The Los Angeles Lakers signed Andre Drummond after he was bought out by the Cleveland Cavaliers and they would like to keep him long-term despite their cap limitations.

"They have been so committed to him being the ceremonial starter," said Dave McMenamin of Drummond on The Lowe Post. "And obviously he gets more than just ceremonial minutes. That seems to be something that is important to Drummond, which makes it important to the Lakers' front office because they have signaled to everyone listening, 'This isn't just a half a season buyout market rental. Andre Drummond is part of the future moving forward with this franchise.'

"That's always a tough one though. When you are trying to make moves to think about the future rather than win in the moment, it's hard to do both simultaneously as well as you possibly can."

The Lakers would need to use the taxpayer's Mid-Level Exception to sign Drummond in the offseason. The Lakers also have Marc Gasol and Montrezl Harrell at center while Anthony Davis typically plays center in their best lineups. 

In a lengthy New Yorker profile on Rich Paul, a general manager speaks about the player empowerment era as an issue that goes beyond the NBA's best players choosing where they want to play.

“Player empowerment is a catchall for the fact that the league has done a terrible job of empowering teams,” a current NBA general manager told The New Yorker's Isaac Chotiner. “The players have all of the leverage in every situation. I think it’s the worst thing that ever happened to professional sports on all levels.”

Chotiner, however, follows up the quote from the general manager with one from ESPN's Bomani Jones that puts the situation in a different way.

“The NBA has a problem, which is it’s got some bad real estate," said Jones. "They put a lot of teams in places that young Black men don’t necessarily want to live.”

By most accounts, the player-empowerment era began with LeBron James leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Kevin Durant made a similar move in 2016 when he left the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Golden State Warriors. Durant now plays with the Brooklyn Nets with Kyrie Irving and James Harden.

Klutch Sports internally defines player empowerment in a more holistic way.

“Putting them in a decision-making role and educating them—not just putting paper or deals in front of them, but really talking to them and educating them about being a basketball or a football player,” said chief operating officer Fara Leff.

Paul and James both seem to appreciate the fact that they're still business partners with the league.

“Rich is the first to tell LeBron and these players, ‘You have to do this,’” Adam Mendelsohn, a longtime adviser to Paul and James said. “There is this idea about player empowerment that we are taking on the league and taking on the owners. But there is more time spent figuring out how to help the owners and the league be successful than there is spent trying to take them on. And a lot of people assume it’s some sort of activist orientation. It’s not.”

“The perception is that you are busting into the room,” Paul said. “No. You are really trying to have conversations at the highest level, on How are we able to grow our game? How are we able to grow the business of our game?”

After a pair stints of varying success with the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks as head coach, Jason Kidd is now in his second season as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers. Kidd would like another opportunity to be a head coach and if given the opportunity to give his prior self advice, he would tell him to "Just relax."

“Just relax and enjoy the growth of the team,” Kidd said. “The growth of the individual players. And not be so hard, and so wanting them to be perfect. …

“The biggest thing I would say in Milwaukee or Brooklyn is the way the message is delivered could have been different. Not so hard. Not so rough. A little bit more fun to it. As a competitor, you get lost into, ‘What can I do to help them win?’ And that’s all they can hear, is that, ‘He just wants to win.’ Where’s the fun? Let’s build this thing and enjoy it. You play as a player for a championship and you coach for a championship. But there’s also different parts of different environments that you are trying to build in a culture.”

Kidd has interviewed for head coaching opportunities over the past few years.

"I hope I’m close," said Kidd about getting another job. "I would love to have another opportunity at it. Being here with Frank, understanding his strengths and watching him and how he handles different situations, is a big key that I’ve learned. Patience, communication is really key to understanding where everybody stands. Not just your top players, but the end of the bench."

The Dallas Mavericks have confidence in their ability to re-sign Tim Hardaway Jr. during his free agency this offseason, sources tell Marc Stein of the New York Times.

Hardaway averaged 24.5 points during the Mavericks' pair of road wins at the Los Angeles Clippers.

