The Clippers, sitting at a 7-7 record, are looking for a fresh start. Harden, as the team’s leader, can rely on Bamba’s defensive presence and versatility to help secure critical victories in the games ahead. Despite playing just 15 minutes in the Clippers’ win over the Jazz, Bamba showcased his potential with solid stats and promising play.

Bamba opened up about the struggles he faced during his recovery, crediting the Clippers’ medical staff for their approach to managing his injury. “The weird part of this [injury] was I’ve had the same exact injury in Philadelphia last year, but I kind of played through it,” Bamba explained.

“I wanted to play through it here, but the training staff — I got to give thanks where it’s due — they were like, ‘No, this is something that’s pulling on different areas of your body. Your biomechanics are changing because of this area of your body, my knee. Let’s really figure this out so we can strengthen other areas on your body and not have to deal with it all season long.’”

Bamba also expressed relief over the progress made: “I’ve dealt with it for a while, back in Philly. It was annoying, but it’s not one specific injury. I kept getting this pocket of fluid in my knee, and it was frustrating because we couldn’t figure out why it was happening. Now, though, we have a plan to manage it moving forward.”

Bamba’s strong first impression

Bamba’s presence energized Clippers fans, and his performance hinted at the impact he can make as he continues his recovery. Against the Jazz, Bamba contributed 9 points, converting 4 of 8 field goals and hitting 1 of 1 free throws. He added 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 turnover in the team’s seventh win of the season.

As he regains full fitness, Bamba could earn a spot in the starting lineup, giving the Clippers another weapon in their rotation. His mix of size, skill, and defensive ability offers significant upside as the team pushes forward.

Bamba on playing back-to-backs

Bamba also weighed in on the challenges of playing back-to-back games, referencing Joel Embiid’s comments about the difficulties of managing such schedules.

“I’m not Joel. I’m going to die on my shield if I have to,” Bamba said with a smile. “There’s definitely a plan in place. I think there was a bit of a restriction here, but I didn’t hit those minutes. Going into tomorrow, I feel pretty comfortable and ready to go.”

The Clippers face a tough schedule ahead, beginning with a matchup against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday. After that, they’ll take on the Orlando Magic at the Intuit Dome, followed by a potential NBA Cup group-stage debut for Bamba against the Sacramento Kings. With Bamba now in the mix, the Clippers have another reason to be optimistic as they look to climb the Western Conference standings.

The Lakers did well in the NBA Draft and managed to keep some of their key guys at a very reasonable price, adding more depth to the wings. Even so, GM Rob Pelinka still has some work to do.

Darvin Ham’s team still has one open roster spot left, and according to a report by Jovan Buha of The Athletic, they’re targeting another big to take more pressure off Anthony Davis’ shoulders. However, it’s not like they have some impressive candidates.

NBA Rumors: Lakers Target Mo Bamba Or Tristan Thompson For Final Roster Spot

“L.A. is targeting another big man with its 14th roster spot, according to team sources. They are likely to carry 14 guaranteed contracts into the season, leaving one roster spot open,” wrote Buha. “Mo Bamba, whom the Lakers waived on Thursday, and Tristan Thompson, who joined the team right before their playoff run, remain options to fill that 14th spot, according to league sources.”

To be fair, both Bamba and Thompson have already spent some time — albeit brief — with the team recently, so it would give them some continuity as opposed to working on a whole new project. That makes sense.

But even though it’s the final roster spot and the deal might not even be fully guaranteed, the Lakers could give it a better use, as Thompson should be on his way out of the league and Bamba has rarely been efficient or even healthy.

Of course, Rob Pelinka deserves credit for reacting just in time before the February deadline. That being said, Nikola Jokic’s Denver Nuggets were too much for James and company, which is why changes will be made this offseason.

Having a deep playoff run is always nice, but at the end of the day, that will never be enough for a franchise like the Lakers. This team wants to succeed, and the front office has already started to make moves to make it happen.

Lakers waive Mo Bamba and Shaquille Harrison

The Los Angeles Lakers announced Thursday they are waiving center Mo Bamba and guard Shaquille Harrison. Neither of them had much playing time last season, recording less than 10 appearances each.

Bamba arrived at the February deadline as part of a four-team trade involving the Magic, Clippers and Nuggets. While injuries stood in his way, he didn’t see the floor that much even when healthy.

Harrison, on the other hand, joined the team in April ahead of the postseason and made just eight appearances which went practically unnoticed.

