AD Notes: Holiday, Aftermath, Odds, Injury
Guard Jrue Holiday admits the main reason he re-signed with the Pelicans was the presence of Anthony Davis, Andrew Lopez of the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. Holiday signed a five-year, $131.8MM contract in the summer of 2017. “He’s like 90 percent of the reason that I stayed,” Holiday said. “He’s a talent that comes once in a generation. A 7-footer who can do everything at his skill level.” Holiday revealed that Davis notified his teammates over the weekend of his decision to decline a super-max extension with the franchise and request a trade. “He had to what he had to do for his family and what’s best for his career,” Holiday said.
We have more on Davis and the Pelicans:
- Davis’ decision is a failure at all levels of the franchise, including Davis himself, Scott Kushner of The Baton Rouge Advocate opines. Davis was unable to carry the franchise on his back, while Pelicans management failed to surround him with enough quality pieces. Instead of methodically building a deep roster of young talent through the draft, the Pelicans tried to take a shortcut into contention and that strategy blew up in their faces, Kushner notes. GM Dell Demps traded away his next seven first-round picks after Davis was drafted and that resulted in a shaky foundation, Kushner adds.
- The Lakers are the favorites to land Davis’ services, Nick Goss of NBC Sports Boston relays. Odds posted by B/R Betting have the Celtics as the second choice in the AD sweepstakes, followed by the Knicks, 76ers and Rockets.
- Davis won’t play against the Rockets on Tuesday, according to Hunter Atkins of the Houston Chronicle. Davis will miss his fifth consecutive game due to a finger injury.
- Davis’ salary options if he’s dealt are broken down in detail by Danny Leroux of The Athletic. Leroux also examines the logistics of making a swap. Any team other than the Kings, who have ample cap space, would have to send out a minimum of $20.25MM to make a trade happen.
Kings, Pistons Show Interest In Marc Gasol
The Kings and Pistons have expressed interest in Grizzlies center Marc Gasol, according to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, citing multiple sources.
The Grizzlies are trying to dump Chandler Parsons‘ contract in the deal. That complicates any potential transaction involving Gasol, since he has a player option for next season worth $25.6MM, O’Connor notes.
Gasol and Parsons are making a combined $48.2MM this season, so packaging them together and making the salaries match up with a trade partner would obviously be a challenging task. Parsons has another guaranteed $25MM remaining in the final year of his contract next season.
Memphis’ willingness to deal its two big-name veterans, Gasol and point guard Mike Conley, became public last week. The Grizzlies have fallen out of the playoff picture, putting them in a seller’s mode.
The motivation for the two suitors mentioned is unclear.
The Kings have been linked to Dallas forward Harrison Barnes as well as Atlanta guard Jeremy Lin in recent weeks. They also showed interest in Knicks center Enes Kanter before talks broke down. So the Kings are seemingly itching to make a move before the February 7th deadline.
How Gasol would fit into their immediate plans is a question mark, since Sacramento has a number of young bigs. It began Monday three games out of the final Western Conference playoff spot. Sacramento’s highest-paid players, Zach Randolph ($11.1MM) and Iman Shumpert ($11.0MM) have expiring contracts, as does Kosta Koufos ($8.74MM).
The Pistons’ interest in Gasol would be centered around dumping salary, so they’d probably have to sweeten the pot with a future first-rounder and a young player. Reggie Jackson, Jon Leuer and Langston Galloway fit the category of bad contracts that run through next season. Detroit is two games out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference despite a prolonged slide.
Alternatively, Detroit could go into full rebuild mode and put Andre Drummond in a deal involving Gasol in order to free up much-needed cap space. If the Pistons were to acquire Gasol without including Drummond in the trade, Gasol would have to come off the bench behind Drummond and Blake Griffin.
Lonzo Ball’s Camp Doesn’t Want Him In New Orleans
Lonzo Ball‘s camp would prefer that the second-year point guard be traded to a third team if talks between the Pelicans and Lakers heat up, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. Los Angeles is one of the major players in the quest for Anthony Davis, whose desire to be traded became public on Monday.
Ball’s group would want him to go to a team that doesn’t already have an established point guard, Charania adds. New Orleans has Elfrid Payton and combo guard Jrue Holiday in starting roles.
The thinking among Ball’s people is curious, considering Payton isn’t on any list of elite point guards. The former Magic guard is averaging 9.8 PPG and 5.8 APG in 26.9 MPG.
If a deal was struck between the Pelicans and Lakers, Ball wouldn’t be able to play right away wherever he wound up. Ball suffered a high ankle sprain last week and will be sidelined 4-6 weeks.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/28/19
Here are Monday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Nets assigned rookie forward Dzanan Musa to the Long Island Nets, the G League team tweets. Musa has been working his way back from a left shoulder injury suffered during a G League game in mid-December. The 29th overall pick hasn’t seen action in an NBA game since December 1st.
- The Mavericks recalled rookie forward Ray Spalding from the Texas Legends for the first time this season, Dwain Price of Mavs.com tweets. Spalding, a late second-round selection acquired from Philadelphia, has averaged 15.9 PPG, 9.3 RPG and 2.2 BPG in 30.1 MPG over 29 games with the Legends.
Spencer Dinwiddie Undergoes Thumb Surgery
JANUARY 28th, 6:15pm: Dinwiddie underwent surgery on Monday, according to a team press release.
JANUARY 26th, 4:25pm: Dinwiddie is expected to miss three to six weeks after the operation, Wojnarowski writes in a full story. Shabazz Napier will take over most of the minutes while Dinwiddie is sidelined.
