NBA Pacific

The Los Angeles Lakers have reportedly showed interest in reacquiring Kyle Kuzma, which Washington Wizards forward believes is a compliment.

"I think it just shows you the grass is not always greener," Kuzma told Melissa Rohlin of Fox Sports. "It's definitely a good thing because at the end of the day, that means I've been playing well and I have value in this league that a team would want to trade for me. It's a blessing."

Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes first reported the Lakers' interest in Kuzma, noting the Wizards don't want to deal away the 27-year-old:

Lakers have "inquired" about trading for Kyle Kuzma, per @ChrisBHaynes

(via B/R live show) https://t.co/RWPcDVG9Hv

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 14, 2022

Kuzma is averaging 21.3 points per game, which would be a career high, to go with 7.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.

Washington acquired Kuzma in the 2021 deal that brought Russell Westbrook to Los Angeles.

Kuzma had spent his first four years with the Lakers, contributing both as a go-to offensive player and as an energy option off the bench. He averaged 15.2 points per game during this time there, helping the team win the NBA title in 2020.

Despite his production, the 6'9" forward was constantly the subject of trade rumors before eventually being dealt to the Wizards.

"I always look back and wish I would've gotten the fairer end of the stick a little bit, just with my role and how much I sacrificed," Kuzma said.

The trade has paid off for him personally, averaging 17.1 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in his first season before breaking out in 29 games this year. The Wizards have struggled as a team with an 11-19 record, although the Lakers haven't fared much better at 12-16. Both squads are 12th in their respective conference.

Kuzma has a $13 million player option for next season, although his improved play in 2022-23 makes testing free agency a smart move.

Haynes reported the Wizards are "open to signing him to a long-term extension," but it's clear there is plenty of interest in Kuzma around the league.

The Los Angeles Lakers are believed to be interested in pursuing trades in hopes of improving their mediocre roster this season, and the team reportedly has some astronomical aspirations.

According to The Athletic's Jovan Buha on Saturday, the Lakers (12-16) have their eyes set on three superstar players as dream trade targets.

"In the ultimate pie-in-the-sky scenario, the Lakers have interest in Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard and Bradley Beal if any of the three stars were to become available," Buha wrote.

However, Lillard can't be traded until July 9 because he signed a two-year max extension with the Porland Trail Blazers (16-13) this past offseason.

On Dec. 15, players who signed free-agent contracts became eligible to be traded this season. Per Buha, the 74 additional players in the trade pool means "approximately 89 percent" of the league is able to be included in deals going forward.

Durant sent shockwaves through the NBA over the summer when he reportedly requested to be traded away from the Brooklyn Nets.

The 12-time All-Star ultimately decided to move forward with Brooklyn this season, and his decision is starting to pay off. The Nets (18-12) have won five straight games and nine of their last 10 to move up to fourth place in the Eastern Conference. It's unlikely they will be looking to trade Durant any time soon, as he leads the team with 29.9 points per game.

Beal has once again struggled to stay healthy this year and hasn't played since Dec. 4 because of a lingering hamstring injury. In his 18 appearances, he's averaged 22.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists. The Wizards have not been able to put things together this year at 11-18, and they might be willing to move on from their star shooting guard for the right price.

Buha named DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Kuzma, Myles Turner, Buddy Hield, Kyrie Irving and Doug McDermott as other players who have been linked to the Lakers in trade discussions. Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported earlier this week that Los Angeles has also had talks about Bojan Bogdanović of the Detroit Pistons, as well as Evan Fournier and Cam Reddish of the New York Knicks.

It would appear that any of those players would be more realistic pursuits than Durant, Beal or Lillard.

Los Angeles Lakers star point guard Russell Westbrook was once resistant to the possibility of coming off the bench, but after Friday night's performance against the Denver Nuggets, it's clear that he has fully embraced his new role.

Westbrook dropped a triple-double with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists to help lead the Lakers to a 126-108 victory at crypto.com Arena. It's his second triple-double in a week, becoming the only player in franchise history ever to record multiple triple-doubles off the bench in a single season.

LeBron James led the way with 30 points in the victory, his third consecutive 30-point game.

The 2017 NBA MVP brought an unmatched energy in the second half of Friday's game, which the Lakers needed after star big man Anthony Davis left the game at halftime because of a foot injury. Westbrook's effort helped facilitate a 21-point performance from backup center Thomas Bryant.

