NBA notebook: Lakers fined for tampering due to Magic's comments

The Los Angeles Lakers have been fined $50,000 for violating anti-tampering rules, the NBA announced Tuesday.

The league's statement referred to unspecified comments by president of basketball operations Magic Johnson about Milwaukee Bucks All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo. Johnson told ESPN last week that he thinks Antetokounmpo will take the Bucks to an NBA title someday.

"I'm just happy he's starting in the All-Star Game because he deserves that," Johnson said. "And he's going to be like an MVP, a champion, this dude he's going to put Milwaukee on the map. And I think he's going to bring them a championship one day."

The Lakers previously were fined $500,000 in August for violating anti-tampering rules after general manager Rob Pelinka made contact with pending free agent Paul George's agent that, according to the league, "constituted a prohibited expression of interest in the player while he was under contract."

--If any teams had hopes of prying LeBron James from the Cleveland Cavaliers before Thursday's trade deadline, it seems they can disregard that possibility.

According to a report from Yahoo's Shams Charania, James will not waive his no-trade clause and is committed to seeing this season through with the Cavs, despite their recent struggles. Per Charania, the Cavaliers have been looking to buy at the deadline and have not talked with James about the idea of rebuilding, which would mean trading away core players.

James would be due $35.6 million in 2018-19 if he opts into the final year of a three-year, $100 million pact signed in August of 2016. The 33-year-old is averaging 26.3 points, 8.7 assists and 8.0 rebounds per game across 51 games in his 15th NBA season.

--Milwaukee Bucks guard Matthew Dellavedova is expected to miss at least three weeks with a Grade 3 right ankle sprain.

Dellavedova was injured Sunday against the Brooklyn Nets, and his ankle sprain comes with point guard Malcolm Brogdon already out for the Bucks. Dellavedova is averaging 4.4 points and 3.8 assists in 19.0 minutes in 37 games this season.

Brogdon is expected to miss 6-8 weeks with a torn left quadricep. The 2016-17 NBA Rookie of the Year was injured Feb. 1 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

--Detroit Pistons center Willie Reed was suspended for six games without pay due to a summer domestic-violence incident involving his wife, the NBA announced.

Reed, who was recently acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers, was arrested on Aug. 5 in Miami and charged with misdemeanor battery. He later entered a pretrial diversion program, and the criminal charge was dropped. The NBA said it conducted its own investigation of the incident and consulted with a group of domestic violence experts.

"The six-game suspension is based on all facts and circumstances of this matter and considers the conduct and its result, the outcome of the criminal matter, and Reed's voluntary participation in counseling as well as the court-mandated program, among other factors," the NBA said in a statement.

Reed's suspension begins Wednesday when the Pistons host the Brooklyn Nets. Reed was part of the recent deal in which the Clippers traded star power forward Blake Griffin to Detroit.

--Dallas Mavericks guard Seth Curry will undergo surgery to repair a left tibia fracture and miss the remainder of the season, according to multiple reports.

A free agent at season's end, Curry has not appeared at all in the regular season after being diagnosed with a stress reaction in early October. He had hoped to play at some point after the All-Star break, but opted for surgery, which will require a three-month recovery period. Curry had surgery to repair a similar injury on his right leg during his senior year at Duke.

The 27-year-old became a full-time starter in Dallas on Jan. 12, 2017 and thrived in the role, averaging 15.4 points per game and shooting 44.9 percent from 3-point range over the rest of the season. He was projected to be the Mavs' starting shooting guard this season next to rookie point guard Dennis Smith Jr.

--The Washington Wizards have engaged several teams in trade talks involving center Marcin Gortat ahead of Thursday's trade deadline, according to an ESPN report.

Per the report, the Wizards are hoping to improve in the short term without taking on long-term commitments, and Gortat has drawn some interest. Washington has also shown interest in Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, who has a player option for 2018-19 worth $21.4 million.

The 33-year-old Gortat is averaging 8.9 points and 8.0 rebounds in 26.3 minutes per game this season, his lowest numbers in each category since the 2009-10 campaign. He has one year and $13.6 million remaining on his contract after this season.

--Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Lakers' salary-clearing efforts had been geared toward signing a pair of stars to max-level contracts this offseason, with LeBron James, Paul George and DeMarcus Cousins as the top targets.

However, Cousins recently ruptured his Achilles tendon, George has indicated he might stay with the Oklahoma City Thunder and James "is believed to have a reluctance" to join the Lakers without another established star in the fold.

So, while the team is not "abandoning" this summer's market, it is now more focused on a 2019 class that could include Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson and Jimmy Butler. The Lakers are in the middle of their best stretch since 2013, winning 10 of their past 14 games despite playing without injured point guard Lonzo Ball for the last 10. While the team's surge isn't the primary reason for its changing view on upcoming free agency, it has been a factor, according to Wojnarowski.

--Field Level Media