ActionNetworkHQ/status/1478579437968916480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 5, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Needing to build a core around Westbrook, James, Davis, Carmelo Anthony and Kent Bazemore, the Lakers would eventually re-sign Horton-Tucker and sign both Malik Monk and Kendrick Nunn. Together, the three represented much-needed upside, but the moves that followed created logjams that only made Vogel&rsquo;s job more difficult.&nbsp;
At least on paper, Trevor Ariza and Dwight Howard brought championship pedigree back to the team, as did Rajon Rondo. But each are over the hill, with Rondo, ironically, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/cavs-smart-and-swift-to-acquire-backup-point-guard-but-is-rondo-it" target="_blank" rel="noopener">being traded to Cleveland</a> in a move that amounted to a roster spot-opening, cost-cutting measure for the franchise.
Brought in individually, when including DeAndre Jordan, the Lakers managed to add talented players to a core consisting of generational talents.&nbsp;
But as a team?&nbsp;
They have left a lot to be desired. Someone watching from afar could fairly wonder whether the team has just been making it up as it went along.
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In the NBA, you&rsquo;re only as good as your record, not your past accomplishments. So as Kyrie&nbsp; prepares to suit up for Brooklyn and Klay prepares to write a new chapter in his story, we can&rsquo;t help but to look at the Lakers and wonder whether the team&rsquo;s moves will ultimately pay off.
Perhaps the team will find a way to trade for Hield; after all, he did showcase his unlimited range by knocking down seven threes last night. Maybe the likes of Jerami Grant can be had.
But if there&rsquo;s one thing the Lakers shouldn&rsquo;t have been looking for this season, it&rsquo;s a savior. Yet, that appears to be precisely where we are.
In an alternate reality, the team could&rsquo;ve kept its core together while still adding Anthony, Howard, Monk and Nunn.&nbsp;
Maybe they trade for Lowry, maybe they don&rsquo;t.&nbsp;
Maybe Hield is drilling three-pointers at Crypto.com Arena, or maybe he isn&rsquo;t.
But based on what the Lakers have done and the return yielded, there&rsquo;s reason to second-guess all that has transpired.
As we approach the halfway point of the season and the Lakers fail to resemble close to a championship contender, we can&rsquo;t help but to remember when they did.
We similarly can&rsquo;t help but to wonder what they will eventually become.&nbsp;
Unfortunately, the early returns don&rsquo;t suggest much.

The Lakers haven't looked like a championship contender, and at this point, it's fair to wonder whether the current core ever will.

It’s hard to look at the Lakers' struggles and not wonder, 'What if?’

LeBron James and Russell Westbrook both had triple-doubles and the Los Angeles Lakers snapped a season-high, five-game skid with a 132-123 victory over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night.
&ldquo;The hardest thing to do in this league is win," James said. &ldquo;So when you win you never take it for granted."
James had 32 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for his third triple-double this season, and it was his fifth consecutive 30-point game. Westbrook scored 24 points with 12 rebounds and 10 assists for his seventh of the season.
Houston stuck around for most of the night, but James took over late to allow the Lakers to pull away and hand the Rockets their fifth consecutive loss.
&ldquo;For us to battle through this together and to finish the way we did with LeBron and Russ doing it together, bringing it home, I think that&rsquo;s a big step forward in this," said assistant coach David Fizdale, who was filling in for a fifth straight game for coach Frank Vogel because of COVID-19 protocols.
The Rockets trailed by one when James was called for goaltending on a layup by Jalen Green that would have put Houston on top with 2 &frac12; minutes left. But the Lakers challenged the call, and it was overturned. Carmelo Anthony made a 3-pointer a few seconds later to extend the lead to 120-116.
James added two free throws after that and his one-handed dunk after a turnover by Houston made it 124-116 with less than 90 seconds to go.
Kevin Porter Jr.&rsquo;s 3-pointer got Houston within five before James struck again, making a layup to extend the lead to 126-119 with less than a minute remaining. James made four free throws after that to secure the victory.
&ldquo;I just feel like I&rsquo;m in a really good offensive zone right now," he said.
Green, the second overall pick in this year&rsquo;s draft, led the Rockets with 24 points after missing 15 of the last 16 games with a strained left hamstring.
&ldquo;We expected to win," Houston coach Stephen Silas said. &ldquo;We had no problems standing up to those guys, not backing down. They had some great players out there that played very well. Russ with the triple-double, LeBron with the triple-double and Melo doing his thing. It was tough."
Anthony had 24 points off the bench on a night James started at center and big men Dwight Howard and DeAndre Jordan didn't play.
James said it was the first time he'd started at center at any level of basketball.
&ldquo;I never played center in my life before," he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always been on the wing or handling the ball."
Fizdale raved about the versatility James showed in his role Tuesday night.
&ldquo;This guy is unbelievable," he said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re all very lucky as basketball people to get to watch what we&rsquo;re watching with this man."
The Lakers took the lead by scoring the last five points of the third quarter and opened the fourth with a 6-0 run to make it 103-92 with 11 minutes to go.
Green got Houston going after that, making two 3-pointers during a 10-2 spurt that cut the deficit to 105-102.
Porter had 22 points and nine assists in his return after missing the last 12 games with a bruised thigh. Christian Wood also scored 22.
Josh Christopher tied it on a layup with less than a minute left in the third quarter. But the Lakers scored the last five points of the quarter, capped by a 3 from Westbrook, to take a 97-92 lead into the fourth quarter. Westbrook pointed at the L.A. bench and smiled broadly as he walked off the court after the shot.
TIP-INS
Lakers: Fizdale, said that Vogel was getting close to returning but he wasn&rsquo;t sure exactly when he could rejoin the team. ... Trevor Ariza, Kent Bazemore, Austin Reaves and Rajon Rondo missed the game because of health and safety protocols. ... Wayne Ellington missed the game for an illness that the team said was not COVID-19 related.
Rockets: D.J. Augustin, Kenyon Martin Jr., Garrison Mathews and Jae&rsquo;Sean Tate were out because of health and safety protocols.
BILES AT BASKETBALL
Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Simone Biles took part in the team's first shot promotion for charity before the game. Biles didn't make the free throw but Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta still donated $1,000 to the team's foundation in her name for the effort.
UP NEXT
Lakers: Visit Memphis Wednesday night.
Rockets: Host Miami Friday night.

LeBron James and Russell Westbrook both had triple-doubles and the Los Angeles Lakers snapped a season-high, five-game skid.