10:30am: Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie will undergo surgery on Monday to repair torn ligaments in his right thumb, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. After meeting with a pair of specialists, the surgical route was recommended and Dinwiddie will be sidelined for three to six weeks, per Wojnarowski.
We relayed on Thursday that Dinwiddie suffered the thumb injury and was evaluating the need for surgery. Head coach Kenny Atkinson told reporters Friday that Dinwiddie needed surgery but did not rule out the possibility of the veteran guard playing through the injury. However, Atkinson noted the injury occurred two months ago and became progressively worse.
Dinwiddie, 25, had been a prime contender for the Sixth Man of the Year award thus far. In 49 games (four starts), he has averaged 17.2 PPG, 5.0 APG and 2.5 RPG over 28.6 minutes.
Brooklyn signed Dinwiddie to a three-year extension last month amid a torrid stretch for the Nets. After winning their past six games, the Nets (27-23) occupy sixth place in the Eastern Conference are one win shy of tying their total from last season. Barring any setbacks, Dinwiddie should return before the end of the regular season and help Brooklyn solidify a playoff spot.
Davis Could Be Fined For Trade Request
The NBA is taking a dim view of the public declaration by Anthony Davis‘ agent Rich Paul that his client wants to be traded. League spokesman Mike Bass said the NBA has “commenced an investigation” upon reading reports regarding the Pelicans superstar and that “the process is ongoing,” the New York Times’ Marc Stein tweets.
An on-the-record request for a trade by an agent or a player is punishable and Davis could be fined, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.
Paul told Wojnarowski that Davis had no intention of signing a super-max extension with New Orleans this summer and wanted to be dealt to a contender.
“Anthony wants to be traded to a team that allows him a chance to win consistently and compete for a championship,” Paul said. “Anthony wanted to be honest and clear with his intentions and that’s the reason for informing them of this decision now. That’s in the best interests of both Anthony’s and the organization’s future.”
There is precedent for league action, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Nate Robinson was fined $25K in 2009 when his agent, Aaron Goodwin, told reporters he asked the Knicks to trade his client. The league says players are responsible for public statements relating to them made by their representatives and that public trade requests are considered detrimental to the league, Zillgitt adds (Twitter links).
Victor Oladipo Out For Season With Ruptured Quad Tendon
JANUARY 28th, 5:02pm: Oladipo underwent surgery on the ruptured quad tendon Monday, according to a team press release. There is no timetable for his return.
JANUARY 24th, 12:05pm: The Pacers have issued a formal update on injured guard Victor Oladipo, announcing today in a press release that an MRI revealed a ruptured quad tendon in his right knee. Oladipo will undergo surgery at a later date to repair the injury and will miss the rest of the 2018/19 season, according to the club.
It’s a brutal blow for a Pacers team that had established itself as one of the clear top five teams in the Eastern Conference this season, along with the Raptors, Bucks, Sixers, and Celtics. While the Pacers may not have been favored against any of those clubs in a playoff series, they had been holding onto the East’s No. 3 seed at 32-15, putting the club in position for a potential first-round series win.
Without Oladipo, the Pacers figure to remain in the top five in the East, but it’s hard to imagine the team hanging onto the No. 3 seed, and a first-round postseason exit seems much more likely today. Still, the Pacers held their own when Oladipo missed time with a bone bruise earlier in 2018/19, posting a 7-4 mark, so we’ll see how they look without their star player down the stretch this season.
As ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski observes (via Twitter), a ruptured quad is a pretty rare injury among NBA players and one that’s challenging to come back from. Charles Barkley and Tony Parker suffered the same injury in the past, with Parker rupturing his quad less than two years ago. The Pacers and Oladipo will likely study Parker’s rehab and recovery process closely, Wojnarowski notes.
In Oladipo’s absence, the Pacers figure to lean more heavily on veteran guards Darren Collison, Cory Joseph, and Tyreke Evans. 2018 first-rounder Aaron Holiday also may reclaim a regular rotation role, as he did during Oladipo’s previous stint on the inactive list.
The Pacers are ineligible to apply for a disabled player exception to replace Oladipo for the rest of the season, since the deadline to request a DPE was January 15. The club will have an open roster spot once Stephan Hicks‘ 10-day contract expires if it wants to add any more veteran backcourt depth.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Knee Injury Sidelines Heat’s Derrick Jones Jr.
Heat small forward Derrick Jones Jr. will be out for an extended period after an MRI revealed two right knee bone bruises, according to a team press release. He will begin treatment immediately and be re-evaluated in six weeks, the statement adds.
That means Jones won’t even begin practicing until at least early to mid-March, so the knee bruises could be a season-ending ailment. He suffered the injury during the second quarter on Sunday at New York.
Jones had emerged as a steady presence in the Heat rotation despite a logjam at the wing positions. He posted a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds against Cleveland on Friday. Jones also reached double figures in points on nine other occasions since mid-December. For the season, he’s averaging 7.4 PPG and 4.4 RPG in 18.1 MPG over 37 games.
The undrafted Jones, 21, began his career with Phoenix during the 2016/17 campaign. Jones’ injury should open up more playing time for Wayne Ellington, who started against the Knicks, and Dion Waiters. Both have been unhappy with their minutes.
Pelicans Will Deal Davis “On Our Terms”
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.”
Sixers Unlikely To Pursue Anthony Davis
The Sixers have the pieces to