After a rough start to the season, Westbrook has now earned the respect of NBA Twitter. Fans on social media had no choice but to praise him for his strong showing against the Nuggets:

This has to be the most COMPLETE game that Russ has played in a Lakers uniform tonight. The Brodie is putting on a damn Clinic on both ends of the floor!!! Carry the hell on..,

— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) December 17, 2022

did you apologize to Russell Westbrook yet??

— 73-9 and THEY LIED (@CuffsTheLegend) December 17, 2022

Fill in the blank: This is the ____________-best Russell Westbrook game of his Lakers’ tenure …

— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) December 17, 2022

There are three triple doubles off the bench in the Lakers 75-year history. Magic has one. Russell Westbrook has the other two. This week.

— Chris Palmer (@ChrisPalmerNBA) December 17, 2022

Westbrook had a triple-double in a Lakers victory they’re never moving him.

— Colb (@___Colb___) December 17, 2022

Love LeBron front-running, stat-padding, after Westbrook did the heavy lifting.

— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) December 17, 2022

Russell Westbrook in 30 minutes: 15 Points, 11 Rebounds, 12 Assists, 2 Steals, +25. He's always made his teammates better & now that he's in the right role under Darvin Ham, Russ is back to doing exactly that.#LakeShow

— Adam (@AdamJoseph____) December 17, 2022

Westbrook off the bench this season:

— 15/6/8
— 1st in triple-doubles
— 1st in assists
— 1st in 10/5/5 games

6th man of the year? pic.twitter.com/I3zeYRyCem

— StatMuse (@statmuse) December 17, 2022

A lot going on tonight for the Lakers but not to be overlooked: A very strong performance from Russell Westbrook in Anthony Davis’ absence. He’s up to 13 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists and two steals and the Lakers are a +23 in his 29 minutes.

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 17, 2022

Russell Westbrook with 13-11-11. He's been spectacular.

— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) December 17, 2022

Big second half stat for Westbrook: Zero turnovers. AK

— Kamenetzky Brothers (@KamBrothers) December 17, 2022

Westbrook can make the game so easy when he feels like it.

— Waiting to Oxtail (@ThatDudeMCFLY) December 17, 2022

https://twitter.com/mtplug_grinder/status/1603990550750846976

Russell Westbrook has done an amazing job transitioning to this 6th man role. People don’t realize how hard of a switch that can be for guys who made a first ballot HOF career and millions playing one way and STILL have a lot of that ability.

— Ball Don't Stop (@balldontstop) December 17, 2022

Russell Westbrook is the 1st Laker in history to drop multiple triple-doubles in a single season while coming off the bench. pic.twitter.com/IhmkiijFUt

— NBA History (@NBAHistory) December 17, 2022

Triple double from the bench....give it up for Westbrook 🙌🏾

— Marley (@Ayooluwamarley) December 17, 2022

https://twitter.com/_Talkin_NBA/status/1603985959137296396

https://twitter.com/jay_pea619/status/1603984036715630592

At 12-16, the Lakers are still trying to find consistency this season, but they have now won two of their last three games. With Westbrook settling into a groove, Los Angeles may have found a formula for success going forward.

The Lakers will look to keep the momentum going on Sunday when they host the Washington Wizards (11-18).

Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis won't play Sunday against the Washington Wizards because of a foot injury, The Athletic's Shams Charania says.

ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported Davis is expected to undergo an MRI on the injury.

Davis appeared to suffer an injury to his foot in the first quarter of the game when his leg collided with Nuggets star Nikola Jokic. He didn't return to the game after halftime, finishing with 10 points in 17 minutes as the Lakers went on to win 126-108.

Davis has missed time with flu-like symptoms, lower back tightness and a left calf contusion this season, and injuries are nothing new for the future Hall of Famer. He appeared in just 40 games last season and 36 in 2020-21.

In fact, the 29-year-old has never played more than 75 games in a season and has reached the 70-game mark just twice since he entered the league as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft.

That hasn't stopped him from building a resume that includes a championship, four All-NBA selections, eight All-Star nods, three block titles and a spot on the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

The Kentucky product's individual brilliance is one reason there is still hope in Los Angeles despite a slow start to the season, and he is averaging 27.4 points, 12.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.1 blocks and 1.3 steals per game.