LeBron, Westbrook have triple-doubles, Lakers' skid ends at 5

Keita Bates-Diop scored a career-high 30 points while making all 11 of his shots, and the San Antonio Spurs routed the slumping Los Angeles Lakers 138-110 on Thursday night in the final event at Staples Center under the 22-year-old arena's original name.
Derrick White had 23 points and Lonnie Walker added 21 in the third victory on a four-game road trip for the Spurs, who hit 18 3-pointers while completing a two-game sweep of the two NBA tenants of the downtown Los Angeles arena.
The building is <a href="https://apnews.com/article/crypto-arena-staples-center-lakers-clippers-king-9300ae3be9ed420886573583899aa549">changing its name to Crypto.com Arena</a> on Christmas under what's believed to be the richest naming rights agreement in sports history. The cryptocurrency platform and exchange is paying more than $700 million over 20 years to put its name on an arena that has hosted countless major sports and entertainment events since it opened in 1999.
The final night under the old name improbably belonged to Bates-Diop, the fourth-year NBA journeyman averaging 3.8 points per game this season with a previous season-high of 10. He scored 20 points in the second half and hit five 3-pointers during his perfect game from the field while frequently guarding LeBron James on the other end.
&ldquo;I was playing the game, reading the defense, moving around,&rdquo; Bates-Diop said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think I dribbled that much. My teammates just found me. ... (James) is a great player, but you&rsquo;ve got to guard him and just not get star-struck by him.&rdquo;
James had 36 points and nine rebounds and Russell Westbrook scored 30 points for Los Angeles, which has lost four straight for the first time this season amid COVID-19 roster chaos. The Lakers are playing without coach Frank Vogel and five players under the NBA&rsquo;s health and safety protocols, and they&rsquo;re 0-4 since Anthony Davis injured his left knee in Minnesota last week.
&ldquo;We have no chemistry with any lineup from the simple fact that we haven&rsquo;t logged any minutes,&rdquo; James said. &ldquo;All of our defensive guys are in health and safety protocols. ... We don&rsquo;t need a full roster. We just need some of our guys back.&rdquo;
San Antonio took an early double-digit lead on the Lakers and comfortably won back-to-back games for the first time since Dec. 4 despite a subpar game from leading scorer Dejounte Murray, who went 3 for 16. The Spurs' bench outscored the Lakers' reserves 69-20.
&ldquo;Keita was ridiculous," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. &ldquo;Did a fine job at both ends of the court. We could hardly guard LeBron, but he did his best. Really was a team effort, because I thought some of the (bench) guys outplayed the starters.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Spurs: They also played in the Lakers' final game at the Forum on May 23, 1999. Tim Duncan scored 33 points then as San Antonio completed a four-game sweep of Los Angeles in the second round of the postseason. Popovich was in his third year as coach. ... Keldon Johnson scored 16 points.
Lakers: Interim head coach David Fizdale ran the bench for the second straight game. He said Vogel texts him a list of observations at halftime while watching on television. Fizdale and assistant coach Phil Handy both got technical fouls for arguing with officials. ... Davis watched from the bench in a blue sweatsuit while missing his third game. The oft-injured star won't be reevaluated until late next month.
STAPLES' REMOVER
Signs, advertising boards and innumerable smaller details have been changed at the arena to erase the Staples Center name, which has illogical &mdash; but undeniable &mdash; sentimental meaning to Los Angeles sports fans who have equated the name of an office-supply retail chain with the center of the basketball universe for more than two decades.
The Lakers recognized the attachment and honored the name change with a pregame video highlighting the team's greatest moments in its arena. Fans got a commemorative ticket and a gold T-shirt replicating the first shirt given away by the team at this arena during the 2000 playoffs.
In a halftime ceremony, former Lakers stars Robert Horry, Metta Sandiford-Artest, Luke Walton, Byron Scott and Gary Payton stood around a Staples court logo with the franchise's six championship trophies earned in this building.
LAKERS&rsquo; LUMPS
Los Angeles (16-17) is back under .500 for the first time since Nov. 26. Dwight Howard got out of the protocols and played 22 minutes as Los Angeles&rsquo; starting center, but the Lakers still were without Avery Bradley, Kent Bazemore, Malik Monk, Austin Reaves and Trevor Ariza, who went into the protocols earlier in the day.
&ldquo;Nothing you can do but figure it out,&rdquo; Westbrook said. &ldquo;Find ways. Get guys back in shape. We have a bunch of guys in that locker room that don&rsquo;t quit and don&rsquo;t give in to what&rsquo;s happening. We&rsquo;ve got to turn the page and find a way to win a ballgame.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Spurs: Host Detroit on Sunday.
Lakers: Host Brooklyn on Saturday.

Keita Bates-Diop scored a career-high 30 points while making all 11 of his shots, and the Spurs routed the slumping Lakers 138-110.

Spurs rout depleted Lakers 138-110 in last Staples game

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Devin Booker continued to distance himself from a hamstring injury that cost him seven games, scoring 24 points with nine rebounds and seven assists as the Phoenix Suns earned a 108-90 victory Tuesday night over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Booker played 32 minutes and went 8 of 16 from the field one game after he was on the court for 26 minutes in his return Sunday during a blowout victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
Deandre Ayton had 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Mikal Bridges scored 14 as the Suns won their fourth consecutive game and improved to 2-2 on the road since the end of their 18-game winning streak Dec. 3.
LeBron James scored 34 points for the Lakers, who lost their third consecutive game as coach Frank Vogel remained in health and safety protocols for the second straight. Four Lakers players also are in protocols, including starting guard Avery Bradley.
Russell Westbrook had 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, who were without star Anthony Davis for the second consecutive game. Davis is expected to miss at least four weeks with an MCL sprain in his left knee.
James injured his left ankle with 6:05 remaining in the third quarter when he came down on the right foot of the Suns’ Jae Crowder. He remained in the game but looked hobbled the rest of the way.
After a slow start and a 54-52 lead at halftime, the Suns led by as many as 13 in the third quarter on two occasions and carried an 85-73 lead into the fourth.
Chris Paul had 11 points and nine assists for the Suns, who face the Oklahoma City Thunder at home Thursday before their Christmas Day showdown in Phoenix against the Golden State Warriors. JaVale McGee had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Veteran guard Isaiah Thomas scored three points on 1-of-11 shooting in his third game since signing with the Lakers on Friday. Talen Horton-Tucker had three points on 1-of-13 shooting for Los Angeles in his first game back from health and safety protocols.
In just his second game of the season, Trevor Ariza had 12 points for the Lakers.
TIP-INS
Suns: After the Suns opened 0 of 9 from 3-point range, Booker made their first basket from long distance with 1:42 remaining in the first quarter. Phoenix missed 19 of its first 22 attempts from behind the arc before halftime. … Bridges opened 0 of 8 from the field but still reached double digits in points with 4:38 remaining in the first half.
Lakers: In addition to Horton-Tucker, C Dwight Howard also was activated from health and safety protocols. Kent Bazemore, Malik Monk and Austin Reaves remained in protocols, along with Bradley. … Vogel flew back Tuesday from Chicago where he was in quarantine after the Lakers played the Bulls on Sunday. … G Chaundee Brown was waived after playing in the previous two games and G Mason Jones was signed to a two-way deal.
UP NEXT
Suns: Home vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday.
Lakers: Home vs. the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Devin Booker scored 24 points and the Suns beat the Lakers, 108-90.

Booker, Ayton push Suns past Lakers 108-90

DeMar DeRozan scored 38 points after missing two weeks in the NBA's health and safety protocols, leading the Chicago Bulls to a 115-110 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night.
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DeMar DeRozan WENT OFF for 19 PTS in the 4th vs. the Lakers 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/C11TO9RNFE">pic.twitter.com/C11TO9RNFE</a>
&mdash; NBA TV (@NBATV) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1472772232095014916?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Nikola Vucevic had 19 points and 13 rebounds, and Lonzo Ball added 19 points as the Bulls snapped a two-game losing streak. It was Chicago's first game since Dec. 11 after two were postponed.
LeBron James had 31 points, Carmelo Anthony added 21 and Russell Westbrook 20 as Los Angeles dropped its second straight.
With the Bulls trailing by a point in the final minute, DeRozan hit an 18-footer for a 111-110 lead with 52 seconds remaining. Following a Lakers miss, DeRozan missed a shot but then was fouled with 15.6 seconds left after Ball grabbed the offensive rebound. DeRozan then hit both free throws for a 113-110 edge.
Before having two games postponed last week because of a COVID-19 outbreak, the Bulls had 10 players in the health and safety protocols. That number is down to four right now, including All-Star Zach LaVine.
Although the Lakers haven't had any games postponed, they currently have six players &mdash; Kent Bazemore, Avery Bradley, Talen Horton-Tucker. Dwight Howard, Malik Monk and Austin Reaves &mdash; and coach Frank Vogel in the health and safety protocols.
Assistant David Fizdale served as coach on Sunday.
It also was Los Angeles' first game without forward Anthony Davis, who sprained his left knee on Friday and is expected to miss four weeks.
Chicago led nearly the entire first half and by as much as 10 points before taking a 61-59 halftime lead. The Lakers took a 65-64 lead early in the third quarter on a floater by Isaiah Thomas.
The teams traded baskets and leads for the remainder of the quarter before Los Angeles took an 84-83 advantage into the fourth.
The Lakers stretched the lead to 90-85 early in the final quarter on a three-point play by DeAndre Jordan, but a short while later DeRozan hit a turnaround jumper in the lane to put the Bulls op top 94-93.
With Chicago up 99-96, Anthony nailed back-to-back 3-pointers (both on passes from James) for a 102-99 Los Angeles lead with 5 minutes to go. The game remained tight until DeRozan took over late.
TIP-INS
Lakers: F Trevor Ariza made his season debut after sitting out the first two months with a right ankle injury. The 17-year veteran finished with three points in 15 minutes off the bench ... G Kendrick Nunn was cleared from the health and safety protocols on Sunday, but remains sidelined with a right knee bruise.
Bulls: Coach Billy Donovan doesn't expect any of the remaining players in the COVID protocols to return to game action before Christmas. Chicago plays Monday and Wednesday and then is off until Dec. 26. Of those four, Donovan also said only F Troy Brown Jr. is experiencing anything other than mild symptoms.
UP NEXT
Lakers: Host the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.
Bulls: Host the Houston Rockets on Monday.
___
More AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

DeMar DeRozan scored 38 points after missing two weeks in the NBA's health and safety protocols, leading the Bulls to a 115-110 win.

