Anthony Davis Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Warriors Notes: Luxury Tax, Chase Center, Free Agents

February 3rd, 2019 at 7:00pm CST by Austin Kent

Re-signing pending free agents Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson to substantial, long-term contracts would have major financial implications for the Warriors – upward of $300MM per year, potentially – but franchise owner Joe Lacob doesn’t think luxury tax and salary costs are the issue heading forward, Tim Kawakami of The Athletic writes.

“We can do whatever we want [financially],” Lacob said. “And you should expect that that’s not going to be a reason this team … doesn’t stay great going forward. We have the capital to pay our players what they deserve. And we will.”

Kawakami notes that this is a change in tone from what we’ve heard from the team’s ownership group in the past. There may be several factors responsible for that, including the “unprecedented influx of cash” that the team’s new stadium is expected to bring. The Warriors will begin playing at the Chase Center next fall.

There’s more from the Bay Area tonight:

The Warriors are in somewhat of a holding pattern until Durant makes his decision whether to remain with the franchise or move elsewhere, Kawakami notes in the above-mentioned article. These dynamics may have put Anthony Davis just out of reach for the team. “The best thing for us to do is keep our great players together as long as we can, as long as we should, and then develop on the margins,” Lacob said.
With free agency looming and the Knicks posturing to be a major player, New York appears to at the very least be an option for Durant. Kevin O’Connor of The Ringers writes that the forward has wavered between staying or leaving all season.
Since the blockbuster trade that freed up two max contract slots in the Knicks’ books last Thursday, Durant has been quieter than usual, Mark Medina of The Mercury News writes. Durant has avoided post-game interviews after each of Golden State’s last two matchups.

Lakers, Pelicans To Resume Anthony Davis Trade Talks

February 2nd, 2019 at 10:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers and Pelicans will have more discussions regarding Anthony Davis before Thursday’s trade deadline, according to Tania Ganguli and Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times.

Updating the progress of negotiations, the Times writers state that the Lakers submitted five offers to New Orleans on Wednesday, but Pelicans officials have yet to hold internal discussions on them. Multiple sources told the Times that one of the offers would send Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram, Ivica Zubac and a first-round pick to the Pelicans.

New Orleans is reportedly mulling over a counter-offer that would seek a pair of first-round picks and would send a Pelicans player to the Lakers. Besides Davis and Jrue Holiday, whom New Orleans intends to keep, the only significant contracts for next season belong to Solomon Hill ($12,758,781) and E’Twaun Moore ($8,664,928). Julius Randle has a player option worth a little more than $9MM.

Davis remains the focus of the Lakers’ trade efforts, but L.A. is also seeking shooters, presumably to replenish the team if it trades four players for Davis. Ganguli reported earlier tonight that the Lakers called the Pistons about Reggie Bullock, who is shooting 38.3% from downtown and ranks 14th in the league with 2.4 3-pointers per game.

Hoops Rumors Originals: 1/26/19 – 2/2/19

February 2nd, 2019 at 6:16pm CST by Arthur Hill

Every week, the Hoops Rumors writing team creates original content to complement our news feed. Below are the original segments and features from the past seven days:

We rated every team’s chances of landing Pelicans star Anthony Davis.
Our Free Agent Stock Watch continued with a look at the Central Division.
We conducted our weekly Chat ahead of the trade deadline.
Fantasy basketball expert Chris Crouse examined the impact of the Kristaps Porzingis trade.
Luke Adams broke down the financial and salary cap implications of the Porzingis blockbuster.
In this week’s Community Shootaround post, we asked:
- Did the Knicks or Mavericks get the best of the Porzingis deal?

Pelicans Unimpressed By Lakers’ ‘Underwhelming’ Offers

February 2nd, 2019 at 9:22am CST by marksuleymanov

Los Angeles is reportedly Anthony Davis‘ preferred landing spot but the Lakers‘ early offers for the talented big man have been underwhelming, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports.

In their first offer for Davis, the Lakers’ package included Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Rajon Rondo, Michael Beasley and a first-round pick, Wojnarowski writes. The Lakers’ offers to the Pelicans’ have been limited to two of the organization’s top young players, one first-round pick and no salary relief, sources tell the ESPN scribe.

Wojnarowski compared the Lakers’ pursuit of Davis to the organization’s attempts to acquire Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in recent seasons. While L.A. had significant interest, the club’s offers underwhelmed the Spurs and Pacers, respectively, and both players were traded elsewhere.

