After new Pelicans head of basketball operations David Griffin spoke during his first few weeks in New Orleans about wanting to retain Anthony Davis, he has apparently become more open to the idea of a trade as of late. One Monday report provided several details on the kind of return the Pelicans are looking for in exchange for Davis, as well as the scenarios they’re exploring, while another indicated that AD’s own wish list may be narrowing.
As Scott Kushner of The Advocate writes, those two reports showed each side – the Pelicans and Davis’ camp – looking to amplify its own message. The Pelicans are aiming to maximize their potential return in any deal, while Davis is making it more difficult for the 27 teams not on his wish list to feel confident that he’d be more than just a one-year rental.
While Griffin is facing pressure to get good value back for Davis, he indicated today that he won’t let next Thursday’s draft act as a deadline forcing him to get something done as soon as possible, as Andrew Lopez of The Times-Picayune relays (via Twitter).
“If things evolve in such a way that it’s time for us to make a decision relative to Anthony Davis or any other part of the organization, we will,” Griffin said. “But we’re not in a hurry to do anything. WE don’t feel there is a time sensitivity to anything we’re talking about. That includes AD’s desire to stay or not stay. It’s not something there’s a shot clock on.”
Here’s more on Davis and the Pelicans:
- The Knicks, one of the two teams on Davis’ wish list (along with the Lakers), have engaged in talks with other teams in an effort to improve their offer for the All-Star big man, reports Ian Begley of SNY.tv. However, Begley notes that some people in the organization are uncomfortable with giving up too many major assets for Davis, citing the Carmelo Anthony deal as a cautionary tale.
- Marc Berman of The New York Post also hears that the Pelicans don’t find the Knicks‘ young assets especially attractive in a package, suggesting that New York would need to find a third team to help complete a deal for Davis. A source tells Berman that the Pelicans consider the Celtics to have the best young assets.
- According to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, there aren’t many people in league circles who believe that Griffin will get everything on his wish list in a Davis trade (an All-Star player, a young player with All-Star upside, and multiple first-round picks). However, sources tell Kyler that more than half the teams in the league have registered some interest, and there are “a lot” of conversations taking place.
- Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report explores what Davis offers from the Lakers, Knicks, Celtics, Nets, and Clippers might look like.
Wasn’t there rumors that the management for Jazz thinks the current core might have reached it’s ceiling. They could do a trade centered around Gobert for Davis. Gobert and Davis only around 2 millions salary difference.
What does 1 yr of Davis do for them?
Depending on what happens what GSW, Jazz can hope a deep playoff games next year could convince him to atay.
Depending on what happens what GSW, Jazz can hope a deep playoff games next year could convince him to stay.
Pelicans are rebuilding. Gobert is a good player but he’s expensive 2/$50 mil, doesn’t really move the needle because the rest of the team is coming about and he will likely leave after his contract is up. I would rather have high picks and younger assets if I’m Griffin. Also, I would rather have Mitchell Robinson from the Knicks over Gobert because he has such a high ceiling as a defensive player, us under control for a cheap price. Something like 3/$6 mil on a rookie contract. Also, Utah has little to offer as far as meaningful draft picks.
It might work out for Utah, just play Favors at the 5. They don’t have the assets though. Thier best bet is someone like Mike Conley or Jrue Holiday via trade. Or possibly somehow get Dilo using his ties to Mitchell and hope Brooklyn don’t match
Seems like teams should be thinking about the Lakers or Knicks as much as the Pels, for a multi-team trade. What they want, what they have that’s desirable. Davis is out.
I was thinking the same thing
Just trade him to the Lakers already! You knew he was going to ask for a trade when he switched agents last year! It’s not like it was a surprise and the Lakers are just the ballers he wants to go to. Not only that but have the best mix of players, need and current draft picks! NY has the better pick, Boston arguably the better young players, but the mix of both plus need is the Lakers. Get the deal done already! I say this being a Hawks fan!
Lol “arguably”. Lakers young guys are a lottery team. Celtics young players almost beat Lebron to win the east. And Celtics have more picks to trade, so mix is also Boston.
AD likely won’t go to Boston unless Kyrie is their and that seems like a far chance at this point. So it’s got to be a match between the assets NO wants and the right team that AD would likely resign with.
