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Latest Anthony Davis Trade Rumors

February 5th, 2019 at 8:31am CST by Luke Adams

Monday was an eventful day for the Anthony Davis rumor mill, as news broke that Davis’ camp had provided the Pelicans with a list of four teams – the Lakers, Knicks, Clippers, and Bucks – with which he’d be willing to sign long-term. Around the same time, the Lakers reportedly increased their offer for Davis, proposing a deal that would give New Orleans young players, multiple first-round picks, and salary relief. However, the Pels continue to lean toward hanging onto Davis beyond the deadline.

That Lakers offer – which includes Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, two first-round picks, three veterans for salary-matching purposes, and the Lakers taking back Solomon Hill – is the strongest pitch L.A. has made for Davis. However, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, the Lakers have felt that their conversations with the Pelicans have been “one-sided,” and they’re becoming increasingly pessimistic that New Orleans will make a deal with them this week.

The Pelicans have yet to provide the Lakers with a counter-offer, but in order to seriously consider Davis to the Lakers this week they’d want to be compensated – or, more accurately, “overcompensated” – for passing up on the chance to see what the offseason would bring, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. According to Woj, GM Dell Demps and the Pels are seeking more draft picks from the Lakers — they want a “historic” haul of draft assets that would include four first-rounders, along with multiple second-round picks.

Wojnarowski writes that the Pelicans believe any offer the Lakers make now will still be available to them during the offseason, and multiple rival GMs think that New Orleans may use L.A.’s final offer this week as a baseline for negotiations in the summer.

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has, of course, been urging the Pelicans to wait until the offseason, when the designated rookie rule restricting Boston from acquiring Davis will no longer apply. League sources tell Wojnarowski that the C’s have “promised to be aggressive” with their assets at that point as they pursue Davis.

According to Chris Mannix of SI.com, the Celtics have “refused to directly dangle” Jayson Tatum at this point, but the Pelicans have received the impression that nothing and no one would be off the table this summer in discussions with Boston. The Pelicans are “enamored” with Tatum, per Mannix, who suggests that Tatum’s franchise-player potential is higher than that of anyone in the Lakers’ offer. Acquiring a player with All-NBA potential in an AD trade is reportedly a goal for New Orleans.

Davis’ camp has repeatedly made it clear that Boston isn’t a preferred destination for the All-NBA big man, but that strong anti-Celtics stance may be posturing in an effort to push AD to the Lakers. Ainge is unconcerned that the C’s aren’t on Davis’ wish list, and there’s little that would dissuade him from aggressively pursuing AD in the offseason, Mannix writes.

Here are a few more Davis-related items to kick off Tuesday:

While the Knicks are one of the teams on Davis’ wish list, they haven’t re-engaged the Pelicans since trading Kristaps Porzingis last week, sources tell Wojnarowski. Winning the draft lottery would be the Knicks’ best path to building a viable offer for Davis, which is one more reason why the Pelicans could be incentivized to wait until the offseason to make a move.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has not been included in any of the Lakers‘ offers for Davis, since he has the ability to veto a trade and has shown no interest in going to the Pelicans, per Tania Ganguli and Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times. Although the Lakers and KCP’s camp have been exploring possible destinations for the veteran wing, he appears unlikely to be moved this week, one source tells the Times duo.
The Suns have reached out to the Pelicans and Lakers and let them know that they’d have interest in Lonzo Ball and would be open to joining a potential Davis trade as a third team, according to Ganguli and Turner. Ball’s father LaVar said on Monday that he wants to see his son land in Phoenix if he’s traded by the Lakers.
If Davis remains in New Orleans through the deadline, there’s a “real possibility” that he and the Pelicans could agree to a limited playing schedule for the season’s final two months, according to Wojnarowski. That decision has yet to be made though.

Pelicans Leaning Toward Keeping Davis Past Deadline

February 4th, 2019 at 9:36pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Lakers are fighting an uphill battle to finalize a deal for Anthony Davis before the trade deadline, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports. There’s significant support within the Pelicans organization to retain Davis for the remainder of the season and revisit trade talks during the offseason, when several new and different scenarios would be available to them, Wojnarowski adds.

The Lakers are growing increasingly pessimistic the Pelicans will make a deal with them, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN tweets.

