Pelicans Rumors

Pelicans Notes: Davis, Holiday, Tatum

February 8th, 2019 at 10:56pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Chatter surrounding the Pelicans sitting Anthony Davis for the rest of the season resulted in the league informing the franchise that there would be consequences if the All-Star doesn’t play, sources tell Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. The NBA referenced the rules put in place two seasons ago restricting teams from resting healthy players. The Pelicans were told the fine would be $100K for every game that Davis sat.

New Orleans’ front office met with Davis after the trade deadline passed to discuss the plan for the rest of the season. Davis expressed his desire to play as many games as possible as the season winds down. The team decided it would act “ethically” and give Davis the role he had prior to his latest injury with a few caveats.

Davis will not play in back-to-backs and it’s possible that his minutes could be reduced. Davis will get to choose which end of the back-to-back he will play for the remainder of the season, sources tell Windhorst. After tonight’s tilt with Minnesota, the team has 26 games remaining.

Here’s more from New Orleans:

Will the Celtics offer Jayson Tatum to the Pelicans in exchange for Davis over the summer? Sean Deveney of Sporting News confirms previous reports indicating while Boston has made no promises, the Pelicans were left with the impression that Tatum will be on the table in future trade talks.
The Celtics were upset about the news of Kyrie Irving‘s level of interest in New York as they feel the story was planted by Davis’ agent in an attempt to deter the team from being comfortable with promising a haul to the Pelicans for Davis. “It was cheap and underhanded,” a source tells Deveney.
The Pelicans are expected to watch Kevin Knox, Frank Ntilikina and Dennis Smith Jr. closely over the remainder of the season, Zach Lowe of ESPN.com writes. Lowe contends that the Knicks will need the Pelicans to increase their interest in at least one of their prospects if they don’t land the No. 1 pick and are going to have a chance at trading for Davis this summer.
Jrue Holiday has no interest in being on a lottery-bound team and if the Pelicans eventually trade Davis, his level of content will depend on what comes back in the trade, Lowe adds in the same piece.

The Deadline Deals That Didn’t Happen

February 8th, 2019 at 8:47pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Raptors were close to acquiring Nikola Mirotic, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports on his podcast. The power forward would have been part of a three-team trade with the Pelicans and Magic in the proposed framework. Toronto didn’t have the expiring contracts that New Orleans was seeking and Mirotic was instead sent to the Bucks.

Toronto shifted its focus back to Marc Gasol and acquired the big man from Memphis in exchange for Jonas Valanciunas, Delon Wright, C.J. Miles, and a 2024 second-round pick.

The Hornets came close to acquiring Gasol before some “last-minute haggling,” ESPN’s Zach Lowe writes. Charlotte had a lottery-protected first-round pick on the table for most of the week leading up to the deadline. Lowe passes along more deals that were discussed behind the scenes. Here are the highlights from his latest piece:

The Sixers offered two second-rounders to the Pelicans for Mirotic and prior to trading for Tobias Harris, Philadelphia and New Orleans discussed a Markelle Fultz-Mirotic swap. Fultz was dealt to the Magic for Jonathon Simmons and a pair of picks.
The Hornets pursued a deal for Harrison Barnes, dangling a first-round pick to the Mavericks, Lowe adds in the same piece. Dallas would have had to take back long-term money in the potential deal, something that it wasn’t willing to do.
The Nets and Grizzlies briefly discussed sending Allen Crabbe to Memphis along with a first-round pick (Denver’s 2019 selection) in exchange for Garrett Temple and JaMychal Green, sources tell Lowe. Tax concerns led Memphis to shy away from acquiring Crabbe, who will take home approximately $19MM next season.
Several teams attempted to pry Andrew Wiggins from the Wolves without giving up much in return. Minnesota was uninterested in giving Wiggins away.
Kris Dunn was available at the deadline but the Bulls weren’t looking to deal Zach LaVine. Lowe writes that Chicago may have only considered trading LaVine if it received an overwhelming offer, something that was unlikely to occur.

