Training camp is closing in, and a few Pacific Division teams are still juggling big-picture questions that could shape the next move they make. The Lakers are hunting for help, the Clippers’ cap mess may force a rethink, and the Warriors are at least getting one encouraging sign on Jimmy Butler.
For the Lakers, Bruce Brown remains a name to watch. Los Angeles has about 16 players under contract, but flexibility is still the issue.
Jeremy Lambert of Lakers Roundtable reported the Lakers are still being connected to Brown after missing on Jonathan Kuminga, though the math is ugly. The Lakers are above the luxury tax line, can only offer Brown a minimum deal, and bringing him in would also require more roster movement.
Frontcourt depth is another lane the Lakers could explore. Ryan Anderson of the California Post listed Dwight Powell, Jae Crowder, Goga Bitadze, and Mason Plumlee as veteran free-agent options still on their radar.
That roster crunch could put Dalton Knecht in a tough spot. Trevor Lane of Lakers Nation said Knecht could become a cut candidate if he can’t turn things around. Lane also believes the Lakers may decline Knecht’s $6 million option, which would leave training camp and the start of the season as his window to change the team’s mind.
Anthony Davis has also entered the conversation, but a reunion with the Lakers looks far-fetched. Tyler Watts of Lake Show Life pointed to the Lakers’ massive investment in Walker Kessler as the reason the door is basically shut.
Los Angeles gave up two first-round picks and two swaps for Kessler before signing him to a four-year, $129.4 million contract. Davis still has more than $120 million left on his deal over two years, and he is holding out for an extension from the Wizards.
That combination makes a Lakers reset around Davis a tough fit.
Out in Los Angeles, the Clippers’ salary cap situation could push them toward more change. Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports said the loss of five first-round picks could lead the Clippers to consider putting Darius Garland on the trade market in order to recoup assets. That does not mean Garland is being shopped right now, only that he could become available because of the circumstances the Clippers are dealing with.
Jalen Duren’s contract standoff with the Pistons still hasn’t been resolved, and the Kings remain in the mix around it. ESPN’s Anthony Slater identified Sacramento as a possible landing spot if Duren reaches unrestricted free agency in 2027.
Duren wants more than $40 million per year, while Detroit’s offer sits at $35 million. The Pistons, though, have shown little interest in moving him.
Reports say they have rejected sign-and-trade talks involving Domantas Sabonis and are focused on keeping their All-Star.
The Warriors may have a useful trade piece if the season brings the right opportunity. Grant Mona of Roundtable said Kristaps Porzingis is their third-most valuable trade asset behind their first-round picks and Brandin Podziemski. Golden State does not have to move him after signing him at the February trade deadline and then extending him, but that kind of contract can matter in a salary-matching deal if a star shakes loose.
Golden State also got a positive update on Jimmy Butler. He posted workout photos on Instagram that showed him back on the court.
It has been about eight months since he tore his ACL, and there still is no return date, but the update matters for a Warriors team trying to squeeze one more strong season out of Stephen Curry’s remaining prime. The team had considered trading Jimmy Butler before the trade deadline, but there are no concrete talks or offers for him now.
For a club that has spent much of the offseason looking for another major addition, a healthy Butler may be the best one it can make.
In Other News...
Warriors Fans Will Hate Where This Latest Spurs Hype Went
Charles Barkley already has the basketball world talking again, this time with a comparison that will land hard in the Bay Area. After praising Spurs guards Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, Barkley floated the idea that San Antonios young backcourt could grow into something reminiscent of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, a bar so high it practically comes with a warning label. The Spurs do have reasons to dream, with Victor Wembanyama anchoring a promising core and a pair of talented guards giving the franchise a new kind of upside.
For Warriors fans, the bigger issue is how casually those comparisons get made before anything has been earned. Curry and Thompson helped define an era, and matching even a slice of that success is a long way off for any young pair, no matter how much talent they show early. San Antonio also has its own roster questions to sort through as this core develops, and until those pieces settle, the new Steph and Klay talk feels more like a provocation than a prediction. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Just Lost The Lakers Threat They Feared Most
LeBron James is no longer part of the Lakers regular-season picture, and for Golden State that changes the equation in a way that is hard to ignore. The Warriors had spent years dealing with a matchup problem unlike most others, because James consistently seemed to raise his level when these teams crossed paths and gave Golden State a very specific kind of trouble on both ends of the floor.
The Lakers have already shifted their attention toward Luka Doncic in the wake of James departure, but the immediate effect for the Warriors is simpler: one fewer proven problem to game-plan around. Even if Los Angeles still has enough talent to matter, the absence of James removes the player who has so often made that rivalry feel heavier, more physical and a little more personal for Golden State. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors May Have Avoided A Ben Simmons Role Problem
Ben Simmons latest stop came with a familiar wrinkle, as Sacramento officially signed him and listed him as a 6-foot-10 guard, keeping the conversation around his best NBA role alive. Rich Paul has suggested Simmons could be used more like a center in pick-and-roll looks, but the Kings current roster does not appear built to make that experiment easy, which makes the fit feel a little awkward before the season even gets going.
For the Warriors, the intrigue had looked a bit different. Golden State had shown interest in Simmons and could have tried to use him as a backup point guard or a versatile forward, the kind of Swiss Army piece that sometimes finds a lane in their system. Even then, he would have had to win a preseason roster spot over Brandon Williams, so the path was never going to be automatic, and the latest Sacramento move suggests the Warriors may have sidestepped a role puzzle before it reached their own locker room. [Read more 🡒]