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Pelicans Will Deal Davis “On Our Terms”

January 28th, 2019 at 4:20pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pelicans will not be rushed into dealing superstar Anthony Davis. The team released a statement this afternoon, confirming that Davis’ representatives had informed the organization that he wouldn’t sign a contract extension and thus wanted to be dealt.

At least publicly, New Orleans’ front office isn’t going to be pressured into dealing Davis before the February 7th deadline. It will make a trade “on our terms and our timeline,” according to the statement. This confirms the earlier report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that the Pelicans don’t want to deal Davis this season.

The statement also declared the franchise “will not be dictated by those outside of our organization.” That could be interpreted as a veiled threat to LeBron James‘ and Davis’ agent, Rich Paul, since the Lakers are considered as the most likely destination. The organization also requested that the NBA strictly enforce its tampering rules prior to any deal.

The full statement reads as follows:

“This past weekend, Anthony Davis’ representatives informed us that Anthony does not wish to sign a contract extension with our team and subsequently has requested a trade. Although we are disappointed in this decision, our organization’s top priority is to bring an NBA championship to our city and fans and build our team for long-term success. Relative to specific talks of a trade, we will do this on our terms and our timeline. One that makes the most sense for our team and it will not be dictated by those outside of our organization. We have also requested the League to strictly enforce the tampering rules associate with this transaction.”

League Executives Expect Summer Trade For Anthony Davis

December 23rd, 2018 at 10:22am CST by Arthur Hill

Talking to NBA executives at this year’s G League Showcase, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report finds that most expect Anthony Davis will be with the Lakers or Celtics next season.

Although Pelicans officials have repeatedly stated they have no intention to trade Davis, his contract situation may leave them with no choice. He is eligible for a supermax extension this summer that could be worth up to $239.5MM, but is only one season away from his player option if he doesn’t accept that offer.

Davis changed his representation over the summer, signing with LeBron James‘ agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, in a move that some believe was made to get him out of New Orleans.

“I’m not worried about James tampering to the media about AD,” a Western Conference GM told Pincus. “It’s that James and Paul are mafioso mob bosses of the NBA that’s the problem.”

Several small-market GMs raised concerns about tampering this week after James said Davis would be “amazing” to have as a teammate. Commissioner Adam Silver refused to take any disciplinary action against James, and the Lakers’ star raised more speculation by having dinner with Davis after their teams played on Friday.

The executives that Pincus spoke to don’t believe Davis will be moved before the February 7 trade deadline, but they do expect something to happen by draft day. The feeling is that Davis will decline the Pelicans’ extension offer and force them to move him for a package that’s stocked with young talent and draft picks.

“It’s going to be up to [Pelicans general manager] Dell [Demps] to decide where Davis plays next,” an Eastern Conference executive said. “Paul will get him traded, but it’s going to be up to Demps to get the best deal.”

That could work to the advantage of the Celtics, who, depending on protections, may own the Clippers’, Grizzlies’ and Kings’ picks next summer as well as their own. Boston can’t trade for Davis until Kyrie Irving opts out of his current contract, so the Celtics would need to reach an agreement with New Orleans before the draft that wouldn’t take effect until the moratorium is lifted in early July.

Pincus speculates Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown will be the cornerstones of Boston’s offer, although Gordon Hayward, Terry Rozier, Marcus Morris and Al Horford are all potential pieces. He sees Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball as the key players in a Lakers deal, along with a few others to match salaries.

A 15% trade kicker in Davis’ contract could give the Lakers the advantage in their pursuit, Pincus adds. The Pelicans would have to pay Davis an additional $5.4MM if he gets traded during the season or $4.1MM if the deal happens over the summer. If Paul wants to get Davis to the Lakers, he could agree to waive the trade kicker only if Davis is sent to L.A.

Pincus also notes that because the Lakers will be under the cap this summer, they will have the freedom to restructure Davis’ contract, giving him $32.7MM for next season and extending the deal through 2021/22 at a total of $70.3MM for the following two years. When Davis hits free agency in 2022 as a 10-year veteran, he would be eligible for a starting salary at about $46MM, giving him a total deal only about $16MM less than his supermax offer.

Morris Twins Change Agents

August 6th, 2018 at 12:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Markieff Morris of the Wizards and Marcus Morris of the Celtics are preparing for free agency next summer by changing their representatives, tweets Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.