Every NBA Team’s Post-Deadline Roster Situation

February 8th, 2019 at 2:53pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA confirmed today that 2019’s trade deadline set and matched some records. The 14 trades completed on Thursday were the most made on a deadline day in the last 30 years, and the 19 teams involved in those swaps was tied for the most over that same period.

In total, 34 players were involved in those 14 trades — and that doesn’t even count the eight deals completed during the week leading up to the deadline, as we detailed last night.

Needless to say, there has been plenty of roster upheaval around the NBA, so we’re going to use this space to take a look at all 30 teams’ roster situations to see exactly where they stand. Does your favorite team have a full roster? Or is their roster somehow only two-thirds full? Looking at you, Raptors.

Here’s a breakdown of all 30 clubs’ roster situations at the time of this post’s publication (more moves will be made in the coming days or even hours that won’t be noted here, so keep that in mind):

Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks entered the week with 15 players, but had to waive Daniel Hamilton to clear a spot to acquire Jabari Bird. They subsequently traded Tyler Dorsey for Shelvin Mack, then waived both Bird and Mack.

They currently have 13 players on their roster, leaving two open spots. They’ll have two weeks to get back to the league-mandated minimum of 14 players.

Boston Celtics

After carrying 15 players all season, the Celtics traded Jabari Bird to create an open roster spot. They’ll explore the buyout market for candidates to fill that opening.

Brooklyn Nets

The Nets entered the week with 14 players on standard contracts and one (Mitch Creek) on a 10-day deal. Creek’s contract was terminated a few days early to make room for Greg Monroe, who was waived after being acquired from Toronto.

Brooklyn now has 14 players under contract and could opt to re-add Creek (albeit on a full-season contract), sign another player, or leave that spot empty for now.

Charlotte Hornets

The Hornets had a quiet week and continue to carry 14 players, leaving one open roster spot.

Chicago Bulls

The Bulls created an open spot on their roster by trading Bobby Portis and Jabari Parker for Otto Porter, and are now carrying 14 players.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavaliers acquired two players – Nik Stauskas and Wade Baldwin – for Rodney Hood, which required them to terminate Kobi Simmons‘ 10-day contract early to stay at 15 players.

Subsequently, Cleveland flipped Stauskas and Baldwin to Houston in exchange for Marquese Chriss and Brandon Knight, with Alec Burks heading to Sacramento in that three-team deal. The 3-for-2 move left the Cavs with 14 players and an open roster spot.

Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks, already at 15 players, acquired two veterans – Zach Randolph and Justin Jackson – in exchange for Harrison Barnes, and had to waive Salah Mejri to make the deal work.

They’re currently at 15 players, but will be releasing Randolph very soon to create an open roster spot.

Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets didn’t make any moves this week and continue to carry a full 15-man roster.

Detroit Pistons

Both of the Pistons‘ trades this week were 1-for-1 swaps in terms of players, with Thon Maker and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk replacing Reggie Bullock and Stanley Johnson.

However, with the team closing in on a deal for Wayne Ellington, someone will need to be waived to stay at the 15-man limit. That player will reportedly be Henry Ellenson.

Golden State Warriors

The Warriors didn’t make any moves this week and still have 14 players under contract, leaving an opening for potential buyout targets.

Houston Rockets

The Rockets had a very busy week. Initially carrying 14 players, they took on three (Iman Shumpert, Nik Stauskas, and Wade Baldwin) in exchange for two (Marquese Chriss and Brandon Knight) in a three-team trade with Sacramento and Cleveland.

That put Houston at the 15-man limit, but the club subsequently sent Stauskas and Baldwin to Indiana, and Ennis to Philadelphia. Now the Rockets are carrying just 12 players and will have two weeks to get back up to 14.

