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Lakers might keep Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum

Lakers might keep Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum

A source familiar with the Lakers’ thinking told ESPNLosAngeles.com’s Dave McMenamin the team intends to keep its core of Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum together next season now that Nash will be in the fold.

“It will be a huge honor to play alongside Steve,” Gasol said in a video chat Wednesday night. “Obviously I know him for many years now, and he’s been one of the elite point guards in the league for as long as I can remember, as long as I’ve played in the NBA. It will be a true pleasure to play with Steve. He’s one of the best point guards that has ever played the game, and still has a lot of juice in him. So I look forward to that.

In addition, the Lakers are no longer trying to retain point guard Ramon Sessions, who opted out of the final year and $4.55 million of his contract to become a free agent, a source told ESPNLosAngeles.com’s Ramona Shelburne.

Sessions was hoping for the security of a longer term contract, but while discussions with the Lakers were positive, they never progressed toward a multiyear deal, the source told Shelburne.

— Reported by Marc Stein of ESPN.com

Suns sign-and-trading Steve Nash to Lakers

Veteran star point guard Steve Nash is taking his talents from the Phoenix Suns and heading to the Los Angeles Lakers in a sign-and-trade agreement.

According to Marc Stein of ESPN.com, “Sources told ESPN.com that the Nash, with the New York Knicks also pressing hard to complete a simiilar sign-and-trade deal, was swayed to join the Lakers after a determined push from Bryant and because the move not only keeps him in the title hunt but will allow Nash to stay in close proximity to his three children in Phoenix. Nash will receive a three-year deal in excess of $25 million, sources said, because the Suns ultimately agreed to sign-and-trade him to the Lakers, who can absorb Nash via the trade exception they created by dealing Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks in December.”

Per Elliot Teaford of the Los Angeles Daily News: “Nash joins a team that was in flux last season in Mike Brown’s first year as coach. The Lakers believed they had secured their point guard of the future when they acquired Ramon Sessions from the Cleveland Cavaliers and dealt Derek Fisher to the Houston Rockets. But Sessions opted out of his Lakers contract for next season to become a free agent. it’s unlikely the Lakers would continue their attempts to re-sign Sessions. It was believed Nash was bound for either the Toronto Raptors or the New York Knicks or perhaps with the Dallas Mavericks to re-unite with Dirk Nowitzki. The two-time NBA most-valuable player reportedly received a three-season, $36-million offer from the Raptors. Word leaked early Wednesday that he would not take it, however.”

Per Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic, “In the Nash sign-and-trade, the #Suns will get 2013 & 2015 first-round picks and 2013 & 2014 second-round picks.”

The 38-year-old Nash averaged 12.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 10.7 assists on 53.2% shooting last season for the Suns.

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Lamar Odom withdraws from 2012 USA Basketball National Team

The following has been known for days, but just became official today:

Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Clippers) has informed USA Basketball Chairman Jerry Colangelo and USA Basketball Men’s National Team head coach Mike Krzyzewski that he will be unavailable to play for the USA Basketball National Team this summer.

“Lamar has told us that he is unable to play for the United States this summer. While it is unfortunate to have lost the players we have, Coach Krzyzewski and I remain extremely confident with the group of players we’ll have at our training camp in Las Vegas. We believe that we will still have an outstanding collection of talent and that ultimately we will have another team that all Americans will be excited about and proud of,” said Colangelo.

The 15 USA finalists will assemble July 5 in Las Vegas, Nev., for the start of the 2012 USA National Team training. The USA’s 12-man roster will be announced after the team’s practice on July 7. Finalists contending for a roster spot include: Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks); Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers); Tyson Chandler (New York Knicks); Anthony Davis (New Orleans Hornets); Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder); Rudy Gay (Memphis Grizzlies); Eric Gordon (New Orleans Hornets); Blake Griffin (Los Angeles Clippers); James Harden (Oklahoma City Thunder); Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers); LeBron James (Miami Heat); Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves); Chris Paul (Los Angeles Clippers); Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder); and Deron Williams (Brooklyn Nets).

Darius Morris signs qualifying offer from Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers guard Darius Morris, who was tendered a qualifying offer from the team on June 29, signed the qualifying offer today.

Morris, who was selected by the Lakers with the 41st pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, averaged 2.4 points, 0.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 19 games last season.

He recorded a career high 9 points, career high 5 assists and career high-tying 3 rebounds on April 26 at Sacramento.

Lakers extend qualifying offers to Devin Ebanks and Darius Morris

The Los Angeles Lakers have extended qualifying offers to forward Devin Ebanks and guard Darius Morris, making them both restricted free agents, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak.

A second year player out of West Virginia, Ebanks was selected by the Lakers in the second round (43rd overall) of the 2010 NBA Draft. The 6-9 forward appeared in 24 games (12 starts) with the Lakers last season, averaging 4.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 16.5 minutes. Ebanks also appeared in three games for the D-Fenders, averaging 18.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals in 32.0 minutes.

Ebanks has career averages of 3.6 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.30 assists in 44 games.

Selected by the Lakers in the second round (41st overall) of the 2011 NBA Draft, Morris appeared in 19 regular season games for the Lakers last season, averaging 2.4 points and 1.1 assists in 8.9 minutes. In addition to his role with the Lakers, Morris played in one game with the D-Fenders, where he recorded 21 points, one rebound and four assists in 28 minutes of play.

