6 JaVale McGee C

The Lakers traded McGee to the Cavaliers on Sunday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.

McGee, along with a future second-round pick, are apparently heading to the Cavs. It's rumored that by trading McGee, the Lakers are creating space to potentially sign center Marc Gasol. McGee was a fine piece off the bench for the 2019-20 NBA Champions, averaging 6.6 points and 5.7 rebounds in 69 games. However, it remains unclear at the moment if Cleveland will try to trade or release him, given that the Cavs are in a rebuilding mode and are already committed to Andre Drummond and Larry Nance.

McGee will exercise his $4.2 million player option for the 2020-21 season, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.

McGee was unlikely to find more money elsewhere, so it was expected that he would exercise the option and return to the Lakers. The big man fell out of favor during the playoffs, but if Los Angeles doesn't bring back Dwight Howard -- or find a suitable replacement -- McGee could find himself back in a starting role next to Anthony Davis.

McGee will come off the bench in Thursday's Game 4 while Dwight Howard starts at center, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.

McGee has proven ineffective during his recent time on the floor, so coach Frank Vogel will turn to Dwight Howard as the starting center Thursday. Howard posted a strong performance in Game 1, collecting 13 points (4-5 FG, 5-8 FT), three rebounds, two steals and two blocks while guarding Nikola Jokic well on the defensive end. Though McGee won't start, he'll likely face the task of guarding Jokic when he's on the floor.

McGee will remain in the starting lineup for Sunday's Game 2 against the Nuggets, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reports.

Following Game 1, coach Frank Vogel hinted that he may insert Dwight Howard into the starting five, but Haynes reports that the Lakers will stick with the alignment they've used for the vast majority of the season. McGee has not been effective of late, going scoreless in each of his last four games while seeing just 29 total minutes in that span. McGee did not play in Game 4 against Houston, and he saw just three minutes of action off the bench in Game 5. In Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, McGee had zero points and zero rebounds in 11 minutes, while Howard racked up 13 points, three rebounds, two steals and two blocks in 16 minutes off the bench.

McGee could come off the bench for Sunday's Game 2 against the Nuggets, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times reports.

McGee was back in the starting five for Game 1 against the Nuggets after seeing a reduction in role in the previous series against the Rockets. However, McGee was ineffective, racking up just one block in 11 minutes. He was outplayed by Dwight Howard, and coach Frank Vogel has hinted that it's possible Howard gets the nod at center for Game 2.

McGee tallied just one block with no other stats in 11 minutes during Friday's 126-114 Game 1 victory over the Nuggets.

McGee was back in the starting lineup for the Lakers after barely seeing the floor during their second-round series victory over the Rockets. Despite the upgrade, McGee failed to score and was basically a non-factor. He is likely to remain in the starting lineup, though he is not someone to target in DFS based on this performance.

McGee will re-join the Lakers' starting unit in Friday's Game 1 against the Nuggets, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com reports.

McGee barely saw the floor in the Lakers' series against the Rockets and did not start for the final two games, as the team was looking to go small. However, he will be back in the starting lineup Friday to match up against Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic.

Coach Frank Vogel noted that the Lakers will "return to form" with how they play during the upcoming series against the Nuggets, suggesting McGee could revert to his starter status, Bill Oram of The Athletic reports.

Against the small-ball Rockets in Round 2, coach Vogel deployed Markeiff Morris and Anthony Davis at center often, and McGee only played more than eight minutes once in the series. However, considering the size the Nuggets have, McGee could rejoin the starting five and see his role increase.

McGee (ankle) is probable for Saturday's Game 5 against the Rockets.

McGee was a healthy scratch for Game 4, as Markieff Morris drew the start. So even if McGee is cleared, it's not a lock that he'll take the court.

McGee (ankle) will play in Thursday's Game 4 against the Rockets, Mike Trudell of Spectrum Sportsnet reports.

McGee initially tweaked the ankle during Game 2, but he played through it in Game 3 and will do the same Thursday night. The big man has not been effective in the series, having gone scoreless with just two rebounds and one block in 15 total minutes over the last two games.