Indiana Pacers

The Pacers had an open roster spot coming into the week, but in order to accommodate a trade that saw them acquire two players (Nik Stauskas and Wade Baldwin) from the Rockets without sending a player back, they had to cut Ike Anigbogu.

Indiana reportedly plans to waive Stauskas and Baldwin, which would reduce their roster count to 13 players. They’d have two weeks to get back to 14.

Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers, with a full 15-man roster already, made a pair of 2-for-1 trades on deadline day that required them to waive a player. For their deal with the Grizzlies, the Clips waived Marcin Gortat. They cut Milos Teodosic to accommodate their swap with the Lakers.

The Clippers remain at 15 players, giving them a full roster, though there have been whispers that they’ll waive newly-acquired forward Michael Beasley.

Los Angeles Lakers

By sending Michael Beasley and Ivica Zubac to the Clippers for Mike Muscala, the Lakers opened up a spot on their roster.

With 14 players under contract, the Lakers are expected to keep an eye on Markieff Morris, Carmelo Anthony, and other veteran free agents.

Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies, who started the week with 14 players on standard contracts and Bruno Caboclo on a 10-day deal, were one of the league’s most active teams.

Memphis started by trading JaMychal Green and Garrett Temple to the Clippers for Avery Bradley, reducing their roster count to 14 players. However, the deal sending Marc Gasol to Toronto was a 3-for-1 swap, forcing the club to waive a player — Omri Casspi was the odd man out, which bodes well for Caboclo’s chances of sticking around.

The Grizzlies are now back to 14 players on standard contracts, plus Caboclo’s 10-day deal.

Miami Heat

The Heat already had an open roster spot and created a second one by moving Tyler Johnson and Wayne Ellington to Phoenix for Ryan Anderson. They’ll have to add a 14th man within the next two weeks.

Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks didn’t give up any major assets to acquire Nikola Mirotic, and even opened up a roster spot in the transaction, sending out Jason Smith and Thon Maker in the three-team trade.

Milwaukee is now carrying 14 players, leaving an opening for a possible buyout target.

Minnesota Timberwolves

The Timberwolves didn’t make any moves this week and still have 15 players under contract. One of those 15 is Isaiah Canaan, whose 10-day contract is about to expire, so Minnesota could create a roster opening by letting him go.

New Orleans Pelicans

The Pelicans started the week at 15 players, then swapped Wesley Johnson for Markieff Morris. Their second move was a 2-for-1 deal, with Nikola Mirotic sent out for Stanley Johnson and Jason Smith.

To make that deal official and remain at 15 players, New Orleans waived Morris.

New York Knicks

The Knicks, who had been carrying 14 players, didn’t make any trades this week, but still saw their roster count dip to 12 when they waived Enes Kanter and Wesley Matthews.

New York will have two weeks to get back to 14 players, and has room to sign three players in total.

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder were quiet at the deadline, but made a trade last Friday, sending Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot to Chicago. That deal reduced their roster count to 13 players, meaning they have one more week to return to 14.

Orlando Magic

The Magic, who had a full roster, made one trade this week, which only involved two players — Jonathon Simmons for Markelle Fultz. As a result, Orlando remains at 15 players.

Philadelphia 76ers

The Sixers started the week with an open roster spot after Corey Brewer‘s 10-day contract expired. Their 3-for-3 deal for Tobias Harris didn’t change that, but their acquisition of Malachi Richardson from the Raptors gave them a full roster.

Philadelphia followed up those moves by making two more deadline-day deals. Their Markelle Fultz/Jonathon Simmons swap didn’t require a corresponding move, but their acquisition of James Ennis did — in order to make room for Ennis, the 76ers waived Richardson.

The Sixers are now at 15 players, but if they reach a deal with a free agent, they could potentially waive someone like Justin Patton or Furkan Korkmaz.