The Lakers upped the ante on Monday in their zeal to acquire Davis, who can become a free agent in the summer of 2020. They are presently offering the Pelicans a package built around three young starters — Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma and Lonzo Ball— and two first-round picks. They’re also willing to take on Solomon Hill‘s contract, which runs through next season.

Los Angeles president Magic Johnson had multiple phone conversations with New Orleans GM Dell Demps on Monday. Davis expanded his list of teams that he’d consider signing with in the long term besides the Lakers, including the Bucks, Clippers and Knicks. But the Clippers and Bucks have yet to make offers for Davis and the Knicks haven’t contacted Demps since trading Kristaps Porzingis to Dallas, league sources told Wojnarowski.

The Celtics remain anxious to trade for Davis during the offseason and pair him with Kyrie Irving, though their plan to pursue Davis remains unaffected by whatever Irving might do in free agency. The Celtics remain confident they’ll re-sign Irving, Wojnarowski adds.

New Orleans is hopeful the Celtics might include their top young player, Jayson Tatum, along with a package of first-round picks. By waiting past the deadline, the Pelicans would also have a better idea what type of first-round picks the Celtics could convey to them.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 2/4/19

February 4th, 2019 at 7:18pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Here are Monday’s assignments and recalls from the G League:

The Nets assigned forward Mitch Creek to the Long Island Nets, then recalled him and rookie Dzanan Musa in time for tonight’s game against Milwaukee, Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets. Musa scored 26 points and Creek added 15 in Long Island’s loss to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants on Monday afternoon. Creek signed a second 10-day contract on Monday morning.
The Celtics recalled rookie big man Robert Williams from the Maine Red Claws, the team’s PR department tweets. The first-round pick has appeared in 22 games with Boston this season.
The Rockets assigned forward Gary Clark to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Clark has appeared in 36 games with the Rockets, including one start, averaging 2.9 PPG and 2.6 RPG in 14.6 MPG.

Trade Rumors: Davis, Hill, Ball, Mavs, Favors

February 4th, 2019 at 5:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

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.

Anthony Davis Open To Signing Long-Term With ‘Handful’ Of Teams

February 4th, 2019 at 1:29pm CST by Luke Adams

1:29pm: The Clippers are also on Davis’ extended list, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who tweets that AD’s camp has told New Orleans he would sign long-term with the Knicks, Bucks, or either L.A. team. It sounds like those are the only four clubs on Davis’ list for now, per Charania (Twitter link).

1:21pm: The Bucks are one of the teams on Davis’ extended wish list, league sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link). However, Milwaukee has yet to inquire about an AD trade and would have trouble putting together a viable package — the Bucks have traded away multiple first-round picks and all of their most valuable players besides Giannis Antetokounmpo are on expiring contracts.

1:17pm: Reports over the last week have made it clear that the Lakers are Anthony Davis‘ preferred destination, with the Knicks also potentially on his wish list. However, those aren’t the only teams he’d be open to joining, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). According to Woj, the Pelicans have been informed of “a handful” of clubs with which Davis would be willing to sign long-term.

It’s not clear which teams are on that list besides the Lakers and Knicks, but the Celtics aren’t one of them, Wojnarowski reports.

The Celtics, who aren’t permitted to trade for Davis during the 2018/19 league year as long as Kyrie Irving remains on their roster, would likely still be willing to make a play for the All-NBA big man in the offseason if given the chance. Still, as Wojnarowski observes (via Twitter), this news could help open up the market for Davis in advance of the trade deadline — more teams could make aggressive offers if they’re confident that AD won’t necessarily be a rental.

Davis’ current contract runs through at least the 2019/20 season, and it likely won’t be financially advantageous for him to sign a new extension before the summer of 2020. Wojnarowski confirms that the 25-year-old has no plans to sign a new contract before he reaches the open market in ’20.

That extra year will be a factor for teams to consider when they make their offers for Davis. A franchise not on his preferred list of destinations may still want to roll the dice in a trade, knowing that it would have a full year to convince him to stay long-term. On the other hand, a club on his wish list would have to recognize that trading for him now wouldn’t provide any guarantees — no long-term agreement would be set in stone until the 2020 offseason, and Davis would have a right to change his mind about his future before then.