Both players signed with Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group, who is best known as the agent for LeBron James. Paul has a number of other high-profile clients, such as John Wall, Ben Simmons and Eric Bledsoe.

Markieff Morris has spent the past two-and-a-half seasons in Washington after being acquired in a trade at the 2016 deadline. A seven-year veteran, he will make $8.6MM in the final season of a four-year, $32MM contract.

Marcus Morris has also been in the league seven years and is coming off his first season in Boston after being traded there by the Pistons last summer. He has a $5.375MM salary for 2018/19 in the final season of a four-year, $20MM deal.

Miles Bridges Declares For Draft, Hiring Agent

March 28th, 2018 at 9:36am CST by Luke Adams

Michigan State forward Miles Bridges is entering the 2018 NBA draft pool, he announced today (via Twitter). Bridges indicated that he’ll hire Rich Paul and Klutch Sports for representation, so the sophomore will officially forgo his remaining two years of NCAA eligibility.

[RELATED: 2018 NBA Draft Early Entrants List]

Bridges, a 6’7″ forward, was viewed as a possible lottery pick a year ago, but opted to return to Michigan State for another season rather than declaring for the draft after his freshman year. In 2017/18, the second-year Spartan didn’t take a significant step forward, but had another solid season, putting up 17.1 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 2.7 APG with a .457/.364/.853 shooting line.

Bridges’ spot on big boards hasn’t changed much over the last year — ESPN’s Jonathan Givony has him at No. 11 for now, which was the exact same ranking Bridges had on Givony’s board when he announced his decision to return to the Spartans last April.

In his latest mock draft at ESPN.com, Givony wrote that Bridges’ lack of improvement as a ball-handler has limited his ascent up draft boards, but called the young forward “arguably the best athlete in this draft” and praised his ability to guard virtually any position on defense. Givony had Bridges coming off the board at No. 12.

The Knicks, who will have a lottery pick, are said to have interest in the MSU standout.

Cavaliers Notes: Thomas, James, Love, Thompson

November 16th, 2017 at 12:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

Isaiah Thomas discusses his injury, the long recovery process, his trade to Cleveland and much more in a new docu-series on The Players Tribune, writes Sam Amick of USA Today. Titled “The Book of Isaiah II,” it will trace his experiences from the 2017 playoffs through the present, but the part that should most interest Cavaliers fans is Thomas’ rehabilitation of his injured hip. January 1 has been floated as a possible return date, but Thomas is hoping to make it earlier.

“This is what I live for,” he said. “Every time something happens in my career, I always bounce back and it’s bigger than anything anybody ever thought. And this is just going to be the same thing. I’m excited about the opportunity. I’m excited to be able to be on this stage playing and battling with the best player in the world. … I’m ready for all that, and I’m preparing right now for all of that, and I can’t wait.”

There’s more news out of Cleveland:

The agent for LeBron James says the chance to compete for a title should drive his client’s decision when he becomes a free agent next summer, relays Dan Feldman of NBC Sports. “For anywhere – not Los Angeles, not Miami, not Detroit, Milwaukee – I think for LeBron, and for most athletes, the most important thing is about winning,” Rich Paul said in an interview on The Herd. “At his level, it should be. It should be about winning at his point in his career.” He noted that Cleveland has been very successful since James’ return, with three straight trips to the NBA Finals.
The Cavaliers should ask James directly about his plans for the future and explore a trade if he’s not fully committed to Cleveland, suggests Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. James has a contract provision that allows him to reject any deal, but Kyler believes it would be wiser to address the situation now than to have to launch another rebuilding project if James leaves again.
Cleveland needs to find an athletic swingman who can guard multiple positions and would be willing to trade Kevin Love or Tristan Thompson to obtain one, according to Chris Mannix of The Vertical. However, Mannix says that type of player isn’t on the market right now, with the Hawks’ Kent Bazemore being the closest available version. Mannix speculates that the Cavs would move any asset except James or the Nets’ unprotected first-rounder in the right deal, but nothing is close at the moment.

Suns GM Blames ‘Bad Advice’ For Bledsoe’s Actions

October 25th, 2017 at 12:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

Suns GM Ryan McDonough believes Eric Bledsoe is receiving “bad advice” in his desire to get out of Phoenix, relays Chris Haynes of ESPN.