Phoenix Suns

The Suns entered the week with 14 players under contract. That number dipped to 13 when Emanuel Terry‘s 10-contract expired, which gave the team more than enough room to take on Tyler Johnson and Wayne Ellington for Ryan Anderson.

Phoenix subsequently released Ellington, and is now at 13 players. The club will have two weeks to get back to 14.

Portland Trail Blazers

The Trail Blazers, who had been carrying 15 players, made a 2-for-1 deal earlier in the week for Rodney Hood and no longer have a full roster. They have 14 players under contract.

Sacramento Kings

After entering deadline day with a full roster, the Kings made three trades. Two were 1-for-1 deals (Skal Labissiere for Caleb Swanigan, and Iman Shumpert for Alec Burks), but the other one saw them acquire Harrison Barnes for Zach Randolph and Justin Jackson. That reduced their roster count to 14 players.

The Kings’ roster count dropped one further when they Ben McLemore, but they signed Corey Brewer to a 10-day contract today. Sacramento is now back to 14 players, leaving one open roster spot.

San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs had a quiet deadline and still have a full 15-man roster.

Toronto Raptors

As I alluded to in the introduction to this post, the Raptors had an eventful week that saw them shedding players left and right.

Toronto, already with one open roster spot, traded three players – Jonas Valanciunas, C.J. Miles, and Delon Wright – for Marc Gasol, and moved Malachi Richardson and Greg Monroe in salary-dump deals without taking anyone back. In total, the club traded five players for one, reducing its roster count to just 10(!) players.

Technically, teams aren’t allowed to drop below 11 players (not including two-way contracts), but the Raps likely received a short window to rectify that issue due to the nature of the trade deadline.

They’ll add an 11th man when they sign Malcolm Miller to a 10-day contract, which will likely become official tomorrow. They’ll have two weeks to add three more players to their roster to get back up to 14 players.

Utah Jazz

The Jazz didn’t make any moves this week and continue to carry a full 15-man roster.

Washington Wizards

The Wizards had 13 players on standard contracts and John Jenkins on a 10-day contract before making a pair of deadline trades. They used their open roster spot to take on Bobby Portis and Jabari Parker for Otto Porter, then made a 1-for-1 deal involving Markieff Morris and Wesley Johnson.

Washington now has a full 15-man roster, but can open up a spot when Jenkins’ 10-day deal expires tomorrow night.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Anthony Davis To Return To Pelicans’ Lineup

February 8th, 2019 at 8:57am CST by JD Shaw

FEBRUARY 8: While Davis will return to the court for the Pelicans, he’s expected to play in fewer – if any – back-to-backs, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who adds (via Twitter) that AD’s season average of 37.0 minutes per game also figures to decline going forward.

FEBRUARY 7: Despite considering shutting Anthony Davis down for the rest of the season, the Pelicans will allow Davis to return to the regular rotation, general manager Dell Demps said today in a statement.

“Anthony Davis will play the remainder of the 2018-19 season for the New Orleans Pelicans,” Demps said. “A number of factors contributed to this decision. Ultimately, Anthony made it clear to us that he wants to play and he gives our team the best opportunity to win games.

“Moreover, the Pelicans want to preserve the integrity of the game and align our organization with NBA policies,” Demps continued. “We believe Anthony playing upholds the values that are in the best interest of the NBA and its fans. We look forward to seeing Anthony in a Pelicans uniform again soon.”

New Orleans opted to keep Davis, who formally requested a trade from the team last month, past the NBA’s trading deadline today.

Davis was recently cleared by the team’s medical staff and sought a return to the lineup earlier in the week, but was rebuffed by Pelicans management as the team was seeking potential deals, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. The Pelicans next play at home against the Timberwolves on Friday, with the team not including Davis on its injury report.

Davis, 25, has averaged 29.3 points, 13.3 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game this season with New Orleans, shooting 51% from the floor and 33% from 3-point range in 41 contests.

