Anthony Davis

Pelicans Make Eric Gordon Available

THURSDAY, 9:22am: The Pelicans deny that they’re quite so active, as fellow Basketball Insiders scribe Steve Kyler reports in his NBA AM piece. The team is having trade talks with other clubs and there’s a leaguewide feeling as though the team is open to moving Gordon and perhaps Austin Rivers, but the Pelicans don’t have much interest in moving Evans, Ryan Anderson, Jrue Holiday and especially Davis, Kyler writes.

TUESDAY, 7:58am: The Pelicans are making most of their roster available in trade talks, including Eric Gordon and Tyreke Evans, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders.  It’s not clear exactly who is on the block and who isn’t, but I would surmise that the untouchables list includes 2012’s No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis.  From the sound of it, there may not be many more that are safe.

Both guards have value from a talent perspective but their contracts could hinder the returns for New Orleans.  Evans signed a four-year, $44MM pact with the Pelicans (via a sign-and-trade) roughly one year ago to this date.  Gordon, meanwhile, is in the midst of a max deal with two years to go.

Pelicans Exercise ’14/15 Options On Davis, Rivers

The Pelicans have officially picked up their 2014/15 options on Anthony Davis and Austin Rivers, the team announced today in a press release. The move ensures that both Davis and Rivers will be on guaranteed contracts through 2015, with the Pelicans holding additional team options on both players for 2015/16.

There was no doubt that the Pelicans would exercise their option on Davis, last year’s No. 1 overall pick. Rivers didn’t have nearly as successful a rookie campaign as the Kentucky big man, but very few lottery picks have their options turned down, and New Orleans still has high hopes for the former Duke guard.

Davis will be in line for a salary of about $5.61MM in 2014/15, while Rivers will earn a guaranteed $2.44MM. Their salaries will bring the Pelicans’ total commitments up to about $52.1MM for six players, including Eric Gordon, Tyreke Evans, Jrue Holiday, and Ryan Anderson.

You can follow all of this month’s rookie contract option decisions right here.

Blazers GM, Aldridge Reps Discuss Possible Trade

Blazers GM Neil Olshey met Sunday in Las Vegas with members of LaMarcus Aldridge's camp who suggested several trade scenarios, a source tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. The source described the meeting as productive, with both sides focused on the best outcome for all involved. Still, Haynes hears the team is in no hurry to trade the All-Star power forward, particularly if there isn't a fair deal available. Olshey and company don't want a package of draft picks in return, according to Haynes.

The Bulls, Timberwolves, Clippers, Hawks and Pelicans have declined to include Joakim Noah, Kevin Love, Blake Griffin, Al Horford and Anthony Davis, respectively, in any deal for Aldridge, Haynes hears. Aldridge has told Haynes and others that he has not requested a trade, and Haynes has confirmed that he hasn't done so. Still, Aldridge isn't opposed to a trade, just as he'd be OK with returning to Portland, as Haynes writes, echoing his report from last month. 

A strong performance from Aldridge this season could help Olshey find the deal he wants next summer, when Aldridge will be down to one more year on his contract. The 28-year-old Arn Tellem client will make $14.628MM this season and $15.756MM in 2014/15.

Odds & Ends: Coach K, Howard, Harkless, Rookies

A roundup of the latest news and notes from around the NBA on Tuesday evening:

Odds & Ends: Veterans, Davis, Lillard, Nets

With only two games on the NBA slate tonight, here are the latest news and notes from around the league on Thursday evening:

  • Mark Deeks of the The Basketball Jones compiles an extensive list of former NBA players who may rejoin the league soon.  We learned that one player on that list, Mike James, joined the D-League's Texas Legends earlier today.  Teams can begin to sign players to 10-day deals on Monday.
  • In his NBA PM update, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld says that Anthony Davis and Damian Lillard, the consensus front runners for Rookie of the Year, were nearly teammates in New Orleans.  Kennedy writes that the Hornets had targeted Lillard before his meteoric rise up draft boards, but were happy to land Austin Rivers as a consolation prize once they realized Lillard wouldn't fall to them.
  • Within the same update, Kennedy echoes what we've heard from many analysts regarding the Nets' coaching job.  He asserts that if the team wants to lure a big-name coach to Brooklyn, they will likely have to wait until the offseason to do it. The coaching fraternity is very close-knit, Kennedy says, and when you factor in that a brand new coach would have limited opportunity to shape his staff and team, it's no surprise that guys like Jeff Van Gundy and Phil Jackson have stayed away. 