While the two teams’ basketball decision-makers, Magic Johnson and Dell Demps, remain in touch, the Pelicans feel the early offers have not warranted a response or counter-offer, per ESPN’s report. The NBA trade deadline is five days away, which gives both sides time to find common ground on a trade.

As we relayed yesterday, the Knicks and Celtics are among the other teams with interest in Davis. However, the Knicks traded perhaps their most valuable asset in Kristaps Porzingis to the Mavericks after including him in offers for Davis. Also, the Celtics remain interested in Davis, but their ability to make an offer is restricted until July, and AD’s camp seems to be taking extra measures to push him toward the Lakers.

On Friday, Davis made his first comments since his trade request went public. The five-time All-Star explained he wants a new challenge after seven seasons in New Orleans, per 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.”

Davis is sidelined with an injured left index finger, which he said will be re-evaluated after Saturday’s game in San Antonio. While he intends to return to action once he is medically cleared, there’s a chance the Pelicans will sit the big man for the rest of the season if a trade is not made.

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.

Kyrie Irving On Free Agency: “Ask Me July 1”

February 1st, 2019 at 10:37am CST by Luke Adams

Amidst speculation that he may be wavering on his preseason verbal commitment to re-signing with the Celtics, Kyrie Irving was asked today about his free agency plans, and his response likely didn’t calm any nerves in Boston.

“Ask me July 1,” Irving said, adding that he plans to do what’s best for his career (Twitter link via Ian Begley of ESPN.com).

Irving also said that the Celtics remain “at the head of the race,” and that his plan for now is to remain in Boston, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link). Still, his comments today seemed far more ambiguous than the ones he made at the fan event in October, where he stood up and told Celtics fans, “If you guys will have me back, I plan on re-signing here.” Irving’s message today, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News (Twitter link), was: “I don’t owe anybody s—.”

Of course, verbal commitments are non-binding and Irving is well within his rights to change his mind between October 2018 and July 2019. Still, the timing of his hedging is pretty interesting. It comes on the heels of the Knicks opening up enough 2019 cap room for two maximum-salary free agents — and amidst rumors that Irving’s friend Anthony Davis could be traded.

As ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reiterated today, Davis’ camp has made it known that the big man doesn’t view Irving as a lock to re-sign with the Celtics, which would diminish Davis’ interest in Boston as a potential destination. Shams Charania of The Athletic reported today (via Twitter) that the Celtics still aren’t a preferred landing spot for Davis, who views Boston as a rental option.

While Windhorst acknowledges that his could be part of a disinformation campaign intended to land AD in L.A., he heard from multiple sources even before Irving’s comments today that the point guard may not be as committed to Boston as he had publicly stated.

Here’s more on Kyrie:

Irving hasn’t informed the Celtics that his feeling have changed at all, sources tell Windhorst. A league source tells Himmelsbach the same thing, and both scribes suggests that the C’s remain confident they’ll ultimately be able to lock up Irving long-term.
While there has been some speculation that Irving would have interest in teaming up with LeBron James again, a source with ties to Kyrie called that idea “a joke,” according to Himmelsbach.
The Celtics have reached out to the Pelicans and let them know they’d be willing to discuss anyone on their roster besides Irving in the summer, sources tell Windhorst. Still, Windhorst wonders if the C’s might get skittish enough about Kyrie’s long-term future in Boston to entertain the idea of including Irving in an offer for Davis. Doing so would free up the team to make offers now, rather than waiting until the summer. That seems like a long shot to me though.

Pelicans, Lakers Discuss Anthony Davis

January 31st, 2019 at 1:44pm CST by Luke Adams

1:44pm: The Lakers let Demps know that one of their potential scenarios for Davis would include Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Ivica Zubac, and a first-round pick, a source tells Turner (Twitter link). ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne (Twitter link) hears that it’s “common sense to assume no one but LeBron James would be untouchable.”

1:33pm: The Pelicans and Lakers have connected on the phone to discuss Davis and are expected to talk again before next week’s deadline, tweets Wojnarowski.

Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times adds a few more details, reporting that Magic Johnson presented Demps with five different trade scenarios and is waiting to hear back from the Pelicans about which scenario would interest them the most (Twitter links). According to Turner (Twitter link), the Lakers want to get a deal done now, and don’t plan on trying to outbid the Celtics and other teams in the summer, when they plan to shift their focus to free agent targets.

10:39am: Although he’s getting back to other teams that have inquired on Anthony Davis, Pelicans general manager Dell Demps has yet to return the Lakers‘ call, according to a new report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe. While Demps is expected to eventually get back to the Lakers well before next week’s trade deadline, the “sluggish response time” is perhaps intended to send a message to the team.