Lowe’s Latest: Sixers, Mirotic, Hornets, Nets, More

February 8th, 2019 at 8:37am CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks‘ trade for Nikola Mirotic was made sweeter by the fact that the Sixers were in the hunt for the Pelicans‘ power forward before New Orleans opted to send him to Milwaukee, writes ESPN’s Zach Lowe in his post-deadline round-up.

According to Lowe, the Sixers offered a pair of second-round picks in their offer for Mirotic, which the Bucks bested by surrendering four second-rounders. Before the 76ers acquired Tobias Harris, they also discussed the general framework of a Mirotic/Markelle Fultz swap with the Pelicans, according to Lowe, who notes that it’s unclear whether those talks would have gotten serious if Philadelphia hadn’t completed its blockbuster deal for Harris.

Lowe’s article is packed with several more tidbits on the trade deadline, so we’ll round up the highlights here:

The Hornets came close to acquiring Marc Gasol from the Grizzlies for a package that would have included a lottery-protected pick, but the deal fell apart over “last-minute haggling” on the price, sources tell Lowe. Charlotte also pursued Harrison Barnes, but any offer that included a first-round pick would have also included multiyear salary the Mavericks didn’t want, Lowe reports.
Before the Grizzlies sent JaMychal Green and Garrett Temple to the Clippers, Memphis discussed a deal involving the duo for the Nets, according to Lowe, who says the return would’ve featured Allen Crabbe and Denver’s first-round pick. The Grizzlies, who had tax concerns, settled instead on L.A.’s offer, which didn’t include a draft pick.
At least one of the offers the Wizards received for Otto Porter featured a low first-round pick, but it would have been meant taking on multiyear money, per Lowe.
Kris Dunn probably could have been had at the deadline, but the Bulls likely wouldn’t have listened to inquiries on Zach LaVine unless someone had “overwhelmed” them, Lowe writes.
The Magic told teams in recent weeks that they wouldn’t part for Terrence Ross for anything less than a first-round pick, sources tell Lowe. Orlando ultimately kept Ross on its roster.
Jrue Holiday is a player worth keeping an eye on if and when the Pelicans eventually trade Anthony Davis. Sources tell Lowe that Holiday wants a chance to compete in the playoffs and is waiting to see what New Orleans gets in return for Davis.

Pelicans Waive Markieff Morris

February 8th, 2019 at 7:52am CST by JD Shaw

FEBRUARY 8: Morris was officially released on Thursday night, RealGM’s NBA transactions log confirms. While the Pelicans didn’t formally announce the transaction, Morris had to be cut in order to accommodate the Nikola Mirotic trade, which saw New Orleans acquire two players for one.

FEBRUARY 7: The Pelicans plan to waive forward Markieff Morris, who’s currently dealing with a neck injury, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

New Orleans acquired Morris and a 2023 second-round pick in a trade with Washington this week, sending away forward Wesley Johnson. Morris is dealing with Transient Cervical Neuropraxia and began experiencing discomfort in his neck and upper back last month. Morris is expected to seek a second opinion on his injury, per Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

The Wizards originally put a six-week timetable on Morris at the start of his injury, which was diagnosed during the first week of January.

Morris, an eight-year veteran, mostly spent the past four seasons as Washington’s starting power forward and established himself as a valuable 3-and-D talent. He joins Enes Kanter, Zach Randolph, Marcin Gortat, Wayne Ellington and others as players who are now available in free agency.

Before getting injured, Morris was averaging 11.5 points and 5.1 rebounds on 44% shooting, starting in 15 of 34 contests on the season.

Pelicans Trade Nikola Mirotic To Bucks In Three-Team Deal

February 7th, 2019 at 7:36pm CST by Luke Adams

7:36pm: The three-team trade involving the Pelicans, Bucks, and Pistons is now official, according to press releases issued by New Orleans and Milwaukee. Milwaukee gets Mirotic, Detroit gets Maker, and New Orleans acquires two players and four draft picks, as detailed below.

