Tuesday night’s NBA Summer League slate ends with a Los Angeles-on-Los Angeles matchup, and the Lakers arrive in better form. They’re 2-0 in Las Vegas and have already logged plenty of summer reps after also taking part in the California Classic earlier this month.
The Clippers are 1-1, and their latest win came Sunday in a featured showdown between two top-five picks: Clippers rookie Keaton Wagler and Utah’s Darryn Peterson. Wagler, the No. 5 overall pick, put up 23 points in that victory, and he may not play much longer this summer. Teams often ease lottery picks out after a few games, and the Clippers still haven’t released an injury report for Tuesday’s game, so his status is worth watching.
Wagler’s outing was the headline for L.A. on Sunday, but the Lakers have their own breakout candidate making noise. Arthur Kaluma, who went undrafted in the 2025 NBA Draft, delivered a huge game against Dallas with 34 points, six 3-pointers and an 11-of-16 shooting night. That kind of performance doesn’t guarantee him a regular-season role, but another strong run could help him push for a two-way deal.
The Lakers have been in this spot before. They’ve done a solid job finding undrafted talent in recent years, and this offseason they’ve re-tooled around Luka Doncic while also getting a long look at Adou Thiero, their 2025 second-round pick. In their last game, they beat Dallas by 21 points, and they’ve now won multiple games by double digits in Las Vegas.
There’s also a chance both teams are short-handed. Cameron Carr, the Lakers’ 2026 first-round pick, did not play in their last game, and that leaves the door open for more rotation changes on both sides.
Betting Summer League can be a headache because development matters more than rigid rotations, but the Lakers have looked the steadier group so far. They’re 4-1 this summer overall, including the California Classic, and getting the points with Los Angeles makes sense here.
In Other News...
Kawhi Leonard Twist Just Made This Clippers Investigation Even Worse
The NBAs investigation into the Clippers business relationship with Aspiration has already put the franchise in an awkward spotlight, and the latest wrinkle only adds to the mess. Among the documents being examined is a proposed marketing campaign that would have cast Kawhi Leonard as a Marvel-style superhero for the company, a bizarre enough idea on its own to underline how unusual this partnership appears from the outside.
More troubling for the Clippers is how much deeper the paperwork seems to run. Reporting has pointed to internal materials that allegedly include Steve Ballmers personal LLC investing $50 million into Aspiration in September 2021, along with a separate $28 million endorsement agreement for Leonard that is also under review. The team says it is cooperating with the league and remains confident it acted appropriately, but the longer the probe goes on, the harder it is for the Clippers to keep this from becoming a bigger story than they wanted. [Read more 🡒]
Clippers Pursuit Of Peyton Watson Just Got More Complicated
Peyton Watsons market is starting to take shape, and it is no longer just a Clippers conversation. Milwaukee has now joined Los Angeles and Atlanta in exploring a sign-and-trade for the restricted free agent, a sign that interest in the Nuggets forward is broadening even as Denver weighs whether to move one of its most promising young pieces.
Watsons appeal is easy to understand after he carved out a real rotation role and emerged as one of Denvers better young defenders, but the price to get him is only getting steeper. The Nuggets are expected to push hard for meaningful compensation and are not eager to take back much salary, which leaves the Clippers trying to navigate a market that may be as much about asset value and cap math as it is about the player himself. [Read more 🡒]
Baba Miller Already Looks Like A Real Clippers Frontcourt Answer
Baba Miller has made a fast impression in his first two Summer League games with the Clippers, flashing the kind of frontcourt versatility that can matter in a hurry. He has scored efficiently, rebounded his position and shown enough defensive activity to look like more than just another long, intriguing body in July.
The challenge now is less about whether Miller can play and more about how much room he has to grow into an NBA frame. At 208 pounds, he already has the tools that made him stand out in Las Vegas, but the next step is adding the strength that could let those flashes hold up over a full season and turn a promising stretch into a real role. [Read more 🡒]