Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports The Lakers’ promising rookie spent most of his time this season developing his game behind the scenes and playing in the G-League, as the hope is for him to be an integral piece for the team moving forward. When the Lakers selected Max Christie 35th overall in the 2022 NBA Draft, he was reportedly a no-brainer unanimous pick by the scouting department spearheaded by assistant general manager and co-owner Jesse Buss. The Michigan State product was on Buss’ radar as early as 2016 as he felt that Christie embodied the skillset that would thrive in the NBA today. H ..read more

Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images Kyrie Irving may want LeBron James on the Mavs, but there’s a number of reasons that isn’t happening. The offseason hasn’t even officially begun yet for the Lakers but odds are the wildest rumor of the summer has likely already come out. Kyrie Irving’s reported request for the Mavericks to trade for LeBron James came out of nowhere on Monday and surprised basically everybody. There has been plenty of discussion about LeBron and Kyrie teaming up this summer, but no one expected it to be like this. Kyrie was expected to come to Los Angeles if they were going to ..read more

Kyrie Irving reportedly does not want people to talk about him leaving the Mavericks for the Lakers in free agency, but he (and his camp) have a funny way of demonstrating that. A number of different reporters have weighed in during the aftermath of the Monday morning bombshell that Kyrie Irving has apparently tried to recruit Lakers star LeBron James to join him on the Dallas Mavericks, and more will surely continue to filter out in the hours and days to come until the NBA Draft and free agency take place over the next few weeks. We have written (and will continue to write) about the develop ..read more

Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images While Kyrie Irving can reportedly ask for the Mavericks to trade for LeBron James, the trade package Dallas can offer is not particularly appealing. To call Monday’s report about Kyrie Irving asking the Mavericks to trade for LeBron James illogical would be quite the understatement. The Lakers aren’t trading LeBron and if they are, it won’t be to Dallas. There are numerous reasons for that sentence to be true, but none more so than the fact that the Mavericks don’t have anything attractive in a trade. A host of miscues in trades even before the team ..read more

Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images The latest twist in the wacky world of Kyrie Irving is his reported desire for the Mavericks to trade for LeBron James. Yes, really. Whatever report you thought might surface next in the LeBron James-Kyrie Irving rumor mill this off-season, it’s hard to imagine the one put out on Monday was it. The two stars have made it pretty publicly known they want to team up again, but most assumed it would be with the Lakers because, well, it was really the only logical and reasonable option. Logic and reason have never stopped Kyrie, though, and the option he took was ..read more

Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images After a breakout season in his second year in the league, Austin Reaves has reportedly committed to playing for Team USA this summer. Austin Reaves has already parlayed his breakout season into a big contract in the coming weeks once free agency starts, but now he’ll take another step in his career. According to a report from Shams Charania and Joe Vardon of The Athletic, Reaves will take part in the FIBA World Cup with Team USA. Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star Anthony Edwards, Indiana Pacers All-Star Tyrese Haliburton, Los Angeles Lakers shooting gu ..read more

Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images The Lakers haven’t retained one of their own first-round picks since 2018, but that might not be the case again this year Over the past four years, the Lakers haven’t had the luxury of retraining their first-round pick in the NBA draft. Those picks were mostly used as trade assets in exchange for acquiring the likes of Anthony Davis (in 2019), Dennis Schröder (in 2020), and Russell Westbrook (in 2021). In last year’s draft, Los Angeles even had to negotiate with the Orlando Magic in order to acquire Max Christie's 35th overall in the second ro ..read more

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports Despite his career year and boundless energy, Wenyen Gabriel’s future with the Lakers remains a toss-up. Wenyen Gabriel has experienced both the highs and lows during his tenure with the Lakers. As one of the few players who was on last season’s roster and then survived the mass exodus at February’s trade deadline, Gabriel has seen it all in his two years in Los Angeles. Despite the bleak moments experienced in last season’s 33-49 finish, the journeyman consistently has been a bright spot with his hustle, passion, and ability to shore up the gaps. Proving to be mor ..read more

Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images With the available players now fully set, there is more clarity for the Lakers as to who they could target in the upcoming 2023 NBA Draft. With the withdrawal deadline of May 31 having come and gone, the field of players is set for the 2023 NBA Draft. The Lakers look set to hang onto their No. 17 draft pick at the very least and have a clearer idea of who they can target with their picks. In reality, there isn’t much change with the No. 17 pick as few, if any, players in that range withdrew. Things changed more with the No. 47 pick but that is already a ver ..read more

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images The Lakers have several assistant coaches remaining from the staff Frank Vogel put together. Will any of them follow him to the Suns? Frank Vogel spent the last year getting paid the full sum of the one-year contract extension he secured less than a year before being fired by the Los Angeles Lakers, but he didn’t wait long after that to take his next coaching gig. According to multiple reports on Friday, he will be taking the reins as the next Phoenix Suns head coach, beating out veteran head coach and Kendrick Perkins enthusiast Doc Rivers (w ..read more