The remarks were made during an interview Tuesday with Arizona Sports 98.7 and are apparently a swipe at Bledsoe’s agent, Rich Paul, who represents several other high-profile clients, including LeBron James. Bledsoe reportedly had hoped to join James in Cleveland as part of a deal for Kyrie Irving and was “depressed” when that trade fell through.

“I think Eric’s a good person,” McDonough said. “I think he’s unfortunately gotten some bad advice and is listening to the wrong people. I think generally, any time you sign a contract, it doesn’t only work one way. It works both ways, and for a guy with years on his contract to say or intimate he didn’t want to be here anymore, I didn’t find that to be appropriate, and I think if he says he wants to be a leader, that’s the opposite of what a leader does and the opposite of what leadership is.”

Bledsoe, 27, is currently in limbo after being sent home prior to Monday’s game. It seems unlikely that he will ever play for Phoenix again, but the team hasn’t made much progress in trade talks over the past 48 hours, with one source suggesting that the asking price is way too high.

Bledsoe made news Sunday with a tweet that stated, “I Dont wanna be here,” and although he insisted it wasn’t related to the team, there have been other indications he wants out of Phoenix. Haynes notes that Bledsoe met with McDonough and owner Robert Sarver during the preseason, questioning several personnel moves and free agency failures during his four years with the franchise. Sources say Bledsoe was told that the team had underperformed since he became the starting point guard.

McDonough said in the interview that he has received some “pretty intriguing offers,” but feels no urgency to complete a deal because Bledsoe isn’t playing. The Knicks, Nuggets and Bucks are among the teams that have reportedly reached out to Phoenix.

“If you can imagine, my phone was ringing a lot yesterday,” McDonough said. “The ideal time to get a deal done is whenever the best offer presents itself. So we’d be fine doing it sooner rather than later. At the same time, he’s under contract for this year plus next year. We sent him away from the team to eliminate that distraction. So we’re willing to do a deal, we’re open to do a deal whenever the best offer presents itself.”

More Notes On Tampering Investigation

September 1st, 2017 at 9:28pm CST by Austin Kent

As we discussed yesterday, the Lakers were fined $500K by the NBA for tampering with 2018 free agent Paul George. Sports Illustrated’s Michael McCann quickly explored the penalty in detail, noting that the league in general has a “decidedly low-bar” for the prohibited act.

Considering the wording of the league’s constitution, there is no specific means of contact that’s permissible or not. Teams are, the constitution says, “forbidden from any kind of attempt to persuade” either individuals or team personnel, emphasis mine.

Another troublesome point of ambiguity McMann highlights is the fact that there need not be any proof that the tampering attempt actually swayed the individual, it’s solely the attempt that the league is concerned about.

All told, the Lakers have little choice but to pony up the cash for the fine but McMann doesn’t think that the penalty will dissuade teams from repeating the behavior in the future.

That’s not all we have about tampering this evening:

If you’ve heard the Pat Riley Heat/Knicks tampering example offered up as a precedent for the Lakers’ recent situation, note that there is one critical difference. Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets that the $1MM the Heat paid the Knicks in 1995 was a settlement and not a league-enforced penalty.
The Lakers may have bought themselves a year of contact with LeBron James‘s agent ahead of the 2018 free agency period, Dave McMenamin of ESPN writes, and all it cost them was the $18MM they committed to another Rich Paul client, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Don’t expect Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard to put up a fuss about the league’s ruling on the tampering investigation. “We accept the league’s findings,” he told Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times.
…do expect the Indiana media. Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star suggests that the relatively small fine is but a slap on the wrist for a Lakers franchise worth $3B. The scribe offers alternative penalties that he says would have had more of an impact.

West Notes: Randle, Noel, Donovan

August 27th, 2017 at 6:37pm CST by Austin Kent

With all of the hype surrounding the Lakers these days, those who’ve overlooked Julius Randle can be forgiven. As Frank Urbina of Hoops Hype writes, however, the underrated big man could still be a viable component of Los Angeles’ intriguing young core.

While his effective field-goal percentage and value over replacement player figures have left much to be desired, the versatile forward is in position to take yet another leap forward in his third full season with the Lakers.

In 2016/17, Randle became just the ninth forward in NBA history to average 13.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, a testament to his playmaking ability and tendency to find his Lakers teammates.

What’s more, the Lakers big man has shown an impressive commitment to conditioning and has the Instagram account to prove it.