Brad Stevens Forced To Manage Melodrama

February 3rd, 2019 at 10:17pm CST by Austin Kent

There’s no denying that Brad Stevens wasted little time establishing himself as one of the best strategically minded coaches in the NBA. Now, amid rampant Anthony Davis discussion and speculation that Kyrie Irving will renege on his verbal commitment to re-sign with the Celtics, Stevens is getting a taste of a big league coach’s other responsibility: managing melodrama.

Sean Deveney of Sporting News writes that even though the Celtics have been winning games at an elite rate (nine of their past 10), Stevens will need to manage the personalities in his locker room more carefully than he ever had to during his time coaching in the NCAA.

Deveney writes that it’s been said that Stevens “tends to handle his players with too much emphasis on Xs-and-Os and not enough TLC.” The fate of this Celtics team could depend on him striking a balance.

Recent comments from Anthony Davis‘ father have cast new light on one of the teams most commonly linked to the superstar. Thomas Lott of Sporting News writes about Davis’ father slamming the Celtics organization for their treatment of former star Isaiah Thomas during the summer of 2017. Davis’ father says that although he would not want his son to play for the franchise, that’s not necessarily how the youngest Davis feels.

LeBron Supports Kyrie, Discusses Phone Call

February 3rd, 2019 at 1:54pm CST by Arthur Hill

LeBron James complimented former teammate Kyrie Irving on his latest comments about free agency and spoke for the first time about their recent phone call, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic.

“Me and Kyrie are in a good place right now,” James said, explaining that Irving’s apology when they talked by phone helped to repair their relationship. “I love the man that he’s becoming, I love the challenges he’s accepted and I always wish the best for him.”

Irving placed the call last month to apologize to James for being difficult during his younger years in Cleveland, saying he understands the situation better now that he’s a veteran. Kevin Love, the other member of the Cavs’ former Big Three, happened to be out for dinner with LeBron during the call.

James called it “a great conversation,” but wouldn’t reveal what he said to Irving.

The Celtics guard made news on Friday with a terse statement regarding his plans for this summer, when he can opt out of his contract and become a free agent. Irving previously pledged to re-sign in Boston, but there has been talk that he’s having second thoughts.

“He handled it great,” James said of Irving’s comments. “His post interview was great as well. Just a lot of things that’s going on in our league right now, and the one thing you want to focus on is getting that team to place where he wanted it to be, and that’s competing for a championship.”

The phone call sparked some speculation that Irving might be interested in a reunion with LeBron in Los Angeles. The Knicks are reportedly hoping to team Kyrie with Kevin Durant after opening enough cap space for two top-level free agents with this week’s trade of Kristaps Porzingis. If Irving stays in Boston, he and James could wind up as competitors in the summer’s hottest story line — the battle to get Anthony Davis out of New Orleans.

Irving told reporters Friday that he is tired of all the rumors.

“Obviously you’d hope it would quiet down, but it doesn’t help when across the league it’s just outside noise again, and my name gets thrown into it,” he said. “Conversations, speculations, everybody’s worried about their credibility. I don’t know how this media empire works. I know it’s a bunch of nonsense to me. So I have a focus on winning a championship this year, and that’s where my focus is going to stay.”

Aron Baynes To Be Sidelined “A Few Weeks”

February 3rd, 2019 at 12:08pm CST by Arthur Hill

Celtics center Aron Baynes is “shutting it down for a few weeks” because of pain in his left foot, tweets Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. The team says the injury is to the cuboid bone, adds Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston (Twitter link).

Baynes said the pain started about two weeks ago and “wasn’t getting any better,” relays A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston (Twitter link). He has tried to play through it, logging 21 minutes Friday against the Knicks, but it has become too severe.

The timing means Baynes will almost certainly be out through the All-Star break. Baynes’ absence will mean more minutes for Daniel Theis, Guerschon Yabusele and rookie Robert Williams, although Williams will miss today’s game with back soreness.

Baynes has seen reduced playing time in his second season with the Celtics, averaging, 5.7 PPG and 4.3 RPG in about 15 minutes per night. He has a $5.45MM player option for next season.

Knicks Notes: Jordan, Matthews, Zion, Davis

February 3rd, 2019 at 10:59am CST by Arthur Hill

DeAndre Jordan and Wesley Matthews may not be with the Knicks very long, but coach David Fizdale is preparing to use them, tweets Ian Begley of ESPN. Acquired in the trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis to Dallas, both players are veterans with expiring contracts who will be buyout candidates if they aren’t traded by Thursday’s deadline.