While the Lakers can't realistically expect to replicate Davis' production while he is sidelined, look for Thomas Bryant to see more playing time.

If the Los Angeles Lakers are going to make a trade, it's not going to be until the end of December at the earliest, according to The Athletic's Jovan Buha.

However, Buha added that the Purple and Gold "have an urgency to get a deal done sooner than later," but they are "at the mercy of the trade cycle and the other teams' developing motives."

The Lakers have been one of the worst teams in the Western Conference this season, entering Friday's game against the Denver Nuggets with an 11-16 record. Having to fill out their roster with players on veteran minimum deals has really hurt their chances of capitalizing on having both LeBron James and Anthony Davis in L.A.

While the Lakers are looking to bring in some players, everyone aside from James and Davis is likely on the trade block. Buha lists Russell Westbrook, Patrick Beverley and Kendrick Nunn as the names that stand out.

The Lakers have long expressed interest in trading Westbrook since he turned in a subpar performance in 2021-22. However, The Athletic's Shams Charania reported Thursday that Westbrook's improvement throughout the month of December "has made it increasingly unlikely that he will be traded before the league's Feb. 9 deadline."

The 34-year-old became L.A.'s sixth man in late October, and he has averaged 15.2 points, 7.9 assists and 5.8 rebounds since then. Additionally, he's averaging 28.2 minutes per game.

It's not surprising that the Lakers could be interested in moving Beverley and Nunn as both players have been disappointing this year.

Beverley, who was acquired in a trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves, is averaging 4.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 21 games while shooting 30.3 percent from the floor and 25.4 percent from deep.

Nunn, meanwhile, is averaging 5.3 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 23 games while shooting 35.9 percent from the floor and 27.7 percent from deep.

In terms of players the Lakers might be interested in bringing in, they have been linked to Bojan Bogdanović, Evan Fournier, Cam Reddish, DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Kuzma, Myles Turner, Buddy Hield, Kyrie Irving and Doug McDermott, per Buha.

The Purple and Gold would also have interest in Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard and Bradley Beal if they were made available.

In any circumstance, the Lakers need to decide whether they would be open to parting with their 2027 and 2029 first-round draft picks. If they make those selections available, the return would be more significant.

Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown has been fined $25,000 for "aggressively pursuing and directing profane language toward a game official," during the team's Dec. 14 game against the Toronto Raptors, the NBA announced Friday.

The incident occurred during the third quarter of Sacramento's 124-123 win over Toronto. Brown was given two technical fouls and ejected from the game.

Brown was enraged after Terence Davis was called for a shooting foul and De'Aaron Fox was given a technical foul for arguing with an official during the third quarter of the game.

The 52-year-old then ran onto the court to confront the officials before players and coaches followed to hold him back. The Raptors were given five free throws as a result of Brown's two technical fouls, Fox's technical foul and Davis' shooting foul.

The entire ordeal could have cost Sacramento the game, but it rallied in the fourth quarter for the victory.

The Kings enter Friday's game against the Detroit Pistons sixth in the Western Conference with a 15-12 record. The team has seen significant improvement since finishing 12th in the conference last season with a 30-52 record.

Brown is in his first season as head coach of the Kings and is hoping to lead the team to a playoff appearance for the first time since 2006.

Before being hired by the Kings, he spent six seasons as an assistant on Steve Kerr's staff with the Golden State Warriors. He previously held various other roles across in the NBA, including serving as head coach of both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers.

While the Golden State Warriors will be without Stephen Curry for at least two weeks because of an injured left shoulder, the two-time NBA MVP was happy to learn he wouldn't need surgery.

Speaking to reporters Friday, Curry described feeling a sense of relief after an MRI determined surgery wasn't necessary.

"Surgery would've been 4-6 months," he said. "Nobody was trying to deal with that right now."

Per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Curry will be reevaluated in two weeks after suffering a labral injury in his left shoulder.

The injury occurred in the third quarter of Golden State's 125-119 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday. Curry attempted to swipe the ball from Jalen Smith with his left hand, but he pulled his arm back and immediately grabbed his left shoulder.

Curry was on pace to have one of his best games of the season before the injury. He finished with 38 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in 30 minutes. The eight-time All-Star is tied for fifth in the NBA in scoring average (30.0 points per game) and is having a 50/40/90 season.