As Wojnarowski and Lowe observe, the Pelicans may blame the Lakers in part for Davis’ trade request, and will want to show that they fully intend to make a deal on their own timeline, rather than at a time that would most benefit the Lakers. We relayed earlier today that the Pelicans plan to play the long game with Davis, and ESPN’s latest report reiterates that point, indicating that owner Gayle Benson is “enthusiastically carrying the small market banner,” resisting a union of AD and LeBron James in L.A.

New Orleans’ mantra so far, per Woj and Lowe, is that Davis is welcome to become a Laker in 2020 when he can reach free agency. If the Lakers are willing to wait that long, they’ll have to preserve cap room for an extra year, complicating their plans for the 2019/20 season.

It’s the latest in a series of “icy” receptions the Lakers feel they’ve received as they try to trade for star players. According to Woj and Lowe, the Lakers got the “unmistakable impression” last summer that the Spurs had no intention of ever trading Kawhi Leonard to L.A., though the Spurs simply said they weren’t interested in the Lakers’ package.

Here’s more from Woj and Lowe on the Davis situation:

For now, Davis’ camp is treating any potential trade destination besides the Lakers as a temporary stop, since his plan would be to sign with L.A. in 2020. However, teams are curious to see if that stance softens after the trade deadline. It may be a leverage play to encourage a trade to the Lakers within the next seven days.
Davis’ view of Boston is linked to Kyrie Irving‘s future, sources tell Woj and Lowe. Davis and his camp aren’t convinced that Irving will re-sign with the Celtics this summer. The Celtics believe they’d be capable of keeping both players long-term, as there’s a sense in Boston that trading for AD would help convince Irving to stay.
Jayson Tatum is an important wild card for the Celtics — the ideal scenario for Boston would be to use other assets in an AD trade and build a Big Three of Tatum, Davis, and Irving. But if it helps convince the Pelicans to wait until the offseason to deal Davis, the C’s could tell New Orleans now that they’re open to moving Tatum. If they tell the Pelicans as much, they’ll have to keep their word in the summer to avoid damaging their league-wide reputation, Woj and Lowe note.
The Pelicans continue to explore the market value of Nikola Mirotic, Julius Randle, and E’Twaun Moore, sources tell ESPN.
Kristaps Porzingis would be reluctant to approve a sign-and-trade to New Orleans as part of a package for Davis, which could make things tricky for the Knicks, since the value of their 2019 first-rounder remains up in the air due to the lottery. If they’re willing to include Porzingis in an offer, they’d probably have to do so this week, before the precise value of their 2019 draft pick is clear.
For the time being, Davis plans to play for the Pelicans again before the deadline, sources tell ESPN.

Celtics Notes: Irving, Davis, Morris, Tatum, Brown

January 31st, 2019 at 10:06am CST by Luke Adams

Making his usual weekly radio appearance on 98.5’s Toucher and Rich this morning, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge spoke publicly for the first time since Anthony Davis‘ trade request went public. As Keith Smith of CelticsBlog relays, Ainge didn’t address Davis specifically, but answered a few questions that were indirectly related to the Pelicans star.

Ainge said there was no way to circumvent the Rose Rule restriction that prevents the C’s from trading for another designated rookie while Kyrie Irving remains under contract and admitted he has spoken to his own players – including Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown – about how to deal with trade rumors. Most interestingly, he said that he’d be willing to acquire a star player without assurances that he’d re-sign in Boston.

Of course, as Smith observes, that stance could come with some caveats — if the Celtics pursue Davis, perhaps they’d be reluctant to make their absolute best offer unless AD provides them with assurances that he’d stick around for more than one year.

Ainge was also asked about the speculation that Irving might reconsider his own informal commitment to re-sign with the Celtics.

“I talk to him all the time,” Ainge said of Kyrie, according to Smith. “I think he likes it in Boston. I can’t talk about specifics. That’s taboo. But I’m optimistic.”