James could lose a third Lakers teammate soon

Another player who could leave LA is Malik Beasley, since the purple and gold reportedly have no plans to exercise his $16.5 million team option. Either way, at some point the Lakers will have to start looking to add teammates for LeBron rather than releasing them.

James might not be able to lead the same way he used to, especially entering his 21st season in the league. However, they’ve done a solid job of surrounding him with the kind of talent he needs to thrive.

With that in mind, Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report believes they could turn to the Brooklyn Nets to add more depth to the forward spots, trading Mo Bamba for Royce O’Neal.

NBA Rumors: Lakers Could Trade Mo Bamba For Royce O’Neal

“The Nets are suddenly loaded with wings but thin in the frontcourt,” wrote Swartz. “The Lakers could use another three-and-D perimeter option and have a big to spare. A swap to satisfy both needs makes sense.”

“Brooklyn gets Bamba, a mobile 7-footer who can start at power forward or play either post position off the bench,” continued the report. “The 25-year-old knocked down 38.7 percent of his threes last season and has proved to be an effective shot-blocker.”

“O’Neale fits nicely into a starting lineup featuring LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves with his defensive versatility and floor spacing. He’s as consistent as they come from the outside, shooting between 38.5 percent and 38.9 percent from three in each of the past three seasons,” Swartz concluded.

The Nets are going through a rebuild right now, but they’re expected to be quite active in the offseason to try and maximize their assets, as they have no incentive to tank, considering the Houston Rockets hold the rights to swap picks with them.

This trade would allow the Nets to stay young and get some depth behind Nic Claxton, and the Lakers would add another win-now piece and insurance policy at both forward spots, so it’s a win-win situation for both teams.

The purple and gold avoided the Play-In, taking down the Grizzlies and then the reigning champs Warriors before being swept by Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets. Of course, it was a heartbreaking ending to their championship hopes, but if you look at the bigger picture, it was not a bad year at all.

That being said, a successful franchise like the Lakers will never settle for a deep playoff run. The goal is to add the banner No. 18 to the rafters, which is why the front office wouldn’t mind letting two players leave this offseason.

Rumor: Lakers won’t re-sign Malik Beasley, Mo Bamba

According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers are not planning to bring back Mo Bamba and Malik Beasley next season. Both of them arrived as part of the February overhaul, but never had a major role in the rotation.

“The two players it’s appearing won’t be back are Mo Bamba and Malik Beasley, if only because of their contracts. With the aforementioned six names [LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, Max Christie] expected to return, the Lakers would be at around $120 million to $125 million — depending on the salary of Hachimura — in salary before factoring in cap holds or empty roster charges. Add Bamba’s $10.3 million non-guaranteed salary and Beasley’s $16.5 million team option, and they’re pushing $150-plus million with just eight players — and that’s before including free agents like Russell, Schröder or Walker.”

The Lakers have other priorities this offseason, starting with James or Reaves. Neither Bamba nor Beasley played an important role during the playoffs, so parting with them wouldn’t be so painful for the Lakers.

So, that pretty much means you can never count them out when it comes to making a move, even if it is costly. No player other than DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine should be off the table in trade talks.

With that in mind, an unnamedEastern Conference executive believes the Bulls could reach out to the Orlando Magic to try and get Mo Bamba. Unfortunately, that would cost them Alex Caruso.

NBA Rumors: Bulls, Magic Could Swap Alex Caruso For Mo Bamba

(Via Heavy)

“[The Bulls] have liked Mo Bamba in the past,” an Eastern Conference executive tells Heavy’s Sean Deveney, “and once he gets trade eligible (in January) that would be something where they could make a run at him… The Magic have no need for Bamba, long-term, not with Paolo Banchero and Carter there.”

The executive suggests using defensive ace Alex Caruso as “bait” to get a trade for Bamba done with the Magic.

“Caruso would be a nice fit on a team that is trying to learn to be professional and to win. They also need guards. If you’re going to move Caruso, I’d want a guy like Bamba back. It’s a good deal for both sides.”

Caruso could be expendable if Lonzo Ball is back to full strength, which is a big ‘if.’ Adding Bamba would give them a much-needed rim protector next to Nikola Vucevic, which is perhaps the only thing standing between them and true contention.

So, as much as the Bulls love Alex Caruso’s ball-haunting, toughnes, gritty defense, and never-ending energy, he might as well be the prefect trade chip to fix an even bigger issue in their lineup.