Losing Curry makes Golden State's attempt to climb up the Western Conference standings much more difficult. The defending NBA champions are 14-15 this season.

Jordan Poole, who has started each of the past six games, will likely see his playing time increase. The 23-year-old has been playing well, averaging 24.0 points on 44.3 percent shooting over his previous seven games.

Klay Thompson is also rounding into form after a slow start. He's making 44.2 percent of his three-point attempts in 10 starts since Nov. 20.

The Warriors could help offset the loss of Curry by improving on defense. They rank 15th in defensive rating (113.0) and 26th in points allowed per game (116.8).

Based on the two-week timeline, Curry will miss at least seven games. The earliest he could return is Dec. 30 for a home game against the Portland Trail Blazers.

After some dominant performances last week, New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson and Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis headline the fifth batch of ratings updates for NBA 2K23.

Williamson made the biggest leap this week, getting a four-point boost to 92 overall. The 22-year-old has scored over 30 points in four out of his last seven games. On the season, he's averaging 25.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists while shooting 61.0 percent from the field.

Despite the Lakers' struggles, Davis has looked like one of the best players in the NBA. He's had at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in five out his last six appearances, the only outlier being when he exited early against the Cleveland Cavaliers because of an illness. For his efforts, Davis was bumped up one point to 94 overall.

Other notable players to get a ratings increase this week are Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (89, +1), Washington Wizards big man Kristaps Porzingis (87, +2) and Golden State Warriors sharpshooter Klay Thompson (85, +1).

The Milwaukee Bucks fan who was ejected from Tuesday night's game against the Golden State Warriors has given his side of the story, and he said he never threatened the life of Warriors forward Draymond Green.

Per TMZ Sports, Mike Shane spoke on the KJ Live podcast and said he began trash-talking Green in the third quarter because of the offseason altercation with Warriors guard Jordan Poole, who is a Milwaukee native. Green had punched Poole during practice prior to the start of the season, and Shane says he was simply telling Green that the city didn't forget.

"I was speaking up for the city of Milwaukee," Shane said. "Basically telling him, like, we're giving you a pass. We haven't forgotten about what you did—a big bully—and we're giving you a pass. We forgive you."

From Shane's perspective, Green "blew it out of proportion" when he directed officials to kick him out of the arena.

Draymond Green points the fan out to the officials and they were ejected from Bucks-Warriors 👀pic.twitter.com/yOWJVgxQC9

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 14, 2022

Green said after the game that he felt Shane said "some threatening stuff to my life." However, Shane maintains his innocence and said the Bucks offered him a refund and future tickets after the incident.

"There was two police officers who were actually right there," Shane said. "There was a police officer and the league security who came back there and vouched for me. They were right there and said I didn't use any profanity. I didn't say anything malicious."

Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry will miss "a few weeks" after suffering a left shoulder subluxation during Wednesday's loss to the Indiana Pacers, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported Curry suffered a labral injury and will be reevaluated in two weeks. Charania added that surgery is not expected to be needed, with the Warriors star expected to be out "closer to a month":

Warriors' Stephen Curry has a labrum injury in his left shoulder that is not expected to require surgery, sources say. Details on @TheRally: pic.twitter.com/6ox6W2UiN5

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 15, 2022

Curry suffered the shoulder injury while trying to make a play defensively:

Steph went to the locker room after hurting his shoulder.

Hope he's alright. https://t.co/hnvksq7pTi

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 15, 2022

The guard was ruled out for the rest of the game and underwent an MRI on Thursday.

Despite minor knee and ankle issues this year, Curry has not missed more than one game in a row this season.

The Warriors will remain cautious with the superstar, who has often missed long stretches due to injury in his career. He missed the final three weeks of the regular season last year after suffering a foot injury, while a broken hand cost him all but five games in 2019-20.

Another long-term injury could be especially damaging for Golden State after an up-and-down start to the season. The team currently sits in 10th place in the West with a 14-15 record.

Curry remains productive individually, averaging 30.0 points, 6.8 assists and 6.6 rebounds per game this year.

The eight-time All-Star added his first Finals MVP award last season, and he is clearly not slowing down on the court. It makes him even more difficult to replace after an injury, but Jordan Poole and Donte DiVincenzo should see increased responsibility going forward.