11:57am: The Bucks are adding another shooter to their frontcourt, having reached an agreement to acquire Nikola Mirotic from the Pelicans, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe (Twitter link).

New Orleans will receive Jason Smith‘s expiring contract along with Stanley Johnson in exchange for Mirotic, Woj reports (via Twitter). According to Marc Stein of The New York Times (via Twitter), the Pelicans will also receive four second-round picks as part of the deal.

A source tells Jake Fischer of SI.com (Twitter link) that two of those selections will be the Wizards’ 2020 and 2021 second-rounders, while Tim Bontemps of ESPN reports (via Twitter) that Denver’s 2019 second-rounder and the Bucks’ 2020 second-rounder are also in the package.

Milwaukee just reached an agreement on Wednesday to acquire Johnson from the Pistons in exchange for Thon Maker, but that deal has yet to be completed. the Bucks wouldn’t be permitted to aggregate Johnson’s salary with another player’s contract for two months after acquiring him, so it looks the two deals will be turned into one three-team trade, which helps explain why Detroit and Milwaukee haven’t finalized their agreement yet.

For the Bucks, this deal represents an impressive response to the Sixers’ acquisition of Tobias Harris on Wednesday. While Mirotic isn’t as dynamic a player as Harris, he should fit in very nicely in Mike Budenholzer‘s system, which already features a pair of sharpshooting big men in Brook Lopez and Ersan Ilyasova.

Mirotic, who will turn 28 next Monday, has been limited by injuries so far this season, but has been his usual productive self when he’s on the court, averaging 16.7 PPG and 8.3 RPG with a .447/.368/.842 shooting line in 28.9 MPG.

Mirotic is on an expiring contract, so the Bucks can add him to a list of free-agents-to-be that also includes Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe, Brook Lopez, and Malcolm Brogdon (restricted). Milwaukee will presumably attempt to retain as many of those players as possible in the offseason.

As for the Pelicans, their return for Mirotic won’t match the first-round pick they gave up for him a year ago, but they won’t take on any future salary, and one or two of those second-round picks could fall in the 30s.

They’ll also get a chance to take a look at Johnson, a former lottery pick who will be up for restricted free agency this summer. While the young wing never really blossomed into a reliable rotation player in Detroit, he still has some upside as a versatile defender, though he’d have to improve his shooting numbers to improve his value.

The Pelicans will have to open up a roster spot with another trade or cut in order to finalize the deal. The Bucks, on the other hand, will create an opening on their roster, though they’re now less than $1MM away from the luxury tax line, ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (via Twitter).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pelicans Not Trading Anthony Davis Today

February 7th, 2019 at 1:59pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pelicans will hang onto All-NBA big man Anthony Davis through the trade deadline, agent Rich Paul tells Joe Vardon of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The news sets up the Davis trade talks to be the hottest NBA story of the summer, with several teams expected to make offers. It will be celebrated most in Boston, where the Celtics have been to unable to engage the Pelicans in negotiations for Davis because of Rose Rule restrictions. Those will be lifted once Kyrie Irving opts out of his current deal, and Boston is expected to aggressively pursue Davis with a package of draft picks and young players.

It’s not good news for the Lakers, who lose the advantage of trying to deal for Davis without the Celtics involved. L.A. has offered various packages centered around young talent and future first-rounders, but wasn’t able to make any traction with the Pelicans’ front office, which believes the Lakers’ best offers will still be on the table this summer.

The Knicks and Clippers, who made trades in the past week that could enable them to offer two max deals in free agency, may also pursue Davis in hopes of forming the next superteam. They are both on his list of preferred locations, along with the Lakers and Bucks.

