Luka Dončić Has the Lakers In "Win Now" Mode? Plus... More Ballmer/Kawhi/Clippers Mess!

Luka Dončić dominated Eurobasket, leading an undermanned Slovenia to the Round of 8. That performance, along with everything else we've seen in the Summer of Luka, might have been enough to get the Lakers to change their long-term plans. Or at least change the way they do PR around their long term plans. Dan Woike of The Athletic writes that the Lakers, who had been reportedly very, very protective of their cap flexibility going forward into next summer and even the summer of 2027, could be tempted by the right deal to acquire a player who would eat into that space. It would be a defensive-minded wing. And right now, the only player who meets that criteria and is seen as available is Miami's Andrew Wiggins. Would Wiggins, who has an option for about $30 mil next season he'll almost certainly exercise, give the Lakers enough of a push to make it worth giving up not just a first rounder and Dalton Knecht, but likely Rui Hachimura, too? From there... woah Nellie, is Steve Ballmer in hot water. Pablo Torre followed up on his initial reporting about a potential cap circumvention involving Kawhi Leonard with another big story, this time linking payments to a Clippers sponsor and payments to Kawhi in ways that seem a lot more tangible (not that the initial volley of news wasn't pretty damning in and of itself). How much evidence does the NBA need in order to feel comfortable dispensing justice? How much more is coming out? HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky SEGMENT 1: Did Luka get the Lakers to change their plan? SEGMENT 2: What about Wiggins? SEGMENT 3: Ballmer is neck deep now... Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! 5-Hour ENERGY Tee up that trip! Enter for a chance to win a dream golf trip for two to any golf tournament* in the USA. Visit 5HEWIN.com for full rules and entry. No purchase necessary. Excludes the Master’s tournament. Ends October 31, 2025. Monarch Money Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNBA at monarchmoney.com/lockedonnba for 50% off your first year FanDuel Right now, new customers can bet just FIVE dollars and if your bet wins—you’ll get THREE HUNDRED dollars in bonus bets to use across the app. Download the FanDuel app now by visiting FanDuel.com to get started FANDUEL DISCLAIMER : 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.