The 6-4 guard out of the University of Michigan, played two seasons for the Wolverines where he averaged 9.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists. An All-Big Ten Third Team selection during his sophomore year, Morris also set a Michigan record for assists in a single season (235).

In accordance with the league’s collective bargaining agreement, in order for a team to retain its right of first refusal with respect to a restricted free agent, the team must tender the player a qualifying offer prior to June 30. A restricted free agent may sign an offer sheet with any team, but is subject to a right of first refusal with the team for which the player last played.

Timberwolves want to trade for Pau Gasol

The Minnesota Timberwolves are trying hard to land Spanish forward Pau Gasol.

If they have to part with the highest draft choice in franchise history after just one season, the Wolves appear ready to do it.

That much became clear leading up to the NBA draft on Thursday, when Minnesota offered Derrick Williams in hopes of landing the second pick from the Charlotte Bobcats to help get Gasol from the Los Angeles Lakers, two people with knowledge of the discussions told The Associated Press.

The people requested anonymity because the talks were meant to remain private. The deal never came together before the draft, and the Bobcats stayed at No. 2 and took Kentucky forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

The Timberwolves are expected to continue their pursuit of Gasol in hopes of putting the four-time NBA All-Star with fellow Spaniard Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love on a revamped roster aimed at returning the team to the playoffs for the first time since 2004.

Mavericks trade Darius Johnson-Odom rights to Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers have acquired the draft rights to Darius Johnson-Odom (55th overall pick) from Dallas in exchange for cash considerations and have selected Robert Sacre with the 60th overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft, it was announced today.

Johnson-Odom, a 6-2 guard out of Marquette, averaged 15.7 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 105 career games. As a senior, the Raleigh, North Carolina native led his team in scoring (18.3ppg) and earned First Team All-Big East honors in addition to being named an Honorable Mention All-American by the Associated Press.

Sacre, a 7-0 Center from Gonzaga finished his career with the Bulldogs ranked second all-time in school history in career blocks (186) while averaging 9.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 135 games. As a senior, Sacre was named the 2012 WCC Defensive Player of the Year as well as an All-WCC First-Team honoree while averaging 11.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks.

Hawks reportedly offering Josh Smith to Lakers for Pau Gasol

The Atlanta Hawks have aggressively tried to trade power forward Josh Smith to the Lakers for Pau Gasol, initially expressing interest in Gasol shortly after Oklahoma City eliminated the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals, The Times has learned.

Smith has been unhappy in Atlanta for more than a year, his dissatisfaction starting after the 2010-11 season because he felt he was an unfair target of criticism by coaches and media members.

In separate activity leading up to Thursday’s amateur draft, the Lakers are also open to trading Gasol to a team with a high first-round pick because they covet Kentucky freshman Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Atlanta holds the 23rd pick and cannot help in that area.

No deals were imminent for the Lakers, who hold only the 60th and final pick in the draft. They have not had a first-round pick since taking Javaris Crittenton in 2007.

— Reported by Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times

Clippers in trade talks for Lamar Odom

The Los Angeles Clippers have engaged in trade discussions to bring Lamar Odom back to the L.A. team that drafted him, according to sources close to the situation.

Yet the deal, sources said, could hinge on the willingness of a third team to take on the contract of Clippers veteran guard Mo Williams, which would allow the Dallas Mavericks to send Odom to the Clippers with no significant money coming back to the Mavericks.

With a Friday deadline looming for the Mavericks to buy out the final year of Odom’s contract for $2.4 million, Dallas officials have green-lighted Odom’s agent, Jeff Schwartz, to try to find a new home for Odom this week via trade. The Mavericks and Schwartz also have discussed pushing the deadline back into July if an Odom trade can’t be struck before Friday.

The Mavericks’ interest in an Odom deal, though, is purely to gain financial flexibility, which likely necessitates a third team to take on Williams. If no trade can be struck, either this week or before an adjusted deadline, Dallas is expected to eventually buy Odom out and make him a free agent, with big-market teams such as Miami and New York also planning to pursue him in that scenario.

— Reported by Marc Stein of ESPN.com

Phil Jackson not looking to coach Knicks

Phil Jackson views the Knicks as a flawed team and says he would have turned down the franchise had it offered him the head coaching job, according to a transcript of a coming segment of “Real Sports” on HBO.

“There’s just too much work that has to be done with that team,” Jackson said in the interview with Andrea Kremer, which is set to be televised on Tuesday. He added, “It’s a little bit of a clumsy team.”

But there was never a decision to make because the Knicks “never called,” Jackson told Kremer. The remarks could be viewed as an odd sort of vindication for Knicks officials, who were widely criticized for failing to reach out to Jackson.

— Reported by Howard Beck of the New York Times (Blog)

Explaining what he meant by clumsy, Jackson said, “Well, they don’t fit together well. Stoudemire doesn’t fit well with Carmelo. Stoudemire’s a really good player. But he’s got to play in a certain system and a way. Carmelo has to be a better passer, and the ball can’t stop every time it hits his hands. They need to have someone come in that can kind of blend that group together.”

When interviewer Andrea Kremer said it sounded as if Jackson was the perfect person to blend the talent because of his résumé, Jackson said, “Yeah, well, it never happened.”

— Reported by Marc Berman of the New York Post