DeMar DeRozan leads Bulls over Lakers 115-110 in return

Here are the five best fits with T&mdash;nah, just kidding. This isn&rsquo;t going to be that simplistic.
But a handful of teams should value Orlando Magic swingman Terrence Ross, who is being made available for trade, <a href="https://twitter.com/TheAthleticNBA/status/1470457239097987084" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to a report from The Athletic</a>. To the surprise of absolutely no one, the desired compensation is highlighted by a first-round pick.
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Terrence Ross had the bench going wild 😳 <a href="https://t.co/qXkFA7bWVy">pic.twitter.com/qXkFA7bWVy</a>
&mdash; NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/1468805359896719363?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Maybe the Magic could get one, but who knows? The 6-foot-6 wing and 10-year pro will turn 31 years old in February and will make $11.5 million next season &mdash; the last of a <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2811230-report-terrence-ross-re-signs-with-magic-on-4-year-54m-contract#:~:text=Orlando%20Magic-,Report%3A%20Terrence%20Ross%20Agrees%20to%20Re%2DSign%20with%20Magic%20on,4%2DYear%2C%20%2454M%20Contract&amp;text=The%20Orlando%20Magic%20maintained%20a,according%20to%20ESPN's%20Adrian%20Wojnarowski." target="_blank" rel="noopener">$54 million four-year extension signed in July 2019</a>. Ross&rsquo; salary for this current campaign is listed at $12.5 million.
Additionally, the University of Washington alum is statistically having his worst season since 2017-18, averaging <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/players/terrence-ross-31">10.8 points on 39/30/86 shooting splits</a>, save for his free-throw percentage; it&rsquo;s well below his 13.9 points on 41/35/86 splits in now six seasons with the Magic. But, in fairness, the Magic are 5-23 as of this writing, and you may remember how motivated PJ Tucker looked while toiling away on last season&rsquo;s nomadic Houston Rockets.
Riiight, so let&rsquo;s give Ross a break here.
Ross provides shooting that is consistently streakier than it is sharp. Anyone who never averaged more than 16 points per game in a season but <a href="https://youtu.be/mX03ZWmiwzI" target="_blank" rel="noopener">managed to go for 51</a> before might be one of the reasons there is a microwave badge in every NBA 2K game.
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That said, there are several playoff (and maybe even championship) teams with high aspirations who may want to add an affordable, athletic veteran swingman to bolster their offense.
Boston Celtics
Orlando receives: Juancho Hernang&oacute;mez ($6.9 million), Romeo Langford ($3.8 million) and draft capital
Boston receives: Terrence Ross
Josh Richardson makes $11.6 million this season and $12.2 million next, making for a perfect match... but what for? Juancho Hernang&oacute;mez, like Richardson, is signed through next season, but at only $7.4 million. If you package him with 2019 No. 14 overall pick Romeo Langford, who makes $5.6 million next season, the financial end is taken care of. From there, the Celtics have their <a href="https://www.prosportstransactions.com/basketball/DraftTrades/Future/Celtics.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">own firsts and a ton of second-rounders</a> to play with. The Magic would also get a buy-low option in Langford, which reflects much of what they&rsquo;ve been accumulating in their rebuild anyway.
Denver Nuggets
Orlando receives: JaMychal Green ($8.2 million), Bol Bol ($2.2 million) and draft capital
Denver receives: Terrence Ross
Will Barton ($15.6 million) and Monte Morris ($8.5 million) are the closest to Ross&rsquo; $12.5 million, but neither should be included in this deal. With injuries to Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. &mdash; both of whom could be out for the season &mdash; the Nuggets do need massive help offensively. They signed Davon Reed last week, <a href="https://www.numberfire.com/nba/player-news/186824/davon-reed-starting-for-nuggets-saturday-in-place-of-inactive-will-barton">who has already started a game</a>, and the team is currently 24th in scoring, 27th in pace, and dead last in free-throw attempts.
Even with injuries, a healthy JaMychal Green only sees 14.4 minutes per contest, and Bol Bol is in Year 3 of waiting, only having logged 47 minutes in 10 appearances so far. Green has a player option for $8.2 million next season, and Bol is in the final year of his rookie deal. If any team is inclined to finally free Bol, it&rsquo;s Orlando. <a href="https://www.prosportstransactions.com/basketball/DraftTrades/Future/Nuggets.htm">Regarding draft picks</a>, the Nuggets shouldn&rsquo;t give a first, but they have control of most of their own, save for two. Their 2023 pick is lottery protected and in Oklahoma City, and their 2025 first is top-five protected in, of all places, Orlando. Denver controls its second-rounders from 2024 through 2026 and every year from 2028 onward.
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Phoenix Suns
Orlando receives: Dario Sarić ($8.5 million), Jalen Smith ($4.5 million) and draft capital
Phoenix receives: Terrence Ross
Again, Orlando is 5-23: Why would the Magic care if Sarić &mdash; who tore his ACL during the NBA Finals &mdash; can&rsquo;t play, so long as they could get some sort of draft relief for Ross? Saric is even due $9.2 million next season. Smith, who was drafted No. 10 overall in 2020, is the ultra-rare lottery pick whose <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/suns-admit-mistake-drafting-jalen-smith-no-10-overall-in-2020-declining-thirdyear-option-rare-is-phoenix-suns-declining-jalen-smiths-third-year-option#:~:text=The%20Suns%20declined%20Jalen%20Smith's,this%20season%20at%20%244.4%20million." target="_blank" rel="noopener">third-year option was declined;</a> he will be a free agent in 2022. That said, the Magic could talk themselves into throwing him out there and seeing if he&rsquo;s worth keeping on a team-friendly deal.
To this point, the 21-year-old Smith has logged 213 career minutes over just 35 appearances. This trade package will likely be offered for a Ross-type of player (in salary, not necessarily style), and it works here if you think he&rsquo;s an upgrade in the spot currently occupied by Landry Shamet. The Suns control <a href="https://www.prosportstransactions.com/basketball/DraftTrades/Future/Suns.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">all of their upcoming picks</a> except for their 2022 first-rounder, which is top-12 protected and in OKC, and will likely convey.
THREE-TEAM DEAL CANDIDATES 
When you go through NBA rosters, you realize that the league has a problem related to financial classes. There are a bunch of max or near-max players, and numerous others making sub-$5 million, with a thinning middle-class. Therefore, trades are harder to construct than they seem, even though Ross&rsquo;s salary isn&rsquo;t exorbitant by league standards. That said, other teams could make a play for Ross, but it&rsquo;ll need to be aided by at least one other team&rsquo;s participation.
The Los Angeles Lakers have 10 players on minimum contracts, none higher than the $2.6 million slots occupied by Carmelo Anthony, Trevor Ariza, Rajon Rondo, DeAndre Jordan, Wayne Ellington, Avery Bradley, and Dwight Howard. Kendrick Nunn, who still hasn&rsquo;t played yet, is getting $5 million this season, with a player option for $5.3 million next year. Talen Horton-Tucker is at $9.5 million this season, followed by $10.2 million and an additional $11 million player option afterward, but he most likely isn&rsquo;t getting moved for Ross.&nbsp;
The Philadelphia 76ers can&rsquo;t trade Furkan Korkmaz until March (which is really after the season because the deadline is in February), but it would be ideal to give Ross his minutes. Korkmaz is getting, on average, $5 million a year between now and the 2023-24 season. Danny Green is getting $10 million, but don&rsquo;t count on it. The Sixers will need some help, which will be hard to find mid-season. (Bad enough that they can&rsquo;t <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-destinations-for-ben-simmons-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">figure out that whole Ben Simmons thing</a>, huh?)

