Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers need some wins in the draft and player development space after swings and misses on Jalen Hood-Schifino and Dalton Knecht. 

Well, Cameron Carr looks like that guy, through two California Classic games, at least. 

Carr has displayed the rangy, top shelf athleticism and excellent shooting skills (coming off screens, relcating, catch and shoot and so on) from beyond the arc. Needless to say, after two very good showings in early play, he's got Lakers fans (and surely the Lakers) excited. Looking great in Summer League isn't a guarantee a player will be successful at the NBA level -- the more predictive warning flags come when a player doesn't look good -- but it's never a bad thing for your guy to look like he's one of the best players on the floor, and that's been Carr. 

Adou Thiero, meanwhile, followed up a wild, out of control effort on Friday with a much more controlled and productive effort on Sunday. The gap between Theiro and meaningful playing time might really be related to how effectively he can slow things down, and make sure he's not he's losing his fundamentals and making too many mistakes. 

And then there are the two-way guys, Chris Manon, AK Okereke and Peter Suder. How are they looking? 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images

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As the Lakers reportedly try to open up the space to continue adding to what is currently a guard-heavy, wing/forward-light roster, there was at least some hope that they could find a way to bring Rui Hachimura back. 

Well, that's not a thing anymore. 

Reports on Monday have Hachimura moving crosstown to the Clippers, on a two-year, $28 million contract. Rui was definitely a fan favorite, and a truly killer playoff performer, but also has serious limitations in his game, namely rebounding, passing and defense. He might have had a more natural role this year given LeBron's departure, but we'll never know. 

In the meantime... the Lakers really need to figure out how they're going to clear some space, and obviously attention will shift even more heavily to free agent forward Jonathan Kuminga. And they still need a backup center, given the trade of Deandre Ayton to Washington. 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

Photo Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

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One of the big moves the Lakers made after the big Walker Kessler trade was to wrap up former Raptors PF/C Sandro Mamukelashvili. The Georgian vet has been a darling of the analytics community for a while, but had a breakout year last season, showing chops as a passer, rebounder and energy-bringer. But enough to justify a four year, $52 million contract? 

The Lakers hope so. 

But is Mamu a power forward? A center? Can he play starters minutes? Can he hold up enough defensively to perhaps even outplay that contract? 

And what does Mamu look like on a Luka Doncic-led squad? 

To answer all of these questions and more, we bring in Sean Woodley, host of Locked On Raptors for a comprehensive scouting report. 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky, with guest Sean Woodley!

SEGMENT 1: What led to Mamu's breakout season last year? 

SEGMENT 2: Can Mamu handle a bigger role? 

SEGMENT 3: Reaction!

Photo Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

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The Lakers are trying to open up enough space to bring in one more impact player this offseason, and started that business on Friday by trading backup center Deandre Ayton to Washington for guard Jaden Hardy (who is kind of incidental to this whole transaction), and two second round picks. 

The Lakers also save about two million dollars, which will be very helpful both for the free agent Tetris on the guys they already have, but also for creating room to bring other players in. 

Now attention will turn to the other "dead" spots on the Lakers roster, most notably Dalton Knecht and Jarred Vanderbilt. These picks give the Lakers a little sweetener to move one or both along, perhaps avoiding the need to use a waive'n'stretch on either. (For reference, the cost for the Rockets to move off Dorian Finney-Smith on Friday was three second rounders.) So what's coming for the Lakers? What else can they do to red paper clip their way up to what is almost certainly targeted as a starting or rotation caliber wing/PF? Would it be Jonathan Kuminga? Rui Hachimura? Hard to know, but it's gonna be someone, if they can make it happen. 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

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The Lakers want to make fans happy, they always like the good vibes that come with approval from the media. 

But the person they really need to make happy? That's Luka Dončić. And on that front, multiple reports indicate that Team Luka is on board with what the Lakers have done, and is very enthusiastic about the addition of Walker Kessler, which is obviously important because he's now part of this team's Big Three going forward. And while you'd expect Luka to say nice things just to avoid creating controversial headlines, you'd also bet most of your paycheck that the Lakers didn't just spend all of their draft capital as well as actual money on a core player at a position he values highly without sign off. 

And it's easy to see why he'd like this roster. Offensively, it seems to set up as the type of team he'd like, with some basket attacking ability, enough outside shooting to get the job done, and a center who can both anchor a defense and also set a screen then finish above the rim. 

There's some coherence, and a good degree of continuity. Now there are also structural problems, particularly defensively and on the wing. But everyone now knows what the issues are, and can try and figure out how to solve them. It won't be easy, given the near total lack of controllable draft assets, but everyone knows what they are. Clarity can be beneficial. 

Meanwhile, the Lakers are clearly trying to add more talent this summer. How is unknown, but they'll certainly explore trades, while waive-and-stretch scenarios, starting with Jarred Vanderbilt but potentially extending to Deandre Ayton as well, whether for an upside athlete like Jonathan Kuminga, or ... Rui Hachimura? He's still unsigned, and ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported Wednesday that the Lakers are still hoping to figure out a way to bring him back. 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: Luka approves!

