“Los Angeles Lakers’ Jordan Hill smiles before the Lakers’ NBA basketball game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Karen Pulfer Focht)”

The Lakers will decline to pick up a $9 million team option on Jordan Hill for the 2015-16 season, according to league sources familiar with the situation.

The Lakers technically have until midnight on Tuesday to make this decision. But they informed Hill’s representatives on Monday that they most likely will not pick up his option. The Lakers have leaned that way ever since the 2014-15 season ended for numerous reasons.

First, the Lakers currently have five power forwards on their roster, including Julius Randle, Larry Nance. Jr, Tarik Black and Ryan Kelly. That does not account for Ed Davis, who has declined his $1.1 million player option for a longer deal.

Secondly, the Lakers will prioritize targeting front-court players in free agency, including Portland’s LaMarcus Aldridge, Memphis’ Marc Gasol, the Clippers DeAndre Jordan, Cleveland’s Kevin Love and Detroit’s Greg Monroe. Hill’s departure gives the Lakers about $23 million in spending power to fill out their roster.

Should the Lakers strike out any of those big-name free agents, the Lakers could still re-sign Hill as a free agent at a much lower price tag. But it remains to be seen whether that will happen.

Despite Hill posting career-highs in points (12), rebounds (7.9), stars (57) and minutes (26.8), the Lakers became frustrated with his inconsistency. The Lakers and Hill both attributed those struggles toward adapting to heavy playing time and struggles with his diet.

The Lakers acquired Hill from the Houston Rockets in 2012 as part of a mid-season trade involving Derek Fisher.

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Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter and on Facebook. E-mail him at mark.medina@langnews.com

It turns out Kobe Bryant did not scold Lakers rookie forward Larry Nance Jr. for posting a tweet three years ago about his sexual assault case.

Instead, Bryant said he forgave Nance Jr. and said there is “no need” to discuss it any further.

“The kid figured it out himself,” Bryant said on Saturday with ESPN’s Jemele Hill at the BET Experience at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles. “The kid is 19. He’s a kid.”

Continue reading “Kobe Bryant forgives Larry Nance Jr. for tweet referencing sexual assault charge” »

The Los Angeles Lakers had the number 2 pick in the NBA draft and selected D’Angelo Russell from Ohio State Thursday, June 25, 2015, El Segundo, CA. Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak discusses the selection of Russell with the media from the Toyota Sports Center practice facility. Photo by Steve McCrank/Staff Photographer

The young man admired the Lakers from afar.

Well before he would spend his five years at the University of Stanford, Anthony Brown’s upbringing in Bellflower entailed bleeding purple and gold and cheering for Kobe Bryant.

The experienced executive admired Brown from afar, too.

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak frequently watched Brown play that either required a drive to UCLA or USC or a short flight to Stanford, Cal or even Washington.

Brown fell in love with the Lakers’ championship excellence and Bryant’s unyielding drive, leaving Brown to gush with nostalgia after the Lakers selected him with the 34th pick of the 2015 NBA Draft.

“That definitely helps me to know what it means to put on a jersey and what it means to represent the Lakers,” Brown said. “A lot of pride comes with that jersey. I think I can definitely help that and represent the team well.”

Kupchak fell in love with Brown’s versatility and his 44.1 percent from three-point range in the past two seasons, leaving Kupchak to imagine great things on how that will translate on his own team.

“We consider him one of the better shooters in the draft,” Kupchak said of Brown. “We think he can play multiple positions with shooting guard, small forward and is versatile enough to bring the ball up the floor with some pressure.”
Continue reading “Mitch Kupchak calls Anthony Brown “one of the better shooters in the draft”” »

As the seconds ticked away, the Lakers’ choices did not just rest on going big (Jahlil Okafor), small (D’Angelo Russell) or risky (Kristaps Porzingis).

The Lakers eventually chose Russell with their No. 2 pick, believing his playmaking, leadership and confidence at the point guard position trumpeted any nostalgia for selecting Okafor as their next dominant big man to lead the franchise back to another championship era.

Once the Lakers were on the clock again, they had to decide who they would select with their 27th pick, a scenario that opened up much different possibilities. The candidates were not as clear cut because of the draft order and the talent level. The Lakers’ list of many needs on defense, outside shooting and secondary scoring still remained unaddressed.

So when the Lakers settled on Wyoming senior power forward Larry Nance. Jr, the choice seemed surprising for many reasons. Most NBA mock drafts pegged Nance. Jr as a second-round pick. The Lakers also already have a glut of power forwards in Julius Randle, Ryan Kelly, Jordan Hill, Ed Davis and Tarik Black.

“If I got picked in the first round, second round, lottery, never picked, it would’ve never mattered to me,” Nance Jr. said. “I just never really paid attention to mock drafts. As long as I go my chance to play in the NBA, I’m going to cherish it and relish it.”
Continue reading “Lakers’ Mitch Kupchak considers Larry Nance Jr. “a late bloomer”” »

Rookie forward Julius Randle is eager to show the Lakers they made a smart choice by taking him seventh in the NBA Draft in June. (Thomas R. Cordova/Staff Photographer)

Within only 14 minutes in his first regular-season NBA game, Julius Randle’s rookie season soon changed from a year full of potential toward a year full of limitations.

