One key to an Anthony Davis trade is whether the Pelicans can acquire a player with All-NBA potential as part of the package. That’s among the priorities for New Orleans’ front office, which is also seeking young talent, draft picks and salary-cap relief for Davis, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. If the Pelicans view Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma or Lonzo Ball as that type of player — all of whom are rumored to be in the latest offer from the Lakers — that would increase the possibility of Davis going to Los Angeles. If New Orleans sees that potential in the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum, the team may wait until the offseason, when Boston has the freedom to trade for Davis.
We have more trade buzz from around the league:
- The Pelicans are hoping to dump Solomon Hill‘s contract in any trade involving Davis and if the Lakers were to acquire him, they would use the stretch provision on his contract, Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Hill is making $12.52MM this season with another guaranteed $12.76MM next season. That three-year stretch would count as $4,257,927 annually and the Lakers would also have an empty roster charge of $897,158 added during the offseason if they waived him, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets.
- Lonzo Ball‘s outspoken father is at it again, telling ESPN that if his son gets traded, he wants him to land with the Suns, Ohm Youngmisuk tweets. “We want to be in LA. But if he’s traded, I don’t want Lonzo in New Orleans,” LaVar Ball said. “Phoenix is the best fit for him. And I am going to speak it into existence.”
- In the aftermath of the blockbuster deal with the Knicks for Kristaps Porzingis, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban says the team is laying low prior to Thursday’s trade deadline, Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News tweets. “We’re not actively pursuing anything,” Cuban said.
- The Wizards have significant interest in Jazz forward Derrick Favors, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic. Favors has been rumored to be part of the package Utah would send to the Grizzlies for Mike Conley. The Jazz are also interested in Otto Porter Jr. and Washington would want Favors in any deal involving its small forward, Jones adds. However, the Wizards are considered unlikely to move Porter this week.
Speak it into existence. Was he a life coach for Andy Pettite and Roger Clemens. I mean hes 1 for 3 though on his proclamation of kids playing for the Lakers.
Ball stinks and will be a backup at best and out of the league shortly. The Lakers are tired of his average play and his fathers big mouth.
Agree. But they should also be tired of Magic and his lousy eye for top talent.
I don’t think Ball is bad, he just isn’t a shooter. A learnable skill. His court vision and defense make him a candidate to be a better Shaun Livingston. He might not go more than 12-15 points a game but he can run an offense. The worst thing to happen to the kids career was lebron coming. Can’t help it but it is what it is.
Realistically Lonzo could head to whatever team and it wouldn’t be a big deal for him to run an offense. His dad just needs to keep his mouth shut like he’s been doing and let his son have the career he was meant to have.
Ball hasn’t spent nearly enough time on the court to be called “bad” at this stage in his career. His biggest need is to simply stay healthy.
Just like his billion dollar shoe deal, his floundering shoe company, getting his other sons into the nba. He speaks but that’s all he does.
Batting .333 puts you in the hall of fame
It’s all a matter of who lbj wants to keep so you better start passing him the ball more, if that’s even possible
LaVar could just change the rules of the Junior Basketball Association and Lonzo could play with his two brothers on the Los Angeles Ballers basketball team. Problem solved.
I still think LaVar should call the WWE and get his kids a tryout. They could be a tag team with LaVar as their manager. He was made for that role.
mouth of the south Jimmy Hart
I think several teams can at least make a comparable offer, and there are arguably multiple teams that can beat the Lakers offer.
I also think yesterday’s Porzingis trade confirms the thought of what it would take for Davis being at least 2, possibly 3 young pieces, at least 2 1st round picks, and 1-2 potential swap picks, but you never know
Obviously Boston is locked out for now, unless they wait to trade him in the offseason, in which case he will have less team control. Heat should essentially try anything to get him, obviously. These are a couple of ideas for possible offers that I could see, although there are multiple iterations that probably work. I obviously wouldnt say we are a favorite, but I think we can put up a comparable offer to other teams.