Bryan Fonseca ponders which teams should target Magic microwave scorer Terrence Ross, who is reportedly available.

Examining potential trade destinations for Terrence Ross

Following the Los Angeles Lakers&rsquo; 107-83 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night, Anthony Davis didn&rsquo;t mince words when discussing his team&rsquo;s struggles &mdash; particularly in the third quarter (when Los Angeles was outscored 40-12 by Minnesota).
"We sucked," Davis said. "No defense. Can't score. That's not just this third quarter; every third quarter we've played this season, we&rsquo;ve come out slow, lackadaisical offensively and defensively. We got to get it together. Why? I can't tell you. But we gotta do a better job. I mean, we scored 12 points in the third quarter, and they scored 40. That&rsquo;s the game right there."
Davis is right: The Lakers have been outscored in the third quarter in eight of their 13 games (including five times by double digits). On the season, Los Angeles has been beaten 408-321 in third quarters.
&ldquo;Obviously, our effort hasn't been good enough in the third quarter consistently throughout this season," Lakers head coach Frank Vogel said. "We&rsquo;re talking about it and we&rsquo;re challenging our guys to be better. We were getting beat to loose balls, we weren&rsquo;t keeping our man in front of us, we weren&rsquo;t taking pride in protecting the rim, and I think we lost four or five loose balls consecutively. We gotta be better with that.&rdquo;
Davis said that this defeat felt very similar to the Lakers' loss against the Portland Trail Blazers on Nov. 6, since the team played with barely any effort or energy in both contests.
&ldquo;We gotta decide who we want to be. A championship team? That's not us right now,&rdquo; Davis said. &ldquo;We're not winning a championship the way we're playing. We have to be better, and we have to care more for our wins at home and our wins in general. That was embarrassing. To be up five at the half&hellip; obviously, this team shoots a lot of threes and they have guys who can score the basketball, but there was just no effort in the third quarter.&rdquo;
&ldquo;No sense of urgency,&rdquo; Wayne Ellington said. &ldquo;We come out slow, trying to get into the game instead of coming out at full speed. It's been a struggle for us and something that we gotta be better at. Tonight, there was no excuse. We were all disappointed.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Sometimes, we come out and are fine; sometimes, we don't,&rdquo; Russell Westbrook added. &ldquo;The inconsistency is a problem.&rdquo;
The Lakers are now 7-6, which puts them in the Western Conference's seventh seed (and 4.5 games back from the first-place Golden State Warriors). 
Los Angeles currently has the NBA's 23rd-ranked offense (scoring 102.7 points per 100 possessions) and 14th-ranked defense (allowing104.4 points per 100 possessions).
&ldquo;What we can't do is point the finger [like], 'It was you! It was you! This play was you!' We have to stay together,&rdquo; Davis said. &ldquo;And we stay together, but we also got to learn from the film. Film tomorrow is going to be big for us, to have another heart-to-heart about these types of games. We hate feeling this way. Obviously, we're going to lose games; everyone loses games. But [it's about] doing it the right way, having a team actually beat us and not beating ourselves. Those are the frustrating ones, when we beat ourselves&hellip; We hate losing games like that. But we have to learn from it and, most importantly, we have to stay together.&rdquo;
While the Lakers were missing LeBron James, Talen Horton-Tucker, Kendrick Nunn, Trevor Ariza and Austin Reaves on Friday night, Davis and his teammates felt that they still should&rsquo;ve won this game.
&ldquo;It's still fairly early &mdash; it's only game 13 &mdash; and we still don't have all of our guys back. But we have enough guys to win basketball games and we gotta continue to do what we do and play Lakers basketball,&rdquo; Davis explained. &ldquo;Some games we see it, some games we don&rsquo;t. We&rsquo;ll see it for a half, but the other half we don&rsquo;t&hellip; We gotta put together a stretch of games where we&rsquo;re playing our style of basketball for 48 minutes and live with that result.&rdquo;
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no excuse for us to come in and have a performance like we did tonight,&rdquo; Ellington added. &ldquo;That team is not better than us.&rdquo;
While the team is frustrated about these recent struggles, it&rsquo;s important to realize that the Lakers are going through an adjustment period after bringing in so many new players. Only three players returned from last year&rsquo;s squad: James, Davis and Horton-Tucker. They&rsquo;ve added 14 new players and while some are familiar faces &mdash; like Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley, who were on the team as recently as the 2019-20 championship season &mdash; it&rsquo;s taking time for this group to get on the same page.
&ldquo;We know that we&rsquo;re a good team," Davis said. "You think about the long-term and that big-picture goal, but we want to win now. And it just sucks because we don't know our full team, our full capability of what guys can bring to the team. But when we get everybody back, we know that we'll be a great team. But we still gotta do what we do, no matter who's on the floor. We still have to follow our principles on both ends of the floor.&rdquo;
"It's all new, man," Ellington explained. "We're all getting adjusted and we're all still learning each other. Obviously, we want to win games while we learn each other, but [it&rsquo;s tough]... Guys have been in and out and we really haven&rsquo;t had a steady lineup yet this season, and we understand that. We see the big picture. But at the same time, we feel like we could be jelling a bit better. But we also understand that it takes time and that this is a marathon. We have a veteran team [with] guys who have played a lot of games in this league, and nobody is ready to go crazy&hellip; It's a process, man. We're all learning each other and it takes time; it don't happen overnight... But I feel like it&rsquo;s going to start coming together, for sure.&rdquo;
The Lakers will look to bounce back on Sunday afternoon as they host the San Antonio Spurs, followed by a date with the Chicago Bulls on Monday night.&nbsp;

Anthony Davis called out the struggling Lakers after their 107-83 loss to the Wolves: "We sucked... We gotta decide who we want to be."

Anthony Davis rips 7-6 Lakers: 'A championship team? Not us right now'