SEGMENT 2: Why it might not be B.S...

SEGMENT 3: What about Kuminga? Or ... Rui?

Photo Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

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Walker Kessler, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton. These are the big names we know will be on the roster next year after a flurry of activity on Wednesday. 

There's a lot to like about the new guys, starting with youth (Austin Reaves is now the oldest player on the team), offensive players who can put pressure on the rim, a defensive anchor in Kessler, multi-year contracts that can give the Lakers a little continuity going forward, and so on. There's stuff to worry about, most notably the lack of a wing defender (or really, wings at all). The Lakers gave up all their draft capital to get Kessler. They don't have a lot of defenders outside of him, and even guys like Grimes, who is a solid player on that end, isn't big enough to guard up with regularity. 

So are they better than they were before? 

Well, it depends on how you define better, and what else the Lakers might do over the course of the offseason (and into next year). Because remember, nobody thought they could get to the level of OKC or San Antonio in one transaction season. 

So how much closer are they? 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

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Tuesday's opening to NBA free agency was boring. 

Wednesday was poppin'. 

The Lakers got off to a fast start, coming to terms with Utah center Walker Kessler on the terms of a contract (4 years, $130 million), and the Jazz on the terms of a trade (two firsts, two pick swaps). Then they signed PF/C Sandro Mamukelashvili, SG Quentin Grimes and PG Collin Sexton. So that's the nuts and bolts of it until the Lakers can find a way to move someone else off the roster, or presumably use that final roster spot on a vet minimum deal. 

But are the Lakers better? What's to like, what's not to like in the day's activity. How well are the Lakers set to compete going forward? 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

SEGMENT 1: Recapping a huge day for LA. 

SEGMENT 2: Is Kessler a good fit? How about Mamu and Grimes? 

SEGMENT 3: Why the Lakers needed a backup PG. 

PHOTO CREDIT: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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It took a minute, but once things shook loose the Lakers VERY quickly reshaped their roster for the Luka Dončić era.

The massive piece of business (metaphorically and literally) was the agreement to acquire Utah center Walker Kessler, all 7'2", 245 lbs. of him, for a huge price. Two unprotected first round picks, two pick swaps. Otherwise known as basically everything they had that Utah would want. But the Lakers got their man. He's 25 years old, has produced incredibly positive defensive numbers, and should be a good partner for Luka in the screen and roll, and as a finisher above the rim.

Was the price too high? Maybe. Is Kessler currently worth that premium? Probably not yet. Could he get there? He'd better!

And after that, the rest of the dominos fell. Long term deals for SG (and sometimes SF) Quentin Grimes and PF/C Sandro Mamukelashvili, along with scoring guard Collin Sexton.

The Lakers might be able to make some tweaks going forward, but the roster seems mostly formed.

So are they in a better spot now than a week ago?

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images

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The Lakers started the day by losing LeBron James. That was, and remains, the biggest news of the day. And how this ends remains to be seen. There's still a chance the Lakers will want to help LeBron find a destination, in order to engineer a sign and trade that might bring back something (though temper your hopes) of value. 

At some point, there will be time to think about the LeBron era, but for the time being, the Lakers have a team to build. And it starts with big game hunting, in restricted free agent centers Walker Kessler and Jalen Duren. The Lakers met with both, and reportedly will keep talking. How they wrestle them away from their respective squads, however remains to be seen. The Lakers have lost Luke Kennard to the Suns, and are reportedly close to losing Rui Hachimura and Marcus Smart as well, though nothing is set with either guy. Meanwhile, they're reportedly frontrunners to land guard Quentin Grimes and PF/C Sandro Mamukelashvili, and have been connected to forward Kelly Oubre as well. 

There are a ton of moving parts out there, and while inaction makes fans nervous, they're not in a worse position now than they were post LBJ announcement. And even that could still, in the long run, be better. 

But then again, how long of a long run do the Lakers have, vis-a-vis Luka? 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

SEGMENT 1: After LeBron goes, the Lakers look for (expensive) centers. 

SEGMENT 2: Do the Lakers have a shot? 

SEGMENT 3: What about Grimes and Mamu? 

Photo Credit: Peter Creveling-Imagn Images

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The marriage of convenience is no longer convenient. LeBron James informed the Lakers Tuesday that he'll be playing next season, but not for them, according to multiple reports. It means the Lakers get meaningful clarity going forward, something they've lacked in the last few years of the LeBron Era, but have a giant hole blown in their roster when it comes to competing in a Western Conference that isn't getting any less stacked. 

There will be time to answer the broader questions about LeBron's legacy in LA, but for now, the big question is what's next? How do the Lakers start to build a coherent roster with long term prospects around Luka Dončić in an offseason where the options seem to be narrowing quickly. Robert Williams III and Jock Londale, centers that had been linked to the Lakers, are staying put. Marcus Smart is rumored to be out the door. 

Could the Lakers make waves with unrestricted free agents? Maybe... but maybe not. 

Lots of unanswered questions and a huge range of potential outcomes as free agency kicks off Tuesday afternoon. 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

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