Here’s more on the Celtics:

A source “very close to the situation” laughed off the rumors suggesting that Irving is strongly weighing his options and considering leaving Boston, writes Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. According to Bulpett’s source, those whispers may be coming from outside voices who have a vested interest in sowing doubt about Irving’s plans.
Veteran forward Marcus Morris suggested this week that he’d be fine with the Celtics standing pat at the deadline, since he believes it’s a “special squad” (video link via NBC Sports Boston).
ESPN’s Kevin Pelton and Bobby Marks (Insider link) share hypothetical Anthony Davis trade scenarios involving seven different trade partners, including the Celtics. Pelton’s suggestion for Boston’s offseason Davis trade package features both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, along with Aron Baynes, Guerschon Yabusele, and Semi Ojeleye, but doesn’t include any of the team’s first-round picks.
For his part, Tatum isn’t concerned about his name popping up in trade rumors involving Davis, as A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston details. “It’s good to be wanted,” Tatum said. “I guess you can say that. But that’s it; I’m not a free agent. I can control what I can control.”

Latest On Anthony Davis

January 31st, 2019 at 8:42am CST by Luke Adams

The Pelicans are approaching the Anthony Davis trade request “methodically,” listening to trade inquiries and offers but remaining focused on “the long play,” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on Wednesday during an appearance on NBA Countdown (video link). According to Wojnarowski, it’s “very unlikely” that the Pelicans will get serious enough in any trade talks by next Thursday’s deadline to actually finalize a Davis deal by February 7.

As Wojnarowski observes, the Pelicans could gain leverage during the offseason by getting more teams involved in the Davis sweepstakes. Besides all the teams that will open up cap room and gain flexibility in the summer, the Celtics will also enter the mix, no longer held back by the Rose Rule restrictions that prevent them from trading for Davis. According to Wojnarowski, it sounds like the Celtics have conveyed to the Pelicans that they should be patient and that Boston would be willing to discuss virtually anyone on its roster except for Kyrie Irving.

If the Pelicans don’t make a deal at the deadline, that could be bad news for the Lakers, who would like to trade for Davis as soon as possible, before the Celtics can get involved. However, Wojnarowski suggests that New Orleans’ front office has “no interest in acquiescing Anthony Davis to the Lakers right now.”

Here’s more on the NBA’s top trade candidate:

There has been speculation that Davis may have played his last game for the Pelicans, who could hold their star big man out of action for the rest of the season even if he’s not moved at the deadline. However, while that’s an option under consideration, nothing has been definitively decided on that front, a source tells Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter links). Asked this week whether Davis would play again for the Pelicans, head coach Alvin Gentry was noncommittal, as Peter Thompson of Sporting News relays. “I don’t really know how to answer that. I assume that he will,” Gentry said. “That’s something that will obviously have to be discussed about what’s best for him and what’s best for our team.”
Mirjam Swanson of The Los Angeles Times explores whether the Clippers could be a player in the Davis sweepstakes, while Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic digs into the Warriors‘ long-shot odds and Erik Horne of The Oklahoman does the same for the Thunder.
While much of the coverage this week has focused on Davis and his potential suitors, Royce Young of ESPN.com looks at the other side of the saga, examining how the Pelicans are dealing with the trade rumors swirling around the franchise.
Cap expert Albert Nahmad takes a deep dive into Davis’ future contract options, along with a potential timeline for a trade (and new contract) in an interesting piece for HeatHoops.com.

Southwest Notes: Rockets, The Brothers Gasol, Introduction Videos

January 30th, 2019 at 8:42pm CST by Austin Kent

More often than not, Rockets general manager Daryl Morey finds a trade partner ahead of the annual deadline. Although it didn’t happen last year, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes that the team is confident something will transpire this time around.

While the mid-season additions of Austin Rivers and Kenneth Faried have impacted the Rockets’ list of needs, the club could still benefit from making a move for a versatile defender with three-point range.

Morey is said to be extremely active in talks so far this year and the Rockets even offered four first-round picks for Jimmy Butler prior to his trade to the Sixers.

There’s more out of the Southwest Division:

The Rockets care not for your factoid about James Harden scoring 304 consecutive unassisted points, Hunter Atkins of the Houston Chronicle writes. Perhaps more impressively, Mike D’Antoni has coached the two players with the next highest streaks as well (Chris Paul and Steve Nash).
In 2008, the Grizzlies packaged up star big man Pau Gasol and sent him off to the Lakers in exchange for Marc Gasol and a pair of first-round picks. Over a decade later, the brothers could theoretically be swapped again. While Marc has established himself as a franchise staple, the soon-to-be rebuilding Grizz are said to be open to offers for him. “There’s a part of me that would like that,” Marc told David Cobb of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “He still has a place here.“
Wednesday night brought a brief moment of levity for a fan base that’s been kicked in the pants repeatedly this week when the Pelicans removed Anthony Davis from the introduction video that plays for fans at the Smoothie King Center, Bleacher Report tweets.