A more immediate concern is how much Davis will play over the next two months and whether it will become a distraction for the Pelicans. Although Davis recently received medical clearance after being sidelined with a fractured left index finger, New Orleans has been holding him out of a lineup to avoid further injury in case a trade was finalized before the deadline. Now that the deadline has passed, Davis wants to get back on the court, and it’s not clear whether Pelicans management will be on board.

New Orleans will be a long shot to make the playoffs, no matter how well Davis plays for the rest of the season. At 24-31, the Pelicans are six games out of the eighth spot in the West and just traded one of their top talents, sending Nikola Mirotic to the Bucks.

Arthur Hill contributed to this story.

Latest On Anthony Davis

February 7th, 2019 at 1:20pm CST by Arthur Hill

Some members of the Pelicans organization want to get the Anthony Davis trade done today to eliminate the public relations distraction, but those feelings don’t go all the way to the top, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link). The NFL’s Saints remain the priority for owner Gayle Benson and VP Mickey Loomis, who aren’t bothered by the Davis situation.

There’s more news about the top name on the trade market:

The Lakers’ last offer to the Pelicans involved Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Ivica Zubac, Josh Hart and a pair of first-round picks, tweets John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7. He suggests the Celtics are prepared to offer Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart, Robert Williams, Al Horford (assuming he opts in) and possibly three first-round picks this summer.
Davis will pressure the Pelicans to start playing him if he’s not dealt before the deadline, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin (Twitter link). “Every game,” a source said. Davis has been sidelined with a fractured left index finger, but recently received medical clearance.
Gambadoro expects Davis to be in the lineup for tomorrow’s game against Minnesota (Twitter link).

Western Notes: Clippers, Durant, Mavericks, Blazers

February 7th, 2019 at 11:21am CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers‘ decision to trade Tobias Harris was part of their larger plan to sign Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard this summer, writes Sam Amick of The Athletic. With its current roster, L.A. can create up to $53.19MM in cap room, enough for one maximum contract and about $20MM to chase a second star. But Amick reports that the Clippers have a plan to open space for two max deals, even if they can’t find a taker for Danilo Gallinari before today’s trade deadline. Gallinari is owed $22.6MM for next season.

The Clippers are also excited about the assets they received in the Sixers deal, Amick adds. They weren’t committed to giving Harris a max offer this summer, so they moved him for four draft picks (Miami’s first-rounder in 2021, Philadelphia’s first-rounder in 2020 with three years of lottery protection, plus Detroit’s second-rounders in 2021 and 2023) plus a promising rookie in Landry Shamet.

Amick also notes that Steve Ballmer’s willingness to spend gives the Clippers an edge in building a contender. He’s by far the wealthiest owner in the NBA and has connections to the tech industry that many players find appealing.

There’s more from the Western Conference:

Free agency is nearly five months away, but Durant is already testy about speculation over his future, relays Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. Breaking a week-long silence with the media, Durant lashed out at reporters after Wednesday’s game. “I have nothing to do with the Knicks,” he said. “I don’t know who traded (Kristaps) Porzingis. That’s got nothing to do with me. I’m trying to play basketball. Y’all come in here every day, ask me about free agency, ask my teammates, my coaches, rile up the fans about it. Let us play basketball. That’s all I’m saying.”
The Mavericks have traded four of their five starters over the past week as they start to build a new team around Luka Doncic, notes Tim Cowlishaw of The Dallas Morning News. Harrison Barnes was sent to Sacramento last night after last week’s blockbuster that brought in Porzingis for Dennis Smith Jr., DeAndre Jordan and Wesley Matthews. “This week is a zoo,” coach Rick Carlisle said, “but that’s part of the compelling business of our league.”
The Trail Blazers have a $3.5MM trade exception remaining if they want to swing one more deal before the deadline, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). Portland declined the chance to create a pair of small exceptions worth $1.5MM in the trade for Rodney Hood.
Pelicans center Jahlil Okafor has chosen an agent after being without representation since September, tweets Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal. He signed with Excel Sports and will have Sean Kennedy as his agent.

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