Pelicans Rumors

Anthony Davis, David Griffin Met On Wednesday

2:25pm: After meeting this morning in L.A., Griffin and Davis are expected to “continue a dialogue” going forward, league sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Griffin will continue to try to make his case for why AD should seriously consider staying in New Orleans.

9:39am: New Pelicans head of basketball operations David Griffin will get his opportunity to meet with star big man Anthony Davis today, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter). While Charania’s report doesn’t include any additional details, Griffin previously said that the meeting would likely take place in Los Angeles.

Since being hired by the Pelicans last month to run the franchise’s front office, Griffin has been adamant about wanting to do all he can to retain Davis, despite the fact that the 26-year-old issued a trade request earlier this year.

Both before and after the draft lottery, reports indicated that Davis’ stance on that trade request remained unchanged, and that he still wants to be dealt to a new team. Now that he has a chance to sit down with his new star, Griffin will try to change Davis’ mind and convince him that he can lead a contender in New Orleans, particularly with the club in position to draft top prospect Zion Williamson next month.

Outside of the impending addition of Williamson, there are a number of factors working in Griffin’s favor. He has a good relationship with AD’s agent Rich Paul, who represented LeBron James when Griffin was the general manager in Cleveland. The Pelicans’ new executive VP of basketball operations also won’t be influenced by any past tension with Davis or his camp, since he wasn’t part of the organization when that trade request was made. Plus, New Orleans can still put a super-max extension offer on the table.

[RELATED: Designated Veteran Extension History, Eligible Players]

If Davis sticks to his trade request and shows no interest in being part of the Pelicans’ long-term future, Griffin would have two viable options: Trade him this offseason, or hang onto him anyway with an eye toward moving him at the 2020 trade deadline (or changing his mind by then).

Earlier today, we ranked 25 of the most valuable trade assets held by a handful of the teams believed to be prime suitors for Davis.

Top 25 Assets Among Presumed Anthony Davis Contenders

The Anthony Davis sweepstakes are expected to be in full swing until the Pelicans trade the disgruntled big man. Hoops Rumors surveyed past and present NBA executives and scouts to compile a ranking of the players and picks available to the presumed Davis contenders.

We included the Lakers, Knicks, and Celtics, as each has been linked to the big man, as well as the Clippers, who could be the wild card team that acquires him. There may be a number of other suitors for Davis once trade talks begin in earnest, but for now these are the four teams that look best positioned – and most motivated – to make a play for the Pelicans’ star.

Before we move onto our rankings, it’s worth noting that we did not including LeBron James when speaking with sources, since it’s extremely unlikely the Lakers would trade him. Players with the ability to hit the open market, such as Kyrie Irving and Al Horford, were also not included.

Let’s dive in…


1. Jayson Tatum (Celtics)
2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Clippers)
3. No. 3 Overall Pick (Knicks)

There’s an important distinction to remember as we navigate through these players and picks: not everyone within the league is aligned on the value of each asset. The top tier, like many of these clusters, comes down to what exactly you value most.

What route the Pelicans will take if they meet Davis’ trade request isn’t known. New head of basketball operations David Griffin could opt for a full rebuild around Zion Williamson. Or he could look to build around Jrue Holiday and Williamson, aiming to contend for a playoff spot sooner rather than later. The Pelicans were not immediately available to comment on their plan or ranking.

Jayson Tatum is a sure thing. Plug him into the starting lineup in New Orleans and he immediately raises the club’s floor. While he may not ever develop into a true MVP-caliber player and has just two years remaining on his rookie-scale contract, he’s a tantalizing trade chip.

A prospect like R.J. Barrett, the favorite to be selected No. 3 overall, would be on a cost-controlled deal for four years and his cap projection would align with Zion’s in New Orleans, providing an enormous amount of flexibility for a franchise.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has three years remaining on his rookie deal, showed progress over the course of the season and the Clippers love him. While there’s a chance he doesn’t reach it, SGA may have a higher ceiling than Tatum.

One former executive said Gilgeous-Alexander should be No. 1 on this list, telling Hoops Rumors that the 6’5″ point guard would be under strong consideration for the No. 2 overall pick if he were in this year’s draft. Other opinions ranged from definitive top-five selection to simply top 10.

