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. 

Anthony Davis is unlikely to play in Game 5 due to a strained groin. Davis sustained the injury during the second quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers' Game 4 loss to the Phoenix Suns.

There is optimism about the status of Davis, however, as the series continues beyond Game 5.

Davis will continue to be evaluated day-to-day. 

LeBron James is unapologetic about "The Decision" and he believes it helped other athletes take control of their careers.

“You are always going to have people that are not going to agree with something that you do, but at the end of the day they can’t stop you, and can’t stop your path, and can’t stop your journey," James told Isaac Chotiner of The New Yorker. "I am happy that I was able to fall on the sword for the rest of these athletes, men and women, to be able to feel empowered.”

Rich Paul saw a lot of the response to James leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat in 2010 as racist, calling out Bill Simmons for his comments.

“I blame the people around him. I blame the lack of a father figure in his life,” Simmons, then a leading columnist at ESPN, wrote. “I blame us for feeding his narcissism to the point that he referred to himself in the third person five times in forty-five minutes. I blame local and national writers (including myself) for apparently not doing a good enough job explaining to athletes like LeBron what sports mean to us, and how it IS a marriage, for better and worse, and that we’re much more attached to these players and teams than they realize.”

“That’s why I don’t speak to Bill Simmons,” Paul said. “A lot of that has to do with race, too. He wouldn’t have said that about Larry Bird. He wouldn’t have said that about J. J. Redick. You get what I am saying? ‘The Decision’ ten years ago is the norm today. It’s what everyone wants to do. Kids won’t even decide where they go to college without it being a big production, and Bill Simmons says some shit like that.”

Anthony Davis is day-to-day with a groin injury, with his status for Game 5 "unclear," according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Davis strained his left groin in Game 3 and didn't return for the second half.

The series is tied 2-2, with Game 5 set for Tuesday. 

Kostas Antetokounmpo has been away from the Los Angeles Lakers and is attending to a personal matter in Greece, sources told Dave McMenamin and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

He has not been with the team since the playoffs began. 

There is no timetable for Antetokounmpo's return, though he could rejoin the team should the Lakers get past the Suns in the first round.

Anthony Davis is questionable for Game 4 due to a left knee sprain, according to Frank Vogel.

Davis added that "there’s no chance that I don’t play tomorrow."

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is also questionable due to a mild knee contusion. 

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is day-to-day after being diagnosed with a mild left knee contusion.

An MRI revealed no tear or structural damage, sources told ESPN.

Caldwell-Pope suffered the injury during Game 3.

The Lakers will monitor how Caldwell-Pope's leg responds to rest and treatment on Saturday in the buildup to Sunday's Game 4. 

The Los Angeles Lakers reached 85 percent COVID-19 vaccinated threshold on Monday, which allows the team to operate with lesser restrictions.

The Lakers were able to utilize their film room for the first time this season and also didn't have to wear face masks.

Multiple Lakers players told Yahoo Sports that Wednesday’s session felt “normal” again.

“You don’t realize how important and productive it is to have film sessions in an intimate setting until you lose it,” one Lakers player told Yahoo Sports. “When guys are together in close proximity, you’re much more engaged, and especially when you don’t have to wear a mask.”

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 Los Angeles Lakers have extended their lease at Staples Center with owner AEG for 20 years through 2041. 

The agreement includes a commitment to spend “nine figures” on capital improvements and upgrades throughout the 22-year-old arena.

“Location, location, location,” said Tim Harris, president of business for the franchise. “We’re in the heart of L.A. and the infrastructure is building up all around us.”

The Los Angeles Clippers will soon leave Staples Center for a new arena in Inglewood, which could allow the remaining teams to expand their locker rooms. 

AEG's Philip Anschutz controls 27 percent of the team with the Buss family owning 66 percent. 

Staples Center has the size and flexibility to adapt as it sits on approximately 1 million square feet of land, compared to about 500,000 or 600,000 square feet for arenas built in the 1980s.