Hardaway averaged 16.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 28.4 minutes per game this season for the Mavericks.

The New York Knicks signed Hardaway to a four-year, $71 million deal during the 2017 offseason and he was subsequently traded to the Mavericks in 2019 as part of the Kristaps Porzingis deal.

The Sacramento Kings have hired Bobby Jackson to become head coach of the Stockton Kings of the G League.

Jackson was previously an assistant coach and player-development coach for the Kings.

Kings assistant coach Lindsey Harding and advance scout Jonah Herscu also interviewed for the job.

Players on the New Orleans Pelicans had tension with Stan Van Gundy during his first season with the New Orleans Pelicans, sources tell Scott Kushner of the Times-Picayune.

Sam Amick of The Athletic previously reported a similar sentiment while on the radio in New Orleans.

“In New Orleans, the players are not vibing with the coach,” Amick said on KHTK radio. “There’s issues there.”

The Pelicans blew 14 double-digit leads and had one of the league's worst defenses. Van Gundy, however, deserves credit for turning Zion Williamson into their point guard.

The Pelicans hired Van Gundy on a four-year deal in October 2020.

The Charlotte Hornets plan to pick up the team option on the contract of James Borrego for the 21-22 season.

The Hornets reached the Play-In tournament as the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Hornets were firmly in the fourth through eighth range until injuries hit LaMelo Ball and Gordon Hayward. 

The Hornets hired Borrego as head coach in 2018.

Myler Turner responded to an offseason in which his name appeared in trade rumors with a Defensive Player of the Year type of season with the Indiana Pacers.

With the Pacers having a disappointing season and questions remaining about whether Turner and Domantas Sabonis complement each other in the frontcourt, he could resurface in trade talks. Turner, however, would like to remain with the Pacers.

"I love Indianapolis and there’s no place I’d rather be than here – it’s my second home and the fans are the best the NBA has to offer," said Turner. "In terms of any trade rumors, I’m really just trying to stick to basketball. I’m laser-focused on being the best I can be on the court, supporting my teammates and trying not to get wrapped up in rumors. And at the end of the day this is a business I’m fully aware of that and conduct myself as such, I’m confident in my skillset and growth that I feel I’d thrive anywhere I’m at.

"The grass is greener wherever I’m at."

Turner is signed through the 22-23 season.

Donovan Mitchell was a late scratch for Game 1 for the Utah Jazz against the Memphis Grizzlies, which came as a surprise to him and left him "definitely frustrated and upset" with the franchise.

"I will tell you this: Donovan's relationship with the organization was damaged this week," said Brian Windhorst on his podcast on Tuesday. "Is it damaged to the point where it can't be repaired? I'm not saying that. Is it something that they'll get past and he'll just move on and it will just be a blip on the radar screen? Maybe. Maybe they're in The Finals in two months and who cares? Maybe they win the next four games and it's totally forgotten. But right now, Donovan is hurting. He's really hurting the way this happened. 

"Something else that's important, he was out five weeks give or take. April 16th I think the injury was and now we're at the end of May. Five or six weeks. Early on in the recovery process, he was not recovering well. And so he stopped working exclusively with the team and he hired and brought, and he already had his own trainer, and he brought in his own trainer to begin rehabbing with that trainer."

Mitchell signed a five-year max extension worth up to $195 million deal with the Jazz last offseason.

"Regardless of what it means in this moment in times, what it means going forward for Donovan Mitchell and the Jazz is something to keep an eye on," added Windhorst. "I know he has just signed this huge contract extension and it hasn't kicked in yet. I'm not saying anything there. I'm just saying damage was done. Damage was done here."

The Golden State Warriors hope to sign Stephen Curry to a contract extension this offseason.

Curry helped carry the Warriors to the Play-In tournament and will finish no worse than third.

"I feel pretty confident we'll get something done," said Bob Myers on an extension.

Curry is currently on schedule to be a free agent in 2022.

Curry could sign a four-year, $217 million extension this offseason.