It may be a roster like none other.
The Los Angeles Lakers have four of the NBA&rsquo;s top seven active scorers. The top three leading active rebounders. Three of the top four active leaders in assists. Three of the top five in blocks. Three of the top five in wins. Four of the top six in steals. They could even have five Olympic gold medalists on the floor at once and another on the bench.
Given all that talent &mdash; LeBron James leading the way, with a half-dozen players on the roster with at least reasonable chances of one day being elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame &mdash; it&rsquo;s easy to see why the Lakers would be a fashionable pick to emerge as the Western Conference representative in the NBA Finals this season.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m excited for what&rsquo;s in store for us this year,&rdquo; James said. &ldquo;But every day is a process. Every day, it&rsquo;s all about the journey and then you just put in the work.&rdquo;
James and Anthony Davis are back from the team that won the 2020 NBA championship &mdash; two seasons, yet only 12 months ago. Talen Horton-Tucker was also on that team, but didn&rsquo;t play in the NBA Finals. Everyone else is new, or sort of new, to the Lakers.
Rajon Rondo and Dwight Howard were on that team, left the Lakers and since returned. Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony and DeAndre Jordan were among those added this offseason.
Anthony, Trevor Ariza, James, Howard and Rondo are all 35 or older already, and Wayne Ellington &mdash; another newcomer &mdash; turns 34 in November.
&ldquo;The narrative about our age, I kind of laugh at it,&rdquo; James said. &ldquo;I really do laugh. I&rsquo;m not just saying that.&rdquo;
Even with all that proven talent, the Lakers are no lock to get back to the finals. A look at the West, in predicted order of finish:
PLAYOFF BOUND
1. Los Angeles Lakers. Old, yes. Good, yes. Really good ... time will tell. James convinced players like Anthony and Westbrook to run with him, which suggests he&rsquo;s loading up for a title run.
2. Phoenix Suns. Chris Paul, Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton made it work last season, but the Suns won&rsquo;t be surprising anyone this year. Coach Monty Williams pushed every right button last season.
3. Utah Jazz. Donovan Mitchell&rsquo;s ankle played a big role in Utah&rsquo;s playoff demise last season. He&rsquo;s raring to go, and with him, Rudy Gobert and Joe Ingles there&rsquo;s no reason why the Jazz shouldn&rsquo;t think title.
4. Denver Nuggets. Michael Malone remains one of the league&rsquo;s underrated coaches. Reigning MVP Nikola Jokic is all-worldly good, Jamal Murray will be back and Denver&rsquo;s defense gives it a chance every night.
5. Golden State Warriors. Stephen Curry was MVP-level good last year. Klay Thompson&rsquo;s return will be a big lift whenever it happens. Andre Iguodala returns for his final season. There&rsquo;s nothing not to like here.
6. Dallas Mavericks. Luka Doncic just keeps getting better and better. New coach Jason Kidd, who won a title in Dallas as a player, will have this team scoring a ton of points. The wild-card: Kristaps Porzingis.
INTO THE PLAY-IN
7. Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers might do just enough to get into the playoff mix, then get a healthy and well-rested Kawhi Leonard back from his knee rehab for the stretch run. A scary proposition for opponents.
8. Portland Trail Blazers. Damian Lillard is as good of a scorer and leader as there is in the game, and surely will benefit from being part of the Olympic team this summer. Blazers must &mdash; must &mdash; take a leap forward.
9. San Antonio Spurs. The easiest thing Gregg Popovich could have done was take his Olympic gold medal, retire and enjoyed wine for the rest of his life. He came back for a reason. Don&rsquo;t forget the Spurs.
10. Memphis Grizzlies. Steven Adams playing pick-and-roll with Ja Morant should lead to automatic scores. And Morant is on his way to elite, without question. But the Grizzlies are still so very young.
FACING LONG ODDS
11. New Orleans Pelicans. Zion Williamson is the key to everything. If he&rsquo;s great, they&rsquo;ll be higher.
12. Sacramento Kings. This is way too low for the Kings. Then again, the West is also that good.
13. Minnesota Timberwolves. This is the T'Wolves fate &mdash; unless they are winners of the Ben Simmons Trade Sweepstakes.
14. Houston Rockets. Jalen Green is going to put up enormous numbers and contend for top rookie.
15. Oklahoma City Thunder. At some point, the basketball world will learn what all those draft picks will become.
WHAT TO KNOW
FANDUEL SAYS ...
<a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nba?tab=nba-finals">FanDuel Sportsbook also lists the Lakers</a> as the pick to come out of the West, since the Lakers are the second-choice behind Brooklyn when it comes to NBA title odds. The other top five NBA Finals contenders in the West, in order, based on FanDuel odds: Golden State, Utah, Phoenix, then the Clippers.
When just betting on the West race, the order is a bit different with a top five of the Lakers, Golden State and the Clippers tied for second, followed by Utah and Phoenix.
MVP RACE
There has never been a stretch of four consecutive international MVPs in the NBA. That might change this year, if a couple of West stars do what many expect they will. Milwaukee&rsquo;s Giannis Antetokounmpo won in 2019 and 2020, Jokic won in 2021, and Jokic and Doncic have to be considered among the frontrunners in 2022.
TO THE END
The last shot James took in the 2020-21 regular season was a made layup with 6:41 left in the season finale against New Orleans, giving him 25 points. He was subbed out six seconds later and didn&rsquo;t return. The significance was this: It gave James a scoring average of 25.02 points for the season &mdash; extending his record streak of 25-point-average seasons to 17 in a row. Had he not gotten that final basket, he&rsquo;d have averaged 24.98 points and (technically, anyway) the streak would have ended.
3&rsquo;S REMAIN WILD
Utah set an NBA record last season by averaging 16.7 made 3-pointers per game. That means the top seven entries on that list in NBA history are all filled by West teams: Houston (16.1 in 2018-19), Portland (15.7 last season), Houston (15.6 in 2019-20), Houston (15.3 in 2017-18), Dallas (15.1 in 2019-20) and Golden State (14.6 last season).
WEST VS. EAST
The champs may hail from Milwaukee and the Eastern Conference, but the Western Conference &mdash; again &mdash; won the head-to-head against the other side of the league last season. West teams won 54% of their games against the East. It marked the 12th straight season and 21st time in the last 22 years that the West held a edge over the East.

it’s easy to see why the Lakers would be a fashionable pick to emerge as the West's representative in the NBA Finals this season.

