Darvin Ham

Reports from last week noted that LeBron James met with the Lakers on the first day the two sides could officially negotiate a contract extension (because surely they wouldn’t have done that sooner). On Monday, new details about the meeting emerged and, surprisingly, a contract extension appears to have been a topic on the backburner from both sides.

Former NBA player Darvin Ham has a ton of new responsibilities as a first-time head coach. Not only is he coaching a legendary franchise in the Los Angeles Lakers, but he'll have to juggle the expectations of LA along with the egos and star power of several key players on his team.

During the 2021-22 NBA season, one of the bigger issues that existed for the Los Angeles Lakers was the uncertainty of how to utilize point guard Russell Westbrook. As part of that dilemma, there seemed to be a fair amount of contention when it came to whether or not Westbrook belonged on the court in crunch time. Though Westbrook surely sees himself as a closer, he often made mistakes last season that cost the Lakers at the end of close contests.

The Lakers struck gold when trading for star big man Anthony Davis. The Davis trade put the Lakers over the top for their 17th NBA Championship. Head coach Darvin Ham is no stranger to Davis's game and knows Davis needs to be on the court and healthy if the Lakers want a legitimate shot at No. 18 (quotes via All the Smoke)

It's no secret that the Los Angeles Lakers have been trying to trade Russell Westbrook, dating back to the trade deadline of last season. His lone season in purple and gold yielded disappointing results, both from a player perspective for Westbrook, who struggled to fit into a new role with the Lakers, and from a team viewpoint, as L.A. missed the playoffs with a 33-49 record.

The NBA Summer League is taking place in Las Vegas, and the Los Angeles Lakers are taking on the Phoenix Suns Friday night, giving rookies such as Max Christie and Cole Swider a chance to show what they’re capable of. LeBron James, head coach Darvin Ham and general manager...

Russell Westbrook joined the Los Angeles Lakers last offseason. Despite that, the former league MVP saw his name come up in trade rumors ahead of last season’s deadline, and in the aftermath of the team’s disappointing 2021-22 campaign, Westbrook once again got linked with a move away from Los Angeles via a trade.