NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Anthony Davis will wind up with LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers after all.The New Orleans Pelicans have agreed to trade the disgruntled Davis to the Lakers for point guard Lonzo Ball, forward Brandon Ingram, shooting guard Josh Hart and three first-round draft choices, several people familiar with the situation said Saturday.The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade cannot become official until the new league year begins July 6. ESPN first reported the trade.The deal ends a nearly five-month saga that became an awkward NBA sideshow, arguably derailed the Lakers' push to make the playoffs and even cost people jobs after Davis requested a trade in late January through his agent, Rich Paul, who also represents James.Now the 26-year-old Davis, a six-time All-Star, will bring his dynamic, up-tempo, above-the-rim play to Hollywood alongside the 34-year-old James, a three-time NBA champion and Finals regular.In return, the Pelicans... [More]

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Several people familiar with the situation say the New Orleans Pelicans have agreed to trade disgruntled six-time All-Star Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers for point guard Lonzo Ball, forward Brandon Ingram, shooting guard Josh Hart and three first-round draft choices.The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade cannot become official until the new league year begins July 6. ESPN first reported the trade.The trade pairs the 26-year-old Davis, who is among the game's biggest stars and requested a trade in late January, with 34-year-old superstar LeBron James. It also gives the Pelicans promising young players and the opportunity to acquire more.New Orleans already had the first pick overall in Thursday's draft and will have the Lakers' fourth overall choice, giving new basketball operations chief David Griffin to add another top-tier prospect to his presumed first pick of Duke star Zion Williamson.It remains to be seen, however,... [More]

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Two people familiar with the situation say the New Orleans Pelicans have agreed to trade six-time All-Star Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers for point guard Lonzo Ball, forward Brandon Ingram, shooting guard Josh Hart and three first-round draft choices.The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade cannot become official until the new league year begins July 6. ESPN first reported the trade.The deal pairs the 26-year-old Davis, who is among the game's biggest stars, with 34-year-old superstar LeBron James. It also gives the Pelicans promising young players and the opportunity to acquire more.New Orleans has the first pick overall in Thursday's draft and will have the Lakers' fourth overall choice.It remains to be seen, however, how well Ingram will recover from a blood clot that sidelined him for part of last season.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luke Walton is out as coach of the Los Angeles Lakers after three losing seasons.Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka announced Walton's departure Friday, three days after the abrupt resignation of president of basketball operations Magic Johnson. Pelinka called Walton leaving a mutual decision.The former Lakers forward went 98-148 after getting his first permanent head coaching job with the 16-time NBA champions. The former Golden State assistant never led the Lakers to the playoffs, not even after the arrival of LeBron James last summer.Walton leaves three days after the Lakers' final game of their 37-45 season was upstaged by the shocking pregame resignation of Johnson, who inherited Walton when he took over the Lakers' front office in February 2017. Johnson attributed his decision in part to his desire and reluctance to fire Walton, who is close to Lakers owner Jeanie Buss.A potential power struggle instead ended with both men out of their jobs after this wild week.... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luke Walton is out as coach of the Los Angeles Lakers after three losing seasons.Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka announced Walton's departure Friday, three days after the abrupt resignation of president of basketball operations Magic Johnson. Pelinka called Walton leaving a mutual decision.The former Lakers forward went 98-148 after getting his first permanent head coaching job with the 16-time NBA champions. The former Golden State assistant never led the Lakers to the playoffs, not even after the arrival of LeBron James last summer.Walton leaves three days after the Lakers' final game of their 37-45 season was upstaged by the shocking pregame resignation of Johnson, who inherited Walton when he took over the Lakers' front office in February 2017. Johnson attributed his decision in part to his desire and reluctance to fire Walton, who is close to Lakers owner Jeanie Buss.A potential power struggle instead ended with both men out of their jobs after this wild week.... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James' first season with the Los Angeles Lakers is over.James will sit out the final six games of the Lakers' sixth consecutive losing season, the team announced Saturday. In a statement, President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson and General Manager Rob Pelinka claimed the decision will provide James with a head start on offseason healing for a three-month-old groin strain, the first significant injury of his career."After consulting with our team doctors and medical staff, we have decided to hold LeBron out of games for the remainder of the season," the statement said. "This decision will allow his groin to fully heal, and is best for the future success of both LeBron and the Lakers."James is the NBA's fifth-leading scorer at 27.4 points per game, and he averaged 8.5 rebounds and 8.3 assists in his first season on the West Coast. He will accompany the Lakers on their upcoming trip to New Orleans and Oklahoma City, but the 16-year NBA veteran won't play... [More]

