NBA News Roundup, Friday, May 10th: LeBron James' Lakers future in doubt, Kevin Durant injury update and more

LeBron James' future with the Los Angeles Lakers has been called into question
LeBron James' future with the Los Angeles Lakers has been called into question

After a slow start, the 2019 postseason has caught fire over the past week. The Houston Rockets have a real shot at finally ending the Golden State Warriors' dominance, while the Milwaukee Bucks are on course for a titanic matchup in the Eastern Conference Finals with either the Toronto Raptors or the Philadelphia 76ers.

Elsewhere, the annual NBA draft is just weeks away, and struggling teams are desperate to land either Ja Morant or Zion Williamson. The futures of upcoming free agents such as Kemba Walker and Kyrie Irving have also yet to be determined.

On that note, here are all the latest news and rumors you need to know for May 10th.


Adam Silver wants more females in the NBA

The officials in the NBA consistent nearly entirely of males
The officials in the NBA consistent nearly entirely of males

Coaching staffs and officiating teams in the NBA continue to be dominated by males and NBA commissioner Adam Silver has once again expressed his desire to see more women enter the league. Speaking at The Economic Club of Washington, Silver revealed his thoughts on why more women roles in the NBA are long overdue:

It's an area, frankly, where I've acknowledged that I'm not sure how it was that it remained so male-dominated for so long. Because it's an area of the game where physically, certainly, there's no benefit to being a man, as opposed to a woman, when it comes to refereeing.
Going forward, it should be roughly 50-50 of new officials entering in the league. Same for coaches, by the way. We have a program, too. There's no reason why women shouldn't be coaching men's basketball.

Notable females in the NBA currently include Kelly Krauskopf (Pacers assistant GM), and Becky Hammon (Spurs assistant). However, there is plenty of room for more female faces in the league, and Adam Silver looks intent on achieving his goal.

Lakers to consider trading LeBron James?

The LeBron James trade rumors refuse to go away
The LeBron James trade rumors refuse to go away

The Los Angeles Lakers once again failed to make the playoffs this season, although LeBron James continued to demonstrate why he is arguably the NBA's best player. Despite playing on a modest roster, the 34-year-old averaged 27.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game.

These were once again MVP level numbers, however, when reacting to reports that talks between the Los Angeles Lakers and Tyronn Lue had broken down, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith claimed that Jeanie Buss was being told to trade her superstar:

You've got folks close to Jeanie Buss imploring her to trade LeBron James. He does not have a no-trade clause and now you haven't given him the coach that he wanted.

The Lakers are widely expected to add a second All-Star this summer, so it still seems a stretch to suggest that they would consider trading away LeBron after just one season.

Kevin Durant to miss Game 6 in Houston due to a calf injury

Golden State Warriors v Houston Rockets - Game Three
Golden State Warriors v Houston Rockets - Game Three

The Golden State Warriors held on to beat the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night, although Kevin Durant left the game with a suspected calf injury. After being assessed by Golden State's medical team, the team released the following statement:

Kevin Durant, who exited last night's game against the Houston Rockets with 2:05 remaining in the third quarter due to a strained right calf, underwent an MRI scan this morning in the Bay Area. The MRI confirmed the initial diagnosis (strained right calf).
Durant will not travel with the team for Game 6 on Friday in Houston and will remain in the Bay Area for treatment. He will be re-evaluated next week.

The Warriors take a 3-2 series lead to Houston, although the absence of KD is a huge blow. Nevertheless, it appears that the 2014 MVP could still return for a potential Game 7.

Quick Links

Edited by Arvind Sriram