Josh Richardson, Bam Adebayo, Kelly Olynyk,Rodney Mcgruder, 2019, 2023 1st round picks and rights to swap 2020 1st rounder for AD? Not sure that’s enough. Maybe change the 2020 swap for a 2022 swap, with that being a more important draft
Milwaukee could make an interesting offer, although their picks are locked up a bit due to protections. They can offer Brogdon, Snell, Thon Maker, Brook Lopez, DJ Wilson 2019 1st round pick and rights to swap 2021 and 2023 1st round picks for Davis, which would be amazing lol
I also think the Clippers can make a really good offer. I arguably like their assets better than the Lakers. I feel like a couple of the Lakers assets have also lost some value this year. And I could also see Toronto making it interesting to try and add him to keep Kawbi. The Knicks are more realistic now as well, and there are some dark horse teams that could have the assets to pull it off as well. If Hill has to be in the deal, then those teams have deals to match salaries. Maybe he does end up with the Lakers, but I dont see that as being the best trade for New Orleans
Lmao too many lakers haters out here, just trying to suley the value of our prospects that are superior to anything available outside of new york whos top picks could have real value. Lakers prospects are vastly better than celtics and only get ragged on because they play out west. The milwakee deal is also terrible middleton would have to be in the deal…
Vastly better? Do we live in different dimensions?
Brogdon is better than anyone the Lakers are offering by himself. Middleton is a FA
Yup so many people have tried to pass Kuzma off as garbage. But think Jaylen Brown is a way better piece lol
That’s b/c he is
Jaylen Brown over Kuzma lmao
Every single day
Brown 12.6/4.3/1.4
Kuz 18.8/5.8/2.4
More blind Celtic homerism. Wouldnt be shocked if you said Rozier is more valuable than Curry
Really I’m apparently a celtics fan rofl. Nice counting stats. I care about those sooo much
So what stats are you going to use that male Jaylen better
If you dont know, that’s your first problem. Brown is a better defender, and he is still getting better offensively, as a versatile option. He has also proven to be a winning player, and been a positive on the floor for his winning team
Great job not being able to back up your argument with any stats. Kuzma has 46 career 20 point games. Brown had 26, and Brown has been in the leauge 1 year longer. Its ok keep calling it counting stats.
Rofl
Lol these ideas of teams being able to top the Lakers reported offer are a huge reach. In what world is Richardson, Bam A,
Mcgruder and Olynyk more appealing than Kuzma, Ingram and Zo. Brogdon is 5 years older than Lonzo who would be the Lakers 3rd best piece in the deal.
What have any of those Lakers done that is conducive to winning games? Have you looked at their numbers? Kuzma is the best one of those options, but the other 2…I’d want Josh Hart over them
I think there are still teams out there for Lonzo, and it could be a way for New Orleans to not take a 6 for 2 package. If they like Ingram and Kuzma, then get a third team involved who likes Lonzo.
Something like getting the Magic to take on Ball and Beasley for Ross and a 1st or the Wolves to take on Lonzo and Stephenson while sending Bayless and their 1st rounder to New Orleans.
Those trades would a third 1st rounder (and a lotto 1st) while shaving their player take home to 5 rather than 6.
What was NO thinking with giving Hill that kind of money? I could very well be wrong, but his career stats are more 10 day contact than 12.5 mil.
He had value defensively and looked like he was starting to emerge offensively as reasonable, but then he got injured
Who cares defensively? Sure as heck the league doesn’t!
Did you not pay attention to the league that year in free agency? Also, defense absolutely matters
Pels should just tell the Lakers to get them 6 1st round picks (3 Lakers, and 3 directed from elsewhere within the below parameters), and expiring contracts (theirs or directed from anywhere) for Davis and Hill. Up to them how they do it. If their young talent is as good as they say, it should be doable, and you can keep what you can’t use. Parameters:
2019 – Current bottom 3 team (unprotected)
2020 – Lakers (unprotected)
Current bottom 10 team (protected 1-4 until
2022, then unprotected)
2021 – Any other team (protected 1-14, until 2025,
then unprotected)
2022 – Lakers (unprotected)
2024 – Lakers (protected top 1/unprotected in 2025)
All these trades would have to happen at the same time. The Lakers cannot risk being caught trading their yocomofo for draft picks, then hearing Demps say Ha ha no gotcha back a-ols. Well it’s not likely but a risk.
Lakers should get some other teams in on the conference call, invested in an outcome, so that Demps ‘behaves’ and is not prioritizing revenge or “small-market flag-waving”.
Could happen but there are a lot of moving parts.
BR and Sporting News say Lakers are talking Caldwell-Pope to Bulls for Jabari Parker.
Amico Hoops makes sense. It says most NBA teams feel the Lakers are the frontrunner. Says Pelicans may believe stories coming out (Davis will only sign with 4 teams) may be coming from LeBron’s camp to force a trade. Says Pelicans unwillingness to accept Magic’s new offer may be sign they don’t want to deal with Lakers.