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Lakers guard Josh Hart will miss the rest of the season with a right knee injury.The Lakers announced the decision Thursday.The second-year pro has missed four straight games and five of the last seven with right knee tendinitis. He had an ultrasonic debridement procedure on his right knee patellar tendon on Thursday morning.Hart is expected to return to basketball activities in about 12 weeks, the Lakers said.Hart is averaging 7.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game as a key part of Los Angeles' young core, which has been besieged by injuries. Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram are already out for the season.The Lakers (33-42) will miss the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James is back in the lineup for the Los Angeles Lakers after the longest injury-related absence of his 16-year career.The leading All-Star vote-getter was set to play against the Clippers on Thursday night after missing 17 games. He was originally listed as out but was upgraded to doubtful earlier in the day.Lakers coach Luke Walton said James won't be on a minutes restriction, but he'll be closely watched. The four-time league MVP has participated in two full-contact practices leading up to his return.James' last game was on Christmas at Golden State, where he strained his left groin.The Lakers went 6-11 during James' absence and fell out of a potential playoff spot.He is averaging 27.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists.Kyle Kuzma (left hip strain) and Josh Hart (left knee tendinitis) also returned Thursday.The Lakers got Rajon Rondo back last week. He was also hurt in the Christmas win over the Warriors.They remain without Lonzo Ball, who has an ankle sprain that will keep him out until at least late February.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Michael Beasley thinks the basketball world is foolish to assume the Los Angeles Lakers' revamped locker room will be combustible before the fuse is even lit.The Lakers announced their signing of Beasley to a one-year contract Monday, adding the versatile forward to their new core of veterans around LeBron James.Beasley, Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson and JaVale McGee have all joined Los Angeles this month in a slate of provocative offseason signings to supplement its talented youngsters and James, who started the parade to the West Coast when he left Cleveland for the 16-time NBA champions in free agency.All four of these well-known, well-traveled veterans around James have varying degrees of colorful histories in their previous NBA stops, prompting widespread speculation in the media and around the league about how coach Luke Walton will manage his roster. They've already attracted an immediate online nickname — "The Meme Team" — while other pundits have compared them... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Josh Hart wasn't around to see the conclusion of the summer league as he was ejected from the championship game after criticizing the officials.The Lakers fell short in the title game, losing to Portland 91-73 on Tuesday night.Hart earned league MVP honors for a stellar two-week performance. He had a team-record 37 points in the double-overtime win over Cleveland in the semifinals on Monday. Yet, his main takeaway from the game was that he, "missed two clutch free throws."His performance on Monday surpassed the 36-point effort by Lonzo Ball last year."I don't go for individual accolades," said Hart, who finished with 12 points in the title game. "That's never been a reason why I played this game. I play this game to win. That's the biggest thing, I came here to win, I came here to dominate."And while the Lakers couldn't repeat as summer league champions, and he did anything but dominate during his disappointing appearance in the final, the 6-foot-5 shooting guard's evolution... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Call it Midsummer Madness.The NBA Summer League tournament is shaping up to be the most unpredictable bet in Las Vegas. The 30th and final seed advanced Thursday along with a No. 26 and a No. 27, after the Nos. 24, 25 and 29 seeds all won a day earlier.The 30 teams in the Summer League all played three preliminary round games and then were seeded for the tournament. It didn't take long to determine those seedings were meaningless.That was especially the case when the 30th-seeded Philadelphia 76ers won for the first time in Las Vegas by knocking off Deandre Ayton and the Phoenix Suns, who had won their first three games to earn the No. 3 seed.The top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers were able to avoid the chaos. The defending Summer League champions defeated their Staples Center rivals, the 17th-seeded Clippers, in their opener.Teams that lost Thursday play a consolation game Friday before the winning games return to action.Thursday's results:76ERS 88, SUNS 86Isaiah Miles scored... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Call it Midsummer Madness.The NBA Summer League tournament is shaping up to be the most unpredictable bet in Las Vegas. The 30th and final seed advanced Thursday along with a No. 26 and a No. 27, after the Nos. 24, 25 and 29 seeds all won a day earlier.The 30 teams in the Summer League all played three preliminary round games and then were seeded for the tournament. It didn't take long to determine those seedings were meaningless.That was especially the case when the 30th-seeded Philadelphia 76ers won for the first time in Las Vegas by knocking off Deandre Ayton and Phoenix, who had won their first three games to earn the No. 3 seed.The top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers were able to avoid the chaos. The defending Summer League champions defeated their Staples Center-rival, the 17th-seeded Clippers, in their opener.Thursday's results:76ERS 88, SUNS 86Isaiah Miles scored 20 points, making six 3-pointers, and Furkan Korkmaz added 18 for Philadelphia (1-3).Shaquille Harrison had... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — It's official. LeBron is a Laker.The Los Angeles Lakers announced the signing of LeBron James as a free agent Monday night, confirming the seismic shift created by the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player's decision to leave Cleveland for the 16-time champion franchise on the West Coast.James' representatives at Klutch Sports Group tweeted a photo of James signing his contract with Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka. James' agency already announced last week that the superstar had agreed to a four-year deal worth $153.3 million with Los Angeles.The Lakers have missed the playoffs in a franchise-record five consecutive seasons, while James has played in the past eight NBA Finals with the Miami Heat and the Cleveland Cavaliers, winning three titles.The 33-year-old budding entertainment mogul immediately becomes the focus of the Lakers franchise and a possible foundation for the NBA's next superteam, depending on whether James and the Lakers can persuade more superstars to... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — From George Mikan to Kobe Bryant, superstars have been the Lakers' lifeblood for decades.LeBron James is already the biggest star of his generation, and he followed a familiar path to Los Angeles' bright lights when he decided to sign with the Lakers as a free agent.It's no coincidence that this glamorous, 16-time champion franchise has consistently attracted already great players with outsized ambition. The 33-year-old James has taken on the challenge that Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O'Neal all accepted near the primes of their careers.Becoming a basketball superstar is one thing, and nobody is bigger than James after 15 prolific NBA seasons and three championships. Succeeding with the Lakers is something different, according to many of the men who have worn this gold jersey.Just ask Bryant, who won two Olympic gold medals as James' teammate while spending his entire 20-year career with the Lakers."The NBA does better when the Lakers are at their... [More]