Arguably the Lakers were the 4th best team in the west until James went down. Which is where the Celtics finished, yes?
Yep. People forget Lakers were a top 4 team when LeBron and Zo were healthy.
People who don’t follow the NBA don’t understand this.
The Lakers were a lottery team because the young guys all got hurt. Ingram and Ball played 0 games at the end of the season. The Celtics dont have any higher picks than the Lakers 1st this year. Maybe you will believe it when they land AD
That was 2 years ago. (Stoner voice) “You’re living in the past dude…the PAST..let it gooooooo”. What did your young players do this year? Got sent home by a Lebron-less team. Stop it. And why does the place in which the team ended matter? No one is after them for their lack of winning pedigree.
Knickscavs fan? Make up your mind on which dysfunctional franchise you wish to follow.
Lakers could do nothing and easily make playoffs. Everyone should be scared if they land AD
Rich Paul just said that the Celtics don’t have a prayer retaining AD.
“They can trade for him, but it’ll be for one year. I mean: If the Celtics traded for Anthony Davis, we would go there and we would abide by our contractual [obligations] and we would go into free agency in 2020.”
Brad Stevens is far superior in coaching and player development. Don’t confuse the player with the team and situation. And if Walton was coaching the Celtics with those same players last year and Irving and Gordon out, guess where the Celtics would be? In the lottery! SMH…. you’re a Boston fan not giving Brad the credit he deserves. That’s sad.
Ppl also forget how young Ingram and Kuz are.. neither one has reached their prime yet.
Ingram, for his size/position, is an elite ball carrier. He also is far from a liability on defense. His spotty scoring is his only blemish, but this guy has all the tools to start for almost any org.
Kuzma is as ideal as a floor spacing PF as you can find. Will never be an elite defender or rebounder, but doesn’t have any holes in his game when his team has the ball. Looks to have an elite jump shot and will likely become a reliable 3 pt shooter.
Tatum, while well-rounded, doesn’t have big upside in any category. Solid defender, solid rebounder, solid scorer. Doesn’t have much range with shot; good ball control, but by no means a ball carrier.
Would simply get in Zions way while trying to play the same role.
Kevin Knox, in short he’s a great shooter and defender with upside in rebounding.
Prob the best piece available for AD, but only marginally.
So there you have it, Knicks have best prospect to offer , but Lakers have 2 players of similar quality.
Tatum simply overated product of his system with no major upside in any category. While credit due is no major weaknesses.
Ingram and Zo are both 21. They are both going to be monsters in this league. Ingram is completely healthy now, the clot issue solved by surgery. Zo is going to be healthy too.
The Celtics might have the best mix of assets, but the fact that Griffin put it out there that he thinks they do, suggests either that he thinks they don’t, or that while he thinks they do, he doesn’t believe they’ll make a “real” offer. This report, combined with prior bizarre reports of some deep love within the Pels organization for Ingram and Ball, and the Pels not finding the Knicks’ assets attractive, suggests that Griffin may well believe the Knicks have the best assets. The time to express your affinity for a player you might acquire in a trade is after you’ve acquired him, not prior to it.
Hopefully, the Stooges can see through this, but, to date, they’ve shown no ability to negotiate anything without getting abused. Opinions of young players can differ, sure, but what does Griffin find unattractive about the 3rd pick in a draft with a clear top 3 ? Or a remote unprotected 1st from a third team not getting AD ?
Telling the press you don’t like the young Knicks players is foolish no matter what the Pelicans’ goals are:
– If they’re trying to get the Knicks to up the offer, they need to convince the Knicks some other team is offering more. Tearing the Knicks assets down doesn’t convince the Knicks of anything… The Knicks picked all their guys. They like them all regardless. It’s pointless.
– If they’re trying to get the Knicks to find other assets, saying “we don’t like those guys” reduces their trade value. Makes it harder for NY to maximize the value of these young players in a 3 team deal.
– Criticizing the players backfires if you actually end up trading for them. Players remember who said what and hold on to that.
New Orleans didn’t leak this to work the Knicks – someone made a dumb mistake and blurted to the press.