Steve Ballmer‘s club has every asset needed to get a deal done with the Pelicans without including SGA. As for the Celtics, Tatum may not even be on the table in a Davis deal either. Boston could ostensibly acquire Davis without including Tatum, but it would likely require Griffin to have googly eyes for Jaylen Brown or the 2020 Memphis pick (more on that below).

We haven’t heard officially whether the Knicks would pony up the No. 3 overall pick for Davis. There were conflicting reports before the lottery on whether they would have been willing to trade the rights to Williamson for AD if they had landed the No. 1 pick.


4. No. 4 Overall Pick (Lakers)
5. Memphis’ 2020 Top-6 Protected First-Rounder (Celtics)

Opinions are split on the Memphis pick. Some believe the league has overvalued the Celtics’ accumulated selections. For example, the Kings’ selection was once perceived as gold. It ultimately ended up as this year’s No. 14 overall pick (Boston’s, via the Markelle Fultz deal with Philly, via Sacramento’s salary dump of Nik Stauskas, Carl Landry, and Jason Thompson).Read more

Rockets, Pelicans Interested In Tyronn Lue As Assistant

Despite the fact that his negotiations for the Lakers’ head coaching job fell through, former Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue continues to draw interest around the NBA. The Rockets and Pelicans have pursued Lue as a potential lead assistant, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic.

However, according to Charania, Lue remains focused on landing a head coaching job. Sources tell Charania that Lue has passed on a couple offers to become an assistant since he was let go by the Cavaliers last fall.

One of those offers, Charania reports, came from Houston during the season. While the Rockets haven’t made a formal offer recently, they’re on the lookout for assistants after parting ways with Jeff Bzdelik, Mitch Vanya, and Roy Rogers.

As for the Pelicans, there are two connections linking Lue to the franchise. New head of basketball operations David Griffin, of course, worked with the former Cavs coach in Cleveland. Lue also worked alongside Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry in Los Angeles, when both men were assistants on Doc Rivers‘ Clippers staff.

The Grizzlies are currently the only NBA team still in the market for a new head coach, and Lue hasn’t been identified as a potential target for Memphis. Assuming the Grizzlies go in another direction, it will be interesting to see whether Lue becomes more open to a lead assistant role, or whether he’ll consider taking the 2019/20 season off in the hopes of being hired as a head coach next spring.

Guillory Makes Case For Retaining Anthony Davis

  • With Pelicans head of basketball operations talking about the possibility of retaining Anthony Davis, Will Guillory of The Athletic makes the case for Davis staying in New Orleans, even as he acknowledges that a trade is still the most likely outcome.

Suns Notes: Collison, Conley, Davis, Williams

Darren Collison may be the most realistic solution to the Suns‘ point guard problem, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. An unrestricted free agent, Collison spent the past two seasons with the Pacers, averaging 11.9 points and 5.3 assists per game during his time there.

He pushes the ball up court quickly, runs the pick-and-roll well, and is an above average defender, all things Phoenix needs from that position, Rankin states. The Suns should have enough cap room to make an attractive offer to Collison, who earned $10MM this season, and they have a connection, as Collison played for new VP of basketball operations Jeff Bower during his rookie season in New Orleans.

Phoenix could also pursue a couple of high-priced point guards if it wants to take a win-now approach, Rankin notes. The Grizzlies’ Mike Conley is expected to return to the trade market now that his team is in position to draft Ja Morant, while the Rockets may be willing to part with Chris Paul to get out from under his salary commitment.

