Shake Milton Rumors

The Lakers have additional roster work to do. The team can create a roster spot by waiving guard Shake Milton, and team sources have said that improving the team’s point of attack defense is a priority. But the addition of Ayton answers the Lakers’ questions at center at least in the short term — the most obvious area of growth from last year’s team that finished third in the West before being bounced in five games by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round.

New York Times

Dave McMenamin: Now, I've checked in with both the Lakers and LeBron's camp on this one. For the Lakers, it's business as usual. They have motivation to compete at the highest level and maximize not just LeBron's timeline, but they want to compete now with Luka Doncic. Some have said that the true cause of this situation was the Lakers not offering LeBron a contract beyond next season. But Rich Paul told me that they never asked for one. Paul also made it clear to me that LeBron has not asked for a trade. And Paul hasn't even discussed the possibility of wanting a trade in the future with the Lakers. Paul did tell me that four teams contacted him with interest in trading for LeBron. So now we wait. The Lakers have a full roster to have a decision to make on Shake Milton's contract by July 20th. They also have three expiring contracts in Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, who's here tonight, and Maxi Kleber, plus their 2031 first-round draft pick they can use in trade scenarios. Now, I asked LeBron just before tip off if he'd like to join the broadcast to discuss everything, and he told me, quote, "I ain't got nothing to talk about, guys."

YouTube

Dave McMenamin: JJ Redick says Shake Milton and Bronny James split time playing the role of Anthony Edwards on the Wolves scout team at Lakers practice Wednesday.

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Fittingly, Doncic got the assist on James’ milestone bucket. “Yeah, it’s amazing,” Doncic said. “Watching him do this stuff at this age, it’s just unbelievable like 50k points... it’s I can’t even explain how insane that is. He might get to 70k, you never know.” The Lakers, still without Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves, got 13 points from Dalton Knecht and 12 each from Jared Vanderbilt and Shake Milton.

Los Angeles Times

The Los Angeles Lakers have played five games with new additions Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton. They are 2-3 since making those trades, but L.A. has seen positive things from Finney-Smith on both ends of the floor, especially in the last two games as he gets more comfortable within the system. He has 24 points on 8-for-13 from the field over his last two games. And with lineups that feature Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Max Christie, Finney-Smith and virtually anyone else, L.A. finally has some defensive versatility that they have been desperate for.

Lakers Nation

Christie, the Lakers third-year guard that has really come in to his own in recent weeks, spoke about the Finney-Smith acquisition and what he likes about it for the Lakers, as seen on Spectrum SportsNet: “Yeah, he’s great. He’s a big communicator from us, on defense especially, which is great. He brings a lot of energy. He was knocking down shots today, he was aggressive towards the rim when he ran a full line. So he’s been really good for us. He’s a great addition for sure.”

Lakers Nation

Shams Charania: New Lakers Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton have been cleared to make their team debut tonight versus the Cavaliers, sources tell ESPN. All physicals have been complete for the four-player Lakers-Nets trade.

x.com

Mike Trudell: Shake Milton on being a playmaker off the bench: "I definitely do - whether it's me being on the ball, attacking the paint, creating for myself or others, or whether it's me spotting up and shooting 3's. I'm going to do whatever the team needs me to do."

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Mike Trudell: Shake Milton: "I'm super excited to be here. This is crazy feeling, honestly, being here."

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Mike Trudell: Shake Milton's scouting report on DFS: "First of all, he's just a tough, hard-nosed guy. A long defender, he can shoot the 3. He's a real glue guy. He's the type of guy you want to go to war with. I think that's going to translate right away."

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Dave McMenamin: JJ Redick says the hope for the Lakers is to have Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton in the lineup Tuesday vs. CLE. Redick says he will keep the same starting lineup, however.

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Any swap is likely to be more costly since such a limited portion would be expiring money. The only new barriers are that Finney-Smith and Milton can’t be aggregated in a deal. I’ll also note Reaves’ contact also could be added to a deal; his is the only one that would have positive value for a receiving team. Finally, I know it’s not really the Lakers’ thing to look beyond this season, but Finney-Smith’s contract offers some interesting possibilities this summer. He has a $15.4 million player option for 2025-26 that is probably a slight overpay, and it could complicate the Lakers’ dance with the first apron. However, the player option also offers a way to land the plane more gently on Finney-Smith’s 30s, by opting out, re-signing at a lower number for more years and creating more wiggle room below the apron.

New York Times

Dave McMenamin: The Lakers make the trade with the Nets official. pic.x.com/MAAbEElqak

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Mike Trudell: STATEMENT FROM VP, BASKETBALL OPERATIONS & GM ROB PELINKA: “We want to thank D’Angelo for his second stint with us, where we celebrated some great moments and accomplishments on the court together. We want to wish him and Maxwell Lewis well in their future endeavors with the Brooklyn Nets. With this trade, we are thrilled to add the physicality, toughness and elite shooting that Dorian Finney-Smith will bring to our core. We also greatly value the playmaking of Shake Milton. We are excited for our fans to get both of these players out on the court.”

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