Amick On Clippers, Nuggets, Davis, Raptors

Sam Amick of USA Today has posted a new notebook column covering a variety of topics of interest from around the NBA. Among the subjects touched on are the progress of several Western Conference teams and an update on the Rookie of the Year and MVP races.

  • Amick is buying the Clippers as a contender, and points out that head coach Vinny Del Negro is making a strong case for himself as deserving of a contract extension. Del Negro appears to have the support of Clippers owner Donald Sterling as the team's long-term head coach.
  • Following a slow start to the season, the Nuggets are starting to improve following high expectations in the preseason, Amick writes.
  • Amick catches up with top overall pick Anthony Davis, who says that he is 100 percent healthy following missing several weeks with an ankle injury.
  • Amick writes that the latest slate of injuries have been a mixed blessing for the Raptors as they attempt to move certain players. Andrea Bargnani has sunk his value on the market by being sidelined with a torn elbow ligament, while Jose Calderon has raised his by doing an excellent job filling in for the injured Kyle Lowry.
  • Michael Beasley has seen his role diminish with the struggling Suns since signing a three-year, $18MM contract this summer, Amick writes.

Southwest Notes: Mavericks, Lin, Davis, Selby

Mavericks beat writer Eddie Sefko, from the Dallas Morning News, answered questions today in a chat.  Among the topics Sefko touches on: why O.J. Mayo may not be in Dallas long, why the Mavs must build through free agency, why Tyreke Evans would be a good fit in Dallas and what the Mavs offseason looks like.  The Mavs host the 76ers tonight, and the Spurs and Hornets are also in action.  Here are some other things going on in the Southwest division:

Western Notes: Evans, Wolves, Williams, Davis

There's only one game on the Western Conference schedule tonight, so as we wait for the Mavericks and Suns to tip off in Phoenix, let's round up a few notes out of the West….

  • Tyreke Evans' play of late shows why he could either be an integral part of the Kings' rebuild or a valuable trade chip later in the season, writes Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
  • The Timberwolves are finding success with bringing in international players from overseas, as an Associated Press report details (link via NBA.com). "To me, it's just a natural extension of scouting," said team president David Kahn. "Just as you can't afford to be negligent about the domestic side, you can't afford to not be on top of matters internationally."
  • Andrew Perna of RealGM.com spoke to Derrick Williams about trying to live up to the expectations of being a second overall pick.
  • In an Insider-only piece, ESPN.com's John Hollinger takes a look at some long-term deals signed this summer that have been money well spent so far. Ryan Anderson, Omer Asik, and Alexey Shved are among the names on Hollinger's list.
  • Anthony Davis tells Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld that he's looking forward to a bright long-term future with the Hornets.

Latest On Anthony Davis

John Reid of the Times-Picayune reports that Anthony Davis is expected to be out at least another week after suffering a stress reaction in his left ankle on November 17. Hornets coach Monty Williams addressed Davis' current status to reporters:

"If I have to guess, I think he’s a week away from us thinking about him ramping up his conditioning; let alone playing,'' Williams said. "So I just think it's still far off.''

Davis, the first overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, has appeared in just six games this season for the Hornets after suffering a concussion earlier in the season before this ankle injury. He is averaging 16.0 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 2.2 BPG this season.

Southwest Notes: McHale, Livingston, Mavs, Rivers

The Rockets announced that coach Kevin McHale's daughter Sasha died Saturday afternoon, and Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports the 23-year-old had recently been hospitalized with a condition related to lupus, a disease she had long battled. Assistant coach Kelvin Sampson has been in charge of the team since McHale took a leave of absence on November 10th to tend to his daughter. The news is especially jarring, considering Sampson indicated a few days ago that the situation was improving. Hoops Rumors sends its sincere condolences to the McHale family. Here's more from the Southwest Division.