There’s more tonight from Phoenix:

  • The Suns could also try to get involved in the pursuit of Pelicans star Anthony Davis, Rankin adds in the same piece. He speculates they could offer Deandre Ayton and the No. 6 pick, along with T.J. Warren, Josh Jackson and Tyler Johnson to help match salaries. While Davis is no lock to re-sign in Phoenix, Rankin thinks it might be worth the risk to prove the organization is serious about winning and to give Davis a chance to develop a rapport with Devin Booker.
  • Monty Williams considered staying out of coaching to care for his family, but his children insisted he give it another try, relays Kevin Zimmerman of Arizona Sports. At his introductory press conference Tuesday, the Suns’ new head coach explained what brought him back to the game after his wife’s tragic death in 2016. “My oldest daughter kind of read me the riot act one day about getting back into coaching,” Williams said. “And then I had a conversation with (Spurs GM) R.C. Buford one day … R.C. looked me in the eyes and said, ‘Your kids won’t be happy if you don’t get back into coaching.’ Those two episodes really pushed me back into the mode of doing what I do well.”
  • The reputation Phoenix has as a bad basketball city is an impediment to adding free agents, says Michelle Gardner of The Arizona Republic. Phoenix finished 27th in a recent “Best Cities for Basketball” survey and ranked next to last in attendance this season.

NBA Announces 2018/19 All-Defensive Teams

The NBA has officially announced its All-Defensive teams for the 2018/19 season, with Jazz center Rudy Gobert once again coming in as the leading vote-getter.

Gobert, a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year, was listed on 99 of 100 ballots, with 97 of those ballots giving him a First Team vote, for a total of 196 points (two points per First Team vote; one point per Second Team vote). The All-Defensive nod ensures that the big man receives a $500K bonus, which had been considered likely since he was named to an All-Defensive team last season, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

Gobert was closely followed by fellow Defensive Player of the Year candidates Paul George (Thunder) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks), who received 195 and 193 total points, respectively.

[RELATED: NBA Announces 2018/19 All-Rookie Teams]

Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday secured a $100K bonus by earning a spot on the All-Defensive Second Team, notes Marks (via Twitter). Like Davis, he was an All-Defensive player last season as well, so that bonus had been considered likely — his cap hits for this year or next won’t be impacted by him earning it.

Here are the full voting results for the All-Defensive First and Second Teams, with each player’s point total noted in parentheses:

First Team:

Second Team:

Raptors guard Danny Green actually totaled 66 points, including 19 First Team votes, while Clippers guard Patrick Beverley had 48 points (14 First Team votes). However, All-Defensive teams are determined by position, so they didn’t make the cut because they ranked fifth and sixth in voting among guards.

Pacers center Myles Turner (39 points), Rockets forward P.J. Tucker (38), Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (24), and Spurs guard Derrick White (15) were the other leading vote-getters.

You can find the full voting results right here.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

And-Ones: Pelicans, Draft, Hornets

New Pelicans GM Trajan Langdon said leaving Brooklyn was a “very difficult decision” for him and his family, as he told Hoops Rumors and other outlets during his introductory press conference call earlier today. However, the chance to team up with head of basketball operations David Griffin again was too great to pass up.

“The opportunity to join up with Griff again and do something special in a place that nobody believes it can be done — aside from the people in this organization and the city — is something that is very intriguing,” Langdon said.

[RELATED: David Griffin Plans To Meet With Anthony Davis In Los Angeles]

Langdon will serve under Griffin, but his roles and responsibilities are not yet fully defined. The two men previously worked together in Cleveland and are familiar with one another, with Langdon emphasizing during today’s conference call that Griffin is not a micromanager. Griffin said that their relationship allows them “to challenge each other in ways strangers may not be able to.”

Langdon aided the Nets‘ turnaround, helping the franchise rebuild, and was key in helping to build talent in Brooklyn’s G League team. The Pelicans will put out a G League squad for the first time in franchise history next season.

Here’s more from around the league:

David Griffin Plans To Meet With Anthony Davis In L.A.

Speaking today to reporters, new Pelicans head of basketball operations David Griffin reiterated that he remains focused on selling Anthony Davis on the idea of remaining in New Orleans, despite reports that Davis plans to stick to his trade request. According to Griffin, he intends to meet with the All-Star big man soon, as Mike Triplett of ESPN.com writes.

“We’ll probably sit together in Los Angeles at some point around the draft workouts that take place there,” Griffin said during a conference call to introduce newly-hired GM Trajan Langdon. “And I think that’s the next step — really to look each other in the eye and talk about what’s important to us. And we’re very optimistic from previous conversations with Rich Paul, his agent, and with all of the people here that know Anthony and know what he’s about, we’re very confident that we have a compelling situation for him here.”