McGee (ankle) is probable for Thursday's Game 4 against the Rockets.

McGee played through the injury in Game 3. However, he saw only seven minutes, as coach Frank Vogel seems to like playing Anthony Davis at center in this matchup.

McGee (ankle) has been cleared for Tuesday's Game 3 against the Rockets after his MRI returned negative, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reports. He will not be on a minutes limit.

McGee tweaked the ankle during the first half of Sunday's Game 2 victory and did not return to the contest after playing eight minutes. However, he's feeling good enough to take the court for Game 3 with the series tied. In these playoffs, McGee is averaging 4.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 12.6 minutes.

McGee (ankle) is listed as questionable for Tuesday's Game 3 against Houston, Mike Trudell of Spectrum Sportsnet reports.

McGee tweaked the ankle during the first half of Sunday's Game 2 victory did not return to the contest after playing eight minutes. The Lakers will likely wait to see how McGee feels at shootaround in the morning before making a call on his status.

McGee was limited to just eight minutes in Sunday's Game 2 against Houston due to a sore left ankle, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com reports.

McGee tweaked the ankle during the second quarter and was ruled out for the game early in the second half. The big man should be considered questionable for Tuesday's Game 3 until further notice. If McGee were to sit, Dwight Howard -- who did not play in Game 2 -- could re-enter the rotation.

McGee will start Saturday's matchup against the Pacers, Michael Gallagher of Establish the Run NBA reports.

McGee didn't see the floor Thursday against the Rockets, but he's back in the starting five Saturday. In the bubble, he's averaging 3.8 points and 4.5 rebounds in 14.3 minutes.

McGee contributed 13 points (6-8 FG, 1-1 FT) and two rebounds in 12 minutes during Thursday's 108-104 scrimmage loss to Dallas.

McGee started for the Lakers but played only 12 minutes in the loss. It would appear he is going to be given the starting nod over Dwight Howard (nine points, seven rebounds, two steals) in the playoffs; however, that does not mean he is someone to target in fantasy drafts. Anthony Davis would have to sit out games for McGee to see enough playing time to have significant value.

McGee tested negative for coronavirus Thursday, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reports.

Haynes notes that McGee has asthma and dealt with pneumonia last season, so it makes sense that there was some added concern in regard to his vulnerability. He's tested negative but will still need to self-quarantine for a period of time given that two unnamed teammates tested positive.

McGee had five points (2-5 FG, 0-1 3Pt), 11 rebounds, three steals and a block over 21 minutes of action in Friday's 113-103 win over Milwaukee

McGee recorded double-digit rebounds for the first time since mid-December. The owner of a top-40 player efficiency rating, McGee has remained productive and simply exists in the shadow of Anthony Davis. Davis is likely to begin getting more rest mixed into his schedule, which would open windows for McGee to boom. He has fantasy-playoff sleeper potential.

McGee contributed eight points (4-6 FG), six blocks and four rebounds in 24 minutes during Sunday's 122-114 win over the Pelicans.

The six blocks tie his season-high. McGee is producing top 125 value in nine-category leagues because of his ability to rack up those blocks, in addition to his strong 64.8 percent shooting from the field, and lack of turnovers. The 32-year old is an option for fantasy teams that are desperate for blocks and field-goal percentage, but he'll provide little to fantasy rosters other than that.

McGee managed four points (2-3 FG), three rebounds, one steal and one block across 13 minutes Wednesday in the Lakers' 120-116 overtime win over the Nuggets.

Since returning from a two-game absence due to an illness at the end of January, McGee is averaging only 6.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 15.6 minutes over a seven-game stretch. McGee remains locked in as the starting center, but backup Dwight Howard has clearly been the more valuable fantasy option of the two lately, outproducing the former in each of the past five games. Perhaps most notably, Howard has received at least 10 more minutes than McGee in both of the past two contests, and that sort of playing-time disparity could become more commonplace if Howard continues to thrive.