Three reports – all without attribution, all with the same theme. Are all three dumb mistakes? I’ll help. Not a chance. It’s not necessarily stupid, either; in fact there is almost no downside. Nobody will ever know if the statements are real or who made them, and (more importantly) they don’t have a shelf life past the point of a deal. It’s not just for the Knicks; the Lakers too. And, if a selling team is trying to get a buying team (e.g., the Knicks) to offer up more, then they DON’T need to convince them someone is offering more, ONLY that you (the Pels) THINK someone is offering more. Nothing more. In a perfect market, it wouldn’t matter (you’d offer an asset or not based on how you value it, not the counter party). But the NBA trade market isn’t that, far from it. Add in that AD is a unique asset.
The list of selling teams employing this strategy is too long to name. As a Knick fan, the Melo trade is one that comes to mind quickest. Trade rumors started early in the year, and, all that time, the Nuggets hated the Knick assets (player centric), and loved the Net assets (draft pick centric) because they supposedly wanted to develop their own guys. At that time, they weren’t that type of organization, and they almost never took picks in deals. The threat of the Nets had no substance (Melo was clear earlier he wasn’t going to extend with them). Yet, perception and fear of losing the deal to a team in their own city with a cocky new owner trumped reason. The Knicks took the bait, got in room with the Nuggets FO and gave a new asset each day.
The Lakers shouldn’t include Ingram and Ball, and they are the only two that have high enough salaries to even begin to make a trade work. Giving up those two plus more doesn’t make sense for essentially 1yr of AD.
More years would follow, he is promising.
Right but why not just wait until he’s a free agent? There’s a pun in there…
Need to maximise the rest of Lebrons prime
There is no prime left…..
Ummm did you see his stats last season?
The Pels won’t want Ball since they will draft Morant. Ingram was playing very well before he was hurt. What the Lakers don’t have is a power forward or center to trade, thus the need for a third team to be involved.
Ever hear of Kyle Kuzma?
Ingram, Kuzma, 4th pick.. salaries don’t need to match since Lakers have cap space to take AD.
Ainge doesn’t shop at United Rentals. Pass. AD to Knicks…they deserve each other.
If it’s the Knicks they are giving up at a minimum Robinson, one the Dallas picks, Knox and either #3 or whatever high upside player they can for the 3….
It is what it is and the knicks are the knicks. Pass on KD
AD —> Lakers
4th pick + Cap-space for Bojan —> San Antonio
DeRozen + 6 (via separate Ball/PHX deal) + Kuz —> NOLA
NOLA gets most of their wishlist.
Or if NOLA insists on another 1st:
-SAS 19 to NOLA
-Kuz to Spurs
-Ingram to NOLA
NOLA gets DeRozen (solid established player), Ingram (Young player with star power), two firsts
The Spurs probably part with DeRozan for the #4 pick, but only if they get someone they really like. And knowing the Spurs, they can get someone the really like outside the lottery.
Also, why wouldn’t the Spurs just do the deal without the Lakers? Aldridge + one of their young guards + a couple of late firsts is potentially enough for Davis. Makes the Spurs better, and if Davis walks it cost the Spurs very little. Aldridge is on the tail end of his career, and the Spurs young guards are all sort of interchangeable. The two picks would hurt, but Davis+DeRozan+Poppovich could be formidable. Could make them a contender in the West.
The Spurs would be scared that AD bolts given the strong signals he’s given about NYC and LAL recently. Leaves them with nothing to show for Leonard trade. What, they end up trading Leonard for Jakob Pertle? That’s tough.
Moving Derozen to get someone they like at 4 via Lakers (like a Hunter type), and maybe flipping one of their picks to net someone like Kuzma would allow them to save some face. I’m also not convinced they want to extend Derozen either.
The Kawhi trade then looks like: Portle + 4th pick + Kuzma + whoever they’re able to sign with the capspace (like Bojan). Obviously no substitute for Leonard but gives the base some hope with the youngsters.
Hard to buy into “only one year” when everyone kept saying the same about Paul George. Now this year what will Kawhi do? If AD goes to a team that he didn’t want to at first but then starts to fall in love with, who says he doesn’t stay? If you can get him in the door, why not do all you can to keep him there?