When Paul publicly announced in January that his client wanted to be traded, his statement focused on Davis’ desire to join “a team that allows him a chance to win consistently and compete for a championship.” While Davis didn’t feel during the season as if the Pelicans were that team, the franchise has taken some positive steps since then, revamping its front office and hiring a respected executive in Griffin.

The Pels also lucked into the No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft, putting them in position to add Zion Williamson next month. In other words, the outlook in New Orleans is brighter than it was a few months ago, which is a point Griffin hopes to make when he meets with AD.

“If winning is what he is indeed all about, which we have every reason to believe, we feel confident that we can create — and are creating — the right environment for Anthony and frankly for high-caliber players of all types to want to be a part of,” Griffin said today, per Triplett. “This is something that we hope creates an energy that recruits itself, and Anthony would just be one step in that process.”

If Davis doesn’t waver on his stance and Griffin doesn’t believe the two sides can coexist going forward, the Knicks, Lakers, Celtics, Clippers, and a handful of other teams are viewed as possible trade partners for the Pelicans this summer.

Lakers Notes: Pelinka, Johnson, Demps, Russell

Lakers GM Rob Pelinka said Magic Johnson‘s blistering comments about him were “surprising” and “disheartening,” Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Johnson, who resigned as president of basketball operations shortly before the season ended, accused Pelinka on ESPN’s First Take of “backstabbing” him for telling people around the league he wasn’t working hard enough. Pelinka responded to the accusation during coach Frank Vogel‘s introductory press conference.

“They’re just simply not true,” Pelinka said. “I stand beside him. I stand with him as a colleague and a partner. I’ve always supported everything he’s done and will continue to.”

According to an ESPN report, Pelinka spoke to Johnson two days ago regarding the team landing the fourth pick in the draft lottery.

We have more on the Lakers:

  • Pelinka confirmed that the organization will not hire a president of basketball operations to replace Johnson, according to a post from ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk. Pelinka revealed that, in terms of decision-making, he consults with the basketball staff as well as senior adviser Kurt Rambis and then makes suggestions to owner Jeanie Buss.
  • Pelinka vows that the turmoil surrounding the organization won’t prevent it from building a championship team as soon as next season, ESPN’s Dave McMenanim writes. “I think if people take a look at where this franchise is right now, again we have a great coach, we have a high draft pick. We have a great young core, maybe one of the best in the league. We have a superstar on our team, and an open slot,” he said. “So I think people can look at this as an opportunity to win a championship possibly next year.”
  • Johnson blamed former Pelicans GM Dell Demps in the ESPN interview for leaking trade offers involving Anthony Davis prior to the trade deadline, Dan Feldman of NBC Sports relays. “I told Dell Demps, ‘Let’s just do it in private. What we offer, let’s keep it between us.’ Well, Dell didn’t do that. So, that’s how it got out,” Johnson said.
  • Johnson also said during the First Take interview that his decision to trade D’Angelo Russell to the Nets was directly related to the issues he had with former Lakers guard Nick Young, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News writes. Russell pranked Young by goading his teammate into admitting that he cheated on his former fiancé, recording star Iggy Azalea. Russell posted the recording on his private Snapchat account but it became public.

Pelicans Hire Trajan Langdon As GM

3:33pm: The hiring of Langdon is official, per a release from the Pelicans.

10:40am: Assistant GM Trajan Langdon will leave the Nets to become the new GM in New Orleans, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. The move completes a front office makeover for the Pelicans, who hired David Griffin last month as executive vice president of basketball operations.

Langdon impressed Pelicans officials when he interviewed for the top job in the organization, and the team was happy to be able to secure both men, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link).

He has prior experience working with Griffin, serving as director of player administration and basketball operations for Cleveland during the 2015/16 season, notes Andrew Lopez of The New Orleans Times-Picayune (Twitter link).

Langdon has been with Brooklyn’s front office since 2016. He was drafted by the Cavaliers in 1999 and played three seasons in Cleveland, but spent most of his career overseas.