Missed calls may see the light this summer.The NBA will experiment with a coaches' challenge for summer league games, one where teams will have the ability to seek a review of certain calls in the final 2 minutes of regulation and overtime. Coaches will have to call a time-out before live play resumes, and then trigger a blinking light on the scorer's table to initiate the challenge."We're going to try it in limited form," NBA executive vice president for basketball operations Kiki Vandeweghe said.The plan is consistent with what's long been the league's thinking when it comes to summer league, turning it into a testing laboratory of sorts for the NBA. The G League already has a challenge rule in place.Another new twist this summer is a rule that will see the shot clock reset to 14 seconds instead of 24 after offensive rebounds, similar to what's used in the G League and the WNBA.It's all part of a continued evolution of summer league, which will see a record 94 games played between the... [More]

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Magic Johnson is betting his job on his free-agent recruiting skills for the Los Angeles Lakers.Johnson declared Monday that he will step down as the Lakers' president of basketball operations if he can't persuade an elite free agent to sign with the 16-time NBA champions within the next two summers."Next summer, if nobody comes and I'm still sitting here like this, then it's a failure," Johnson said after a news conference to introduce draft picks Moe Wagner and Svi Mykhailiuk.Johnson was put in charge of the Lakers' front office by owner Jeanie Buss in February 2017, and the former superstar point guard immediately announced his plans to revive the struggling franchise by enticing the game's best players to join as free agents.With Paul George and potentially LeBron James headlining the market this summer, Johnson is leading the Lakers' efforts to land both players this weekend. If they sign elsewhere, Johnson and the Lakers will pursue the large crop of 2019... [More]

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — And now the real season begins for the Los Angeles Lakers.At least that's what the fans of the 16-time NBA champions repeatedly have been told while Los Angeles missed the playoffs and finished with a losing record for the fifth consecutive year.Ever since they took over the Lakers' basketball operations a year ago, Magic Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka have founded their rebuilding project around the acquisition of one or two elite free agents this summer — or next summer, they've recently amended.Magic firmly believes the Lakers' championship pedigree, glamorous location and salary cap room for two enormous contracts can attract superstars near the primes of their careers to lift one of the NBA's cornerstone franchises back to its accustomed heights. The Lakers had only missed the playoffs five previous times in their first 65 years of existence before they doubled that number during this dismal half-decade.But while the pursuit of Paul George and LeBron... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Forward Derrick Williams has signed a 10-day contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.The Lakers announced the deal Friday before their game at Denver.Williams has played for Minnesota, Sacramento, New York, Miami and Cleveland since the Timberwolves made him the No. 2 overall selection in the 2011 draft. He spent this season in China, averaging 20 points per game for the Tianjin Gold Lions.Williams is a former client of Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, a longtime player agent. Williams grew up in La Mirada, California, in the LA suburbs before attending Arizona, the alma mater of Lakers coach Luke Walton.The Lakers have won five of six, but need wing players with the injury absences of Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and Channing Frye.___More NBA basketball: https://apnews.com/tags/NBAbasketball

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Lakers rookie Josh Hart will be sidelined for four to six weeks after undergoing surgery to repair his broken left hand.The Lakers announced Hart's prognosis Friday.Los Angeles (27-34) has less than six weeks left in its season, and coach Luke Walton has said the Lakers won't rush Hart back into action.Hart broke his hand during practice in Miami on Wednesday. The first-round pick out of Villanova is averaging 6.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists over 55 games as a regular member of the Lakers' rotation.The Lakers have won four straight heading into Saturday's visit to San Antonio.