Oldies but goodies: The Lakers may be ones to catch in West

Before the 2021 NBA Draft and the start of free agency, we assessed the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/facing-a-somewhat-challenging-offseason-the-los-angeles-lakers-have-decisions-to-make" target="_blank" rel="noopener">key personnel decisions that the Los Angeles Lakers would have to make this offseason</a>.&nbsp;Here is a section from that article:
&ldquo;While the Lakers can never be counted out as candidates to trade for a superstar, the likelihood is that L.A. will not be able to swing a deal for someone like Damian Lillard this offseason. The Lakers do not have a core of young players to throw in a trade or a stash of draft picks to barter with.
"With little cap flexibility, the simplest path toward filling out the roster this offseason is through re-signing the free agents from last season&rsquo;s squad. While that will not make for the most exciting offseason in Lakers&rsquo; history, it would ensure the Lakers have a baseline of talent to put around LeBron James and Anthony Davis."
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka took a bolder approach this offseason, opting to trade several players in exchange for guard Russell Westbrook, moving on from several players from last season&rsquo;s roster, re-signing Talen Horton-Tucker and filling out the depth chart with a mix of experienced veterans and younger players with upside. With the recent Marc Gasol trade, the only returning players from last year&rsquo;s roster are LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Horton-Tucker.&nbsp;
The current roster now includes James, Davis, Westbrook, Horton-Tucker, Rajon Rondo, Dwight Howard, Kent Bazemore, Carmelo Anthony, DeAndre Jordan, Malik Monk, Kendrick Nunn, Trevor Ariza, Wayne Ellington, as well as Joel Ayayi and Austin Reaves (on two-way contracts).&nbsp;
The Lakers now feature a star-studded roster, but the main concern will be the overall age of the team. L.A. now has nine players over the age of 32 and four of the top-five active leaders in overall career games played (James, Howard, Ariza and Anthony). The main questions with this roster are:&nbsp;
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Will the age/injuries limit L.A. in the postseason?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">How will Westbrook share playmaking duties with LeBron?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Will the Lakers drop off from last season's league-leading defense?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Do the Lakers have enough three-point shooting?</li>
</ol>
Last season, James missed 27 games and Davis missed 26 due to injury, and both were limited in the postseason. If both superstars are once again battling injuries in the postseason, the Lakers will suffer a similar fate as last season. However, assuming James and Davis are relatively healthy, the question is: how will the remainder of the Lakers' roster hold up? Is there enough depth to get through the grueling 82-game regular season without suffering too many setbacks?
With some luck and strategic maintenance throughout the regular season, the answer should be yes. While the roster is quite old collectively, their key rotation players did not miss too much time <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">last season</a> due to injuries.
<ul>
<li>Trevor Ariza &ndash; 1</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Dwight Howard &ndash; 2</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Russell Westbrook &ndash; 2</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Talen Horton-Tucker &ndash; 2</li>
<li>Kent Bazemore &ndash; 3</li>
<li>Carmelo Anthony &ndash; 3</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Kendrick Nunn &ndash; 6</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Wayne Ellington &ndash; 15</li>
<li>Malik Monk &ndash; 17</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Rajon Rondo &ndash; 26</li>
</ul>
Out of these key rotation players, only three had more than 10 injury-related missed games last season. Of course, some players did not play heavy minutes at different times throughout the season, but based on this data, it&rsquo;s reasonable to believe that the Lakers can get through the upcoming season without losing a disproportionate number of players. Injuries are unavoidable and COVID-19 will likely play a factor in terms of players missing games, but with some strategic load management throughout the season, it appears the Lakers have the depth and personnel to persevere.&nbsp;
In terms of sharing playmaking duties, it&rsquo;s unclear how James and Westbrook are going to mesh. Westbrook is saying the right things so far:&nbsp;
&ldquo;My job is to make sure that I&rsquo;m able to make his game easy for him. I&rsquo;ll find ways to do that throughout the game,&rdquo; Westbrook said at his first press conference as a Laker. &ldquo;As it pertains to ball-handling and all that, it really doesn&rsquo;t matter. There&rsquo;s many different ways you can impact the game without having the ball in your hands. And I&rsquo;ve been able to do that for many years and I will figure it out.&rdquo;
Westbrook has played with dynamic scorers and ball-handlers in the past, including Kevin Durant, James Harden (twice) and Bradley Beal. Westbrook&rsquo;s heavy usage rate, aggressive style of play and inefficiency as a three-point shooter have caused chemistry issues with past teammates, but LeBron is now 36 years old and coming off a rare injury-plagued season.
Perhaps LeBron will look to take a step back from his usual playmaking duties in the regular season and allow Westbrook to take on that volume in his place. Or, perhaps Westbrook will defer to James and Davis, being more selective with his opportunities and acting at the team&rsquo;s primary playmaker. Considering LeBron&rsquo;s age and the injuries he suffered last season as well as Westbrook&rsquo;s desire to win his first championship, there is plenty of reason to believe these two players will find a workable balance in terms of running the Lakers&rsquo; offense.
Perhaps the biggest question people have not focused on enough is the possible drop-off on the defensive end. The Lakers had the best defense in the league last season, but that was with a younger roster that featured several two-way wing defenders. Missing from last season&rsquo;s squad are Alex Caruso, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Wesley Matthews, Markieff Morris and Marc Gasol.&nbsp;
While none of these players are individually elite defenders at their respective positions, they meshed well enough to cover each other&rsquo;s shortcomings and create a solid, consistent defense. Caruso was a particularly effective wing defender, and Gasol was still an effective anchor when he got minutes. The Lakers added some players who can certainly step in and try to fill the void left behind, but players like Ariza, Rondo, Ellington, Jordan and Carmelo are well past their athletic primes. Younger players like Monk, Nunn, Horton-Tucker and even Bazemore have the mobility to stay in front of wings and should each be in the rotation to a certain extent.
Westbrook also has the athletic ability to be a tough defender, but his focus and effort on that end of the court have been inconsistent for several seasons. The Lakers are going to need Davis to be a defensive anchor in the middle. Last season, AD averaged career-lows in blocks per game (1.6, down from 2.3 the year before), block percentage (4.5%), total rebound percentage (13.8%), defensive win shares (2.4) and value over replacement player (1.9). In addition to getting more out of Davis, L.A. hopes that Howard can provide the same defensive impact as he did during his last stint with the team in 2019-20.
Head coach Frank Vogel has the difficult task of implementing a defensive system with a rebuilt roster that features several players in the twilight of their respective careers. Expect at least a slight drop-off from last season&rsquo;s top-ranked defense.
Three-point shooting was an area of concern entering the offseason, but the Lakers added a couple of players who should provide spacing for Westbrook, James and Davis to operate. Ellington shot a scorching 42.2% from distance last season on six attempts per game. Anthony shot 40.9% on 4.7 attempts, a nice bump in efficiency over the last six seasons, and his shooting could be a big catalyst for the Lakers&rsquo; offense. Monk is coming off his best season from beyond the arc, as he shot 40.1% from distance on five attempts per game. Nunn also had a particularly good season shooting the ball, hitting 38.1% of his 5.7 attempts per game. Bazemore and Ariza showed efficiency from distance last season, though Horton-Tucker continues to struggle from beyond the arc.
In short, the Lakers added enough shooters to this roster to ensure that spacing shouldn't be a major issue unless several players regress this upcoming season, or if defenses force Westbrook into taking a heavy dose of three-point attempts each night.&nbsp;
The Lakers entered the offseason with seemingly little flexibility to reshape and improve their roster. Despite the odds, Pelinka managed to add another star player and round out the roster with proven veterans who can still contribute at a high level. Injuries and age are a concern, but that is true for several teams in contention. The Lakers enter this season with plenty of star talent, a ton of experience and championship-or-bust expectations as they look to add banner No. 18 to the rafters of Staples Center.

Jesse Blancarte answers some key questions surrounding the Lakers' 2021-22 roster.

Answering the big questions surrounding the Lakers' 2021-22 roster

Showtime is back.
The Los Angeles Lakers are poised to become a top-notch squad in 2021-22 behind their star trio of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook. Hollywood&rsquo;s Big Three is going to make some massive waves, and their on-court chemistry will be the main storyline to follow with the Lakers.
Although LeBron is entering his age-37 season, he&rsquo;s showing no signs of slowing down. Averaging 25.0 points, 7.8 assists and 7.7 rebounds last season, James should have an even more efficient campaign with Westbrook taking some of the creation burden off his shoulders. If everything clicks into place, with Westbrook and James completely buying in as running mates, there&rsquo;s real sleeper upside for The King to be in the MVP discussion. The Lakers are prime candidates for a massive bounce back to the top of the Western Conference standings, and James will be a key figure in that equation.
Basketball News&rsquo; own <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-russell-westbrooks-fit-with-the-los-angeles-lakers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nekias Duncan dissected Westbrook&rsquo;s looming fit</a> in the purple and gold earlier this offseason, and he showcases exactly why the potential is so high for Brodie to thrive. Playing alongside James and Davis, Westbrook will slide into a role where he doesn&rsquo;t have to do everything on the court to make winning happen. The triple-doubles will still fly in at warp speed, but he doesn&rsquo;t need to do so at an inefficient clip.
Westbrook will be able to slide on and off-ball, where he should produce as a cutter and one-on-one scorer near the basket. Westbrook&rsquo;s bounce is nowhere close to dropping off, so he&rsquo;s positioned to really up his own value with complete buy-in to the fit alongside James and Davis.
Imagine the possibilities for the Lakers with Westbrook bringing the ball up the court while LeBron and AD are running at full speed in transition. It&rsquo;s an unstoppable proposition, one that will surely vault the Lakers&rsquo; overall tempo. Last season with the Washington Wizards, Westbrook helped boost them to No. 2 in transition frequency at 18.2%. Meanwhile, the Lakers checked in right in the middle of the pack at No. 14 overall with 15.4% of their possessions involving transition opportunities.
Although the frequency difference was notable, Washington and Los Angeles both scored 1.14 points per transition possession. Westbrook loves to put his foot on the gas pedal, and it should lead to the Lakers utilizing this weapon more than ever before.
Davis is still the 1B to LeBron&rsquo;s 1A, but he&rsquo;s the fulcrum to the whole operation. As the Lakers&rsquo; anchor on defense, plus an ever-improving scorer, Davis&rsquo; equity is immense. If Los Angeles deploys more lineups where Davis is at the five-spot, where he&rsquo;s been reluctant to play throughout his career, it opens Pandora&rsquo;s box for their two-way dominance.
It remains to be seen if that happens after bringing aboard Dwight Howard and DeAndre Jordan, but it&rsquo;s a thought that needs to become reality soon enough for the Lakers. Davis reportedly told James and Westbrook he would embrace playing center more often, and it&rsquo;s a real asset to allow more spacing around the trio&rsquo;s lack of perimeter shooting. Davis&rsquo; speed for a big coupled with his athleticism makes him a modern-day force at the five.
For the Lakers to really take the necessary steps forward and become one of the NBA&rsquo;s elite teams in 2021-22, the Big Three needed to be surrounded by above-average-to-elite three-point shooters. Well, Lakers GM Rob Pelinka certainly made that his top priority following the Westbrook blockbuster move on draft night.
All of the following players shot above 40% from downtown last season, and will now play integral roles in Los Angeles&rsquo; rotation: Wayne Ellington (42.2%), Carmelo Anthony (40.9%), Kent Bazemore (40.8%), Malik Monk (40.1%). All four of these players will see minutes alongside James, Davis and Westbrook to allow them to wreck havoc around the rim.
Los Angeles has the oldest roster in the Association, but one that actually fits very well around one another. Although L.A. appears to be banking on LeBron and AD to be potential Defensive Player of the Year candidates, given the lack of versatility surrounding them on that end of the court, the offense should produce fireworks consistently. Let&rsquo;s take a look at the Lakers&rsquo; 2021-22 roster, one that looks to be well-constructed to make their Big Three&nbsp; flourish:
Starters: Russell Westbrook, Wayne Ellington, Kent Bazemore, LeBron James, Anthony Davis
Bench: Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Nunn, Talen Horton-Tucker, Malik Monk, Trevor Ariza, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, DeAndre Jordan, Marc Gasol
Penciling Ellington and Bazemore into the starting lineup is a projection on my end to best help out the floor-spacing potential around LeBron, AD and Brodie. With so much depth at the guard and wing spots, many of these players will see significant run throughout the season next to the stars.
Where exactly does Los Angeles stack up in the West? Honestly, right near the top. They Lakers are in the top tier of a loaded West, alongside the defending conference champion Phoenix Suns and No. 1 seed Utah Jazz.
If everything clicks immediately for Westbrook within the Lakers&rsquo; system, there&rsquo;s a real opportunity for the Lakers to take back the top spot once the playoffs arrive. Maxmizing the window for LeBron in his late 30s is exactly what the Lakers are doing. The addition of Westbrook not only raises their floor, but the ceiling over the next two years is through the roof.
If the best-case scenario happens for Los Angeles, we're potentially talking about back-to-back Finals appearances. That's certainly on the table, especially if Westbrook blossoms in his new role alongside LeBron and AD.
Everything is in place for the Lakers to make another run to a Finals. With LeBron showing no signs of slowing down, Davis still coming into his own entering his true prime years, plus Westbrook hitting the ground running as a complimentary teammate to open up the offense, Los Angeles has all the ingredients in place to have a special 2021-22 campaign. Now, all that needs to be done is to bake it all in the oven for perfect results throughout a rigorous 82-game regular season schedule.

