Lakers rumors roundup: Rondo timeline, Morris absence, starting lineup details

The Lakers rumors mill is turning

Though over the last few months tangible NBA news and Lakers rumors have been few and far between, with the league kicking things back up in Orlando we have a lot more to discuss and analyze.

Plenty of new Lakers information has come out over the last several days. Here’s the best of it.

Lakers guard Rajon Rondo is out for the foreseeable future

The Lakers will be without Rajon Rondo for some time.

According to reports on Sunday, Rondo fractured his thumb and needs to undergo surgery which will take him at least six weeks to recover from.

All timelines point to Rondo being ready to join the team in the early stages of the playoffs, but at that point, rotations may be too solid to sneak Rondo back in. We’ll have to see.

Here’s a look at all of our extra coverage from Rondo’s injury so far:

The Lakers are revamping their starting lineup in light of Rondo’s injury

In light of the aforementioned Rondo injury, head coach Frank Vogel needs to make some adjustments to his starting lineup.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is the most logical option, and it appears that’s the route the team will go, at least at first.

Lakers forward Markieff Morris has yet to join the team in Orlando

Markieff Morris is noticeably absent from the team’s trip to Orlando, and questions have arisen about where he is and if he’ll eventually join the team. At first, it didn’t seem clear whether or not he would join the team at all:

Lakers fans finally got some answers.

According to Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register, Morris has an excused absence and will be with the team “soon.”

Dwight Howard has gotten some slaps on the wrist for not wearing a mask

The NBA is instituting a “snitch hotline” in which anyone in the Orlando bubble can anonymously report any infractions against the league’s standards for health excellence and COVID-19 containment.

At first, it was reported that the hotline wasn’t getting much use. Then, it came out that the hotline had been used several times, and Dwight Howard has been at the center of some of the reported infractions.

According to Brandon Robinson, Howard has been “told on” for not wearing a mask inside the bubble.

That said, Howard posted some videos of himself outside without a mask on. It’s possible the snitching was his own doing, but at any rate it’s likely Howard will keep his mask on when out and about away from his hotel room.

That’s all in Lakers rumors for now!