“What I want to try to do with them is get them minutes where they can start helping our guys understand defense,” Fizdale said. “DeAndre is going to be a guy that really helps Mitchell (Robinson) and I think having him be able to do it with demonstration and not just words, I think, is going to be important.

“Because DeAndre, he’s a veteran version of what Mitchell is hoping to become. And the same with Wesley. I think Wes is really going to be able to help Dot (Damyean Dotson) and Zo (Allonzo Trier), especially when it comes to defending. So I want to be able to find him some minutes out there so that he can demonstrate it while he’s doing it.”

There’s more from New York City:

Knicks fans aren’t the only ones dreaming about the possibility of having Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Zion Williamson in their lineup next season. The expected No. 1 pick told Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv he has considered it as well. “It would be dope to play with KD and Kyrie, but like I said I’m enjoying college and whichever team drafts me I’m going to be ready to play hard and work,” Williamson said Saturday after Duke defeated St. John’s. The Knicks hold the top spot in our latest Reverse Standings.
The prospect of bringing two elite free agents to New York suddenly seems feasible now that the Knicks project to have about $70MM in cap space, writes Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. Fans welcomed Irving to Madison Square Garden Friday night with a rousing ovation, followed by chants of “We want Kyrie.” However, if the Knicks don’t get their top targets, Vorkunov wonders if they will be content with another year of rebuilding or if they’ll throw that money at players such as Tobias Harris and Kemba Walker.
The Knicks may have a path to team up Durant, Irving and Anthony Davis, tweets salary cap expert Albert Nahmad. He explains that New York could agree to a deal with the Pelicans before the draft involving its lottery pick, young players and future selections. The Knicks would then take whomever New Orleans wants, add Durant and Irving with cap space and finalize the Davis trade 30 days after the draftee signs his contract (Twitter link).

Latest On Anthony Davis

February 1st, 2019 at 2:28pm CST by Arthur Hill

Anthony Davis has no interest in remaining sidelined while the Pelicans work out his future, tweets Will Guillory of The Athletic. In his first public statements since making his trade request, Davis said he will get his injured left index finger re-evaluated after Saturday’s game in San Antonio and intends to return to action once he is medically cleared.

Davis hasn’t played since January 18 because of a volar plate avulsion fracture. There has been speculation that the Pelicans will keep him sidelined until at least the trade deadline and possibly even the rest of the season to prevent further injury in anticipation of a deal. New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry told reporters that Davis won’t be able to play this week (Twittter link), adding that there’s nothing else to stay about his future status (Twitter link from Scott Kushner of The Advocate).

Speaking with reporters today, Davis insisted he never gave the Pelicans “a timetable or a destination” regarding his desire to be traded (Twitter link). He explained that he felt like he has accomplished all he could in New Orleans and wants to try a new challenge, relays Stefano Fusaro on ESPN Now.

“I just feel like it is my time,” Davis said. “Gave the city, organization, fans, everything I felt like I could do. I don’t know how long I’m going to play this game. People’s careers are short. I felt like it is my time to move on.”

There’s more Davis-related news today:

The Lakers remain Davis’ first choice in any trade, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. The Knicks are also high on his list and made an offer to the Pelicans that included Kristaps Porzingis before trading him to Dallas yesterday. Porzingis had no plans to sign a long-term deal with New Orleans if he had gone there, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer (Twitter link).
The Celtics may try to collect trade chips to improve an eventual offer to New Orleans, writes ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. Boston is investigating the cost of acquiring a few young players who might interest the Pelicans. Management in New Orleans wants to avoid trading Davis to L.A., Windhorst adds, and might be waiting for summer when the Celtics can get involved in the bidding.
Davis’ representatives have put out a message that he won’t re-sign with the Celtics in 2020 unless Kyrie Irving remains with the team, according to Sean Deveney of Sporting News. Irving seems to be having second thoughts about the verbal commitment he made to stay in Boston and may explore his free agency options this summer. However, front-office sources tell Deveney that the statements from Davis’ camp might be a “smokescreen” to scare off the Celtics and give Davis an easier path to L.A. If Irving does leave, the Celtics would likely drop out of the bidding for Davis without a commitment that they can keep him past next season. That may leave the Pelicans without a strong alternative to sending Davis to the Lakers, which Deveney also states that the front office is trying to avoid.