West Notes: Nuggets, Reggie Jackson, Clippers, Lakers, LeBron James

Nuggets

Point guard Reggie Jackson indicated he wasn’t surprised he was traded by the Clippers at the trade deadline.

Jackson was dealt to the Hornets, then waived, before signing on with the Nuggets.

“I’ve been in the game for 12 years,” Jackson told Law Murray of The Athletic. “I was the only expiring contract (the Clippers had). Got to get better. Can’t really move anything. … So, the writing was on the wall for me. Being a pretty smart guy, I kind of knew. Either we were going to stay put, play small-ball, or, if anything was going to happen, I was ready to be the one that would probably be moved.”

• Jackson may prove to be a bigger factor than some fans might think, wrote Mike Singer of The Denver Post. “He’s big, he’s strong, he’s physical,” coach Michael Malone said.

Clippers

Guard Bones Hyland, acquired from the Nuggets, said he is glad the Clippers signed point guard Russell Westbrook, even though it may mean a decrease in minutes for Hyland.

“I always was a fan of Russ’ game,” Hyland said, via Murray. “Fan of Russ off the court as well. Great human being, great to be around. Great to talk to. Was the MVP of this league. Going to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. … So, I’m glad we got him. He brings a lot to the team.”

• The Clippers’ plan was struck by lightning on the way to Denver, prior to an overtime loss to the Nuggets, as relayed by Callie Lawson-Freeman of Yahoo Sports. Passengers reportedly heard the engines go quiet at the time, and it was later discovered paint had been missing from the plane where it was hit.

Lakers

In case you missed it, star forward LeBron James is expected to miss at least two weeks with a right foot injury, suffered in the Lakers win over the Mavericks on Sunday.

James is expected to have the foot re-evaluated in two weeks, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. We have the full details here, first reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic.

• James’ injury makes the Lakers’ climb toward a berth in the playoffs or play-in tournament even steeper, wrote Zach Kram of The Ringer.
• James offered high praise for power forward Jarred Vanderbilt, one of the Lakers’ recent trade acquisitions. “He knows where to be on every single possession and he knows how to utilize teams not accounting for him as an offensive threat,” James said, via Matt Peralta of Lakers Nation.