But after sitting out the rest of the 2014-15 season with a fractured right tibia, Randle soon has blossomed enough for the Lakers to start thinking about their possibilities again.

The Lakers recently cleared Randle for full-court five-on-five drills. Assuming he experiences no setbacks from now until summer league play starts in Las Vegas on July 10, the Lakers expect Randle to play in his first competitive game in the past nine months.

“He looks great,” Lakers coach Byron Scott said of Randle, who is believed both to have lost weight and showed more improvement in his jump shooting. “He looks great. His body looks great and he’s getting up and down the floor.”

Continue reading “Lakers’ Julius Randle cleared for five-on-five drills” »

The Lakers’ Kobe Bryant didn’t practice Tuesday in Phoenix and may not play in today’s game in New Orleans to preserve his 36-year-old body. Hans Gutknecht ‑ Staff Photographer

It seemed inevitable Kobe Bryant would treat Larry Nance Jr. harshly on the first day of training camp, a rite of passage every rookie experiences with the Lakers’ star as a way to measure his mental toughness.

After the Lakers selected Nance Jr. with the 27th pick out of the 2015 NBA Draft, his adjustment may go beyond seeing if he can establish a niche at the power forward position after excelling through four seasons at the University of Wyoming. In 2012, Nance Jr. made light of Bryant’s sexual assault case in Eagle, Colo. in 2003, charges that have since been dropped.

“Gee, I sure hope Kobe can keep his hands to himself in Denver this time,” Nance Jr. tweeted before adding the hashtag ‘rapist.’

Most Lakers media members were not immediately aware of his tweet, and Nance Jr. was not asked about it. But the tweet then became viral and the Lakers soon caught wind of it. Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said he and team spokesman John Black addressed Nance Jr. about his tweet, which has since been deleted.

“I’m not in a position to really share information,” Kupchak said after the NBA Draft on Thursday. “But it is something that they will have to discuss amongst the two of them. It’s my understanding that it’s something that happened a few years ago. And in today’s world, things don’t go away, which doesn’t make it any less offensive.”

The Lakers went through a pretty exhaustive evaluation process during the NBA draft, which included hosting workouts for 83 prospects to consider for their No. 2, 27 and 34th picks. For Nance Jr., that also included Kupchak talking to numerous coaches and assistant coaches he knows about at the University of Wyoming and the college ranks. Accounts painted Nance Jr. in a positive light surrounding his hustle and attitude, but Kupchak said he wasn’t aware of the tweet about Bryant since after the draft.

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Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter and on Facebook. E-mail him at mark.medina@langnews.com

The Lakers selected Stanford senior small forward Anthony Brown with the 34th pick of the 2015 NBA Draft on Thursday.

He should bolster the Lakers’ outside shooting after finishing his last two seasons with the Cardinal making at least 44.1 percent of his attempts from three-point range.

The Lakers selected Wyoming senior power forward Larry Nance. Jr with the 27th pick of the 2015 NBA draft, a move that went against most mock-draft selections that pegged him as a second-round pick.

Nance Jr. averaged 11.3 points on 52.1 percent shooting, 6.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game with the Cowboys. His father, who goes carries the same name as Larry Nance, enjoyed a 13-year NBA career with the Phoenix Suns (1981-88) and Cleveland Cavaliers (1988-1994). During that stretch, Nance became an athletic power forward that scored 15,687 career points, grabbed 7,352 career rebounds and won the 1984 NBA Dunk contest.

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Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter and on Facebook. E-mail him at mark.medina@langnews.com

Sacramento’s DeMarcus Cousins is at the center of trade rumors leading up to Thursday’s NBA Draft, with some speculating the Lakers could be shopping their No. 2 pick for the Kings’ talented big man. (Rich Pedroncelli/The Associated Press)

The Lakers’ rebuilding process may involve acquiring an All-Star center instead of drafting a promising prospect.

Amid Sacramento Kings coach George Karl leading a campaign for the franchise to trade him, DeMarcus Cousins wants the team to send him in a deal to the Lakers, according to a league source familiar with his thinking.

Though the Kings will listen to offers, they are still holding out hope in retaining him, according to an NBA source familiar with Sacramento’s thinking.
Continue reading “Will Kings accommodate DeMarcus Cousins’ hope to be traded to the Lakers?” »

Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, right, protects the ball from Milwaukee Bucks center Zaza Pachulia, of Georgia, during the third quarter of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, March 23, 2014. The Kings won 124-107. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

So many complicating variables hinge on whether Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins would wind up in a Lakers uniform.

But consider at least one significant party interested.

“DeMarcus would not be unhappy if he got moved to the Lakers,” said a league source familiar with Cousins’ thinking.

Continue reading “DeMarcus Cousins open about possibly going to the Lakers” »