With the addition of Russell Westbrook, a star-studded Big 3 has been formed in Hollywood. Will the Los Angeles Lakers take back the crown in 2021-22?

Lakers ready to revive Showtime era with Hollywood's new Big Three

There have been plenty of fireworks during the 2021 offseason. From blockbuster trades to notable free agents changing teams, the 30 teams around the Association have given us plenty to talk about.
Recently, our staff discussed <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-roundtable-breaking-down-this-offseasons-most-underrated-moves" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this summer's most underrated moves</a>. Today, we asked our writers:
Which NBA team had the best offseason?
Nekias Duncan: They&rsquo;re another minor move away from rounding out the roster, but I think the Heat were pretty big winners. Being able to snag Kyle Lowry without giving up a pick or their best prospect is a win. Adding frontcourt depth, young (Omer Yurtseven) and old (P.J. Tucker, Markieff Morris) was smart. Bringing back Victor Oladipo on the minimum is the kind of <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-roundtable-breaking-down-this-offseasons-most-underrated-moves" target="_blank" rel="noopener">low-risk, moderately-high-reward move</a> that could swing some games in the second half of the season.
Alex Kennedy: After being super aggressive at last year's trade deadline, Nikola Vucevic <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/bulls-nikola-vucevic-qa-were-built-to-be-successful-for-years-to-come" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told me</a> that the Chicago Bulls "sent a strong message to the rest of the league that they really want to win now." This offseason, they doubled down and were even more active &mdash; adding <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lonzo-ball-chicago-bulls-form-a-perfect-marriage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lonzo Ball</a>, DeMar DeRozan, Alex Caruso and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ayo-dosunmu-ready-to-seize-the-moment-as-he-becomes-complete-player-nba-draft-prospects-2021" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ayo Dosunmu</a> to their core of Vucevic, Zach LaVine, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/chicago-bulls-evolved-patrick-williams-offensive-game-at-nba-summer-league" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Patrick Williams</a>, Coby White and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-freeagency-destinations-for-lauri-markkanen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lauri Markkanen (RFA)</a>. Prior to the Vucevic trade, there was a month-long stretch where LaVine was averaging nearly 33.0 points. While it was incredible to watch LaVine put the team on his back, it was clear that he needed help. Now, just five months later, the roster looks completely different and the supporting cast is significantly better. This is the most talent that LaVine and Vucevic have ever had around them, and Chicago seems like a lock to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016-17 (and perhaps win a series for the first time since 2014-15). Last year, LaVine <a href="https://hoopshype.com/2020/04/28/nba-zach-lavine-chicago-bulls-michael-jordan-the-last-dance-season-workout-staying-shape-paul-seattle-arturas-karnisovas-marc-eversley/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told me</a> that he's "extremely hungry" to make his postseason debut and now it's absolutely within reach. (Also, getting Derrick Jones Jr., a lottery protected first-rounder and a future second-rounder back in the Lauri Markkanen sign-and-trade is a win.)
Jackson Frank: The Heat acquiring Kyle Lowry and P.J. Tucker, while retaining Victor Oladipo, give them the nod in my eyes. They went from a first-round out to a team that could make a deep playoff run. Lowry is a fringe All-Star and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/what-kyle-lowry-brings-to-the-miami-heat" target="_blank" rel="noopener">offers significant offensive versatility</a> that should help reignite a stagnant attack. Tucker, although circumstantial defensively and rather limited offensively, remains a useful rotational big who helps maintain Miami&rsquo;s defensive ethos. Oladipo&rsquo;s offense is highly dependent on his jumper these days, but the defense was quite good last season and he clearly seems to want to be in Miami. Health is a looming question mark, but he can help them when out there.
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Jesse Blancarte: The Los Angeles Lakers entered the offseason with Dennis Schroder hoping to leverage the team&rsquo;s limited cap flexibility into a $100 million contract. The Lakers passed on Schroder, opting to trade for Russell Westbrook, re-sign Talen Horton-Tucker and fill out the roster with solid veterans on minimum deals (including Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, Trevor Ariza, Kent Bazemore and Wayne Ellington). The Lakers even snagged a few talented, younger players with upside in Malik Monk and Kendrick Nunn. L.A. loses some points for reportedly not doing much to re-sign Alex Caruso, but the team added significant depth. Age will be an issue for this roster, but the talent and depth are there for another championship run.
Spencer Davies: This may be an unpopular opinion since all of their additions came via trades, but the Washington Wizards intrigue me as a playoff contender in the Eastern Conference. Spearheaded by the acquisition of Spencer Dinwiddie &mdash; who should fit like a glove next to Bradley Beal and take some of the playmaking load off the three-time All-Star &mdash; <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/wizards-retooling-led-to-a-competent-roster-surrounding-bradley-beal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the team has retooled well</a>. Something tells me that Kyle Kuzma will be able to breathe a little easier in D.C., and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is easily the best sniper with defensive upside that Washington has thrown out there in years. Montrezl Harrell is going to be highly motivated after being dealt away, and perhaps he can develop a rapport with Aaron Holiday as a part of an energetic second unit. Let&rsquo;s not forget that Deni Avdija and Thomas Bryant will return at some point from their injuries too. Throw in a growing Rui Hachimura and Daniel Gafford &mdash; plus a new head coach in Wes Unseld Jr. &mdash; and the Wizards have some real firepower and could make a solid push.
Imman Adan: It&rsquo;s definitely the Nets; they managed to get better despite already being the favorites. However, I&rsquo;m going with the Miami Heat because they got their guy &mdash; Kyle Lowry &mdash; and didn&rsquo;t have to give up very much to get him. They also managed to pick up P.J. Tucker and, if he has anything left in the tank, he can help fill the void Jae Crowder left.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Evan Sidery: Although it remains to be seen how exactly all the new parts fit together, credit to the Chicago Bulls for finally going for it. Lonzo Ball is a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lonzo-ball-chicago-bulls-form-a-perfect-marriage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">perfect backcourt complement</a> for Zach LaVine, while DeMar DeRozan provides a legit scoring punch as well. If 2020 No. 4 overall pick Patrick Williams takes a leap &mdash; and Summer League is showing that&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/chicago-bulls-evolved-patrick-williams-offensive-game-at-nba-summer-league" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a strong possibility</a> &mdash; Chicago looks the part of a top-six team in the Eastern Conference. Ever since Derrick Rose&rsquo;s prime, Chicago has been yearning for a competitive team. In 2021-22, they have an opportunity to make noise.
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Ethan Fuller: The Miami Heat reeled in the biggest available free-agent name in Kyle Lowry without giving up a treasure trove of talent. Sure, Precious Achiuwa is a tough loss for an aging team, but Lowry is a clear upgrade over Goran Dragic in the short-term. The Heat also signed two underrated additions in P.J. Tucker and Markieff Morris without losing rotation players of consequence. Miami is older, more expensive and potentially injury-prone, but the squad is also more talented and more potent as a defensive unit.
Drew Maresca: Shockingly, the Washington Wizards. Most importantly, they got out from under Russell Westbrook&rsquo;s contract, swapping Westbrook for Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Montrezl Harrell. They also added Spencer Dinwiddie, who better complements Bradley Beal than Westbrook did &mdash; a hugely important aspect of his addition. If Dinwiddie bounces back to his old self, the Wizards will compete for a playoff spot in a newly competitive Eastern Conference &mdash; and that might enough to convince Beal to extend.
Chris Sheridan: It is a close call between the Nets, Heat and Lakers... so close that I am going to make it a three-way- tie. I absolutely love Brooklyn's acquisition of Patty Mills. He is a fourth star, if you ask any Australian. They needed a second perimeter defender aside from Bruce Brown, whom they were lucky to keep, and they needed someone off the bench to replace Jeff Green. Miami got Kyle Lowry, which is HUGE, along with Markieff Morris on a one-year deal, which should incentivize him to play to his full potential. Also, they got P.J. Tucker, which I feel is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-roundtable-breaking-down-this-offseasons-most-underrated-moves" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the offseason's most underrated move</a>. For the Lakers, acquiring Russell Westbrook may go down in history as the biggest and best move they could have ever made to facilitate another championship run with LeBron James. He is a vast upgrade over Dennis Schroder, who ended up being too greedy for his wallet's own good. The other role players the Lakers added seem to fit nicely, especially Carmelo Anthony, Kent Bazemore and Wayne Ellington for perimeter shooting and Dwight Howard for messing with the minds of opposing centers. They will miss Alex Caruso's defense (and it remains to be seen who can provide that), but they had an impressive offseason.
Jannelle Moore: The Lakers had the best offseason because they knew they didn&rsquo;t have much salary-cap space, but they got creative and still managed to land a star in Russell Westbrook. Many people doubted whether the Lakers could make a splashy move, but they managed to pull off a blockbuster trade with the Wizards. Carmelo Anthony and the role players they brought in were great additions as well.