There’s more from the Western Conference:

We wrote yesterday that Nerlens Noel unexpectedly signed his qualifying offer with the Mavs after supposedly turning down a four-year, $70MM offer. At the time of the signing, ESPN’s Chris Haynes tweeted that the four-year deal was “non-existent.” Shortly after news broke, Noel’s former agent Happy Walters responded to the Haynes tweet, insisting that the deal was in fact extended and rejected, however that doesn’t necessarily mean that the offer was still on the table when Noel’s new representation, Rich Paul and Klutch Sports Group, took over in the negotiation process. For a breakdown of the process, check out Isaac Harris of The Smoking Cuban‘s recap.
Former Spurs guard Blake Ahearn has returned to the organization he spent his three-game career with as a head coach of the Spurs’ G League affiliate. Ahearn recently spoke with Jabari Young of the San Antonio Express-News and shed light on how much of an impact R.C. Buford and the team’s front office made on him.
Big man Steven Adams and his Thunder head coach, Billy Donovan, have spent time bonding in Adams’ native New Zealand, Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman writes. “For me, there’s an incredible power with a group of people that are connected in what they’re doing,” Donovan said. “I feel like my job, my role, my responsibility – whether it be during the season or in the offseason – is to try and create those connections. Because if we’re all unified, connected and moving in the right direction, it has a chance to be something really powerful.“

Nerlens Noel Hires Rich Paul As His Agent

August 21st, 2017 at 7:24pm CST by ChrisCrouse

AUGUST 21, 7:24pm: Noel has hired Rich Paul of Klutch Sports as his agent, Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders tweets. Paul is the agent for LeBron James and John Wall, among many other NBA players.

AUGUST 21, 9:11am: According to Mike Fisher of Scout.com (Twitter link), Noel is considering an agent change from Walters, despite hiring him just a few months ago. However, Fegan is not involved in this process — if Noel makes a change, he’s expected to look elsewhere.

AUGUST 20, 8:41pm: Scruggs’ report appears to be operating off of dated information, as Noel’s agency change occurred during the 2016/17 season. Initially reported to be leaning toward Fegan, Noel went in another direction, as Fegan was fired by his agency and became embroiled in legal drama. Noel – previously with Andy Miller at ASM – is currently represented by Happy Walters, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks confirms to Hoops Rumors.

AUGUST 20, 4:57pm: Nerlens Noel, who remains a restricted free agent, is still searching for a max contract on the market. In an effort to find that deal, he has switched agents, leaving ASM Sports and hiring Dan Fegan, according to Newy Scruggs of NBC.com.

Noel hasn’t received an offer from any rival suitor, Scruggs adds, which prompted the change. Should he still not find a long-term deal to his liking, he has the option to play for Dallas under his qualifying offer, which is worth $4,187,598.

Scruggs pegs Noel’s market value in the $12-13MM range, though it’s merely speculation. The scribe cites Noel’s injury history as a major reason why the big man will likely have to settle for less than the max.

The center has played 193 games since being selected with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2013 draft. He’s scored 10.0 rebounds and brought in 7.5 rebounds per game over his career while making 51.1% of his shots from the field.

Shabazz Muhammad Hires Rich Paul As Agent

April 26th, 2017 at 1:16pm CST by Luke Adams

With his rookie contract coming to an end, Timberwolves wing Shabazz Muhammad will have new representation for his first foray into free agency. According to Shams Charania of The Vertical (via Twitter), Muhammad has signed with agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports.

As Jake Fischer of SI.com observes (via Twitter), Muhammad had previously been represented by Rob Pelinka of Landmark Sports. When Pelinka was hired by the Lakers as the team’s new general manager, his clients were up for grabs, though some – such as James Harden and Andre Iguodala – have already indicated that they’ll remain with Landmark’s other reps. Muhammad is the first former Pelinka client to leave for another agency, per Fischer.

It should be an interesting offseason for Muhammad, who will be eligible for restricted free agency. Assuming the Timberwolves tender him a qualifying offer, which will be worth about $4.188MM, Minnesota will have the opportunity to match any offer sheet the 24-year-old may sign with a rival suitor.

In his fourth NBA season, Muhammad averaged 9.9 PPG and 2.8 RPG, with a shooting line of .482/.336/.774. The former 14th overall pick has been a regular rotation player for the last three years in Minnesota, averaging 20.5 minutes per contest in 198 total regular season games during that stretch.

The Nets are among the teams rumored to have some interest in Muhammad.