Which team is the big winner of the 2021 NBA offseason? Our writers share their thoughts.

Roundtable: Which NBA team had the best offseason?

OK, Lakers Nation: Your team is stacked like never before in the LeBron James era.
Anthony Davis will be back healthy. Russell Westbrook is coming aboard. So is Dwight Howard, along with Carmelo Anthony, Wayne Ellington, Malik Monk, Kendrick Nunn, Trevor Ariza and Kent Bazemore.
This team is loaded.
And while they are certain to win the NBA&rsquo;s geriatric award, a championship is no sure thing. But when it comes to dominating the regular season, both in terms of media coverage and watchability, nobody is even a close second.
Bear that in mind for a couple of reasons, not the least of which is that the writers and broadcasters who vote for the NBA&rsquo;s Most Valuable Player award watch a whole lot of basketball on TV. And it is safe to say we will see a heck of a lot more of the Lakers than we will of, say, the Thunder.
The Lakers have three legitimate MVP candidates in Westbrook, Davis and James. But for whatever reason, the major U.S. sportsbooks have listed all three of them with very long odds for MVP. At DraftKings Sportsbook, Davis and Westbrook are listed at +2500, to use the new parlance, and James is +1500.
At FanDuel Sportsbook, Westbrook is an astonishing 85-1. He is 55-1 at PointsBet, and 50-1 at WilliamHill.
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And if you think those odds are going to stay that high in the long-term, we have a bridge in Brooklyn that we will sell you for a very low price.
Here is the thing about the legalized U.S. sports gambling market: The books are not all that great at setting the futures odds accurately. They are very good at most things they do. But on some of these future markets, they are off by a country mile. The sharp gamblers know this, and you should, too.
Westbrook, in case you have forgotten, spent last year with a Washington Wizards team that closed the season with a tremendous finishing kick after having their campaign hugely disrupted by COVID-related postponements. They won 17 of their final 24 games, and Westbrook had triple-doubles in 19 of those contests. He was one assist shy of two more triple-doubles.
The guy gets bashed a lot for a variety of things (including switching teams so often in recent years), but do not let the haters convince you that he is a bad player. He remains a super-stud, and there are worse things you can do with one Benjamin than lay it on Russ at 85-1 for the MVP. If he opens the season with three of four triple-doubles in a row, you are going to see that number shrink considerably (perhaps to single digits).
Of course, Davis is a legit MVP contender as well, and there is a chance that the Lakers spread the wealth around so much that these guys cancel each other out. And while that may indeed be the case, there is still questionable logic in having Luka Doncic (+400), Joel Embiid and Kevin Durant (+700), Giannis Antetokounmpo and Steph Curry (+800) and Damian Lillard (+1200) listed with lower odds than any of the Lakers. Also at +1500 along with LeBron is reigning MVP Nikola Jokic (+1800). Trae Young (+1800), Devin Booker (+2000) and James Harden (+2000) are also listed lower than Westbrook and Davis. (All of those odds from DraftKings Sportsbook).
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Jokic won the MVP award last season for a lot of reasons, not the least of which was his durability as he appeared in all 72 games while averaging 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists. But the Denver Nuggets finished tied for third in the Western Conference, and it is pretty rare for a player from a third-seeded team to win the award.
Voters typically look at individual stats first and a team&rsquo;s record second. Last season, because of the amount of injuries around the NBA, Jokic sort of won it by default, getting 91 of 101 first-place votes. Embiid, who finished second, got just a single first-place vote (from Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic). Steph Curry, who finished third, got five first-place votes.
Assuming the senescent nature of the Lakers roster does not lead to the same type of injury problems they had last season, they will finish atop the Western Conference. FanDuel Sportsbook currently lists them as +195 to win the West, followed by the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers at +500, and the Utah Jazz at +650.
The Brooklyn Nets (+230) and the Lakers (+400) are the two favorites to win the NBA title.
But remember: The Most Valuable Player award only takes into account what happens during the regular season. If Westbrook plays the same way for the Lakers as he did at the end of last season for the Wizards, churning out triple-doubles on a nightly basis, he could win MVP in the same sort of runaway fashion as Jokic did last season. Dennis Schroder and Alex Caruso are gone, and Kendrick Nunn (who&rsquo;s more of a shooter than a playmaker) is now the de facto backup point guard.
There are no sure things in the gambling world. But there are reasonable risks.
Wagering on Westbrook, who has 184 career triple-doubles, is not the worst idea in the history of ideas. Give it some thought, especially because others are not.
BetMGM spokesman John Ewing said that Curry has taken a league-leading 14.8% of tickets to Westbrook&rsquo;s 2.3%. PointsBet&rsquo;s Wyatt Yearout said that Doncic is taking a league-leading 10.71% to Westbrook&rsquo;s 7.14% (the same as Antetokounmpo, Durant and Curry).

Russell Westbrook was dominant for the Wizards at end of last season. Now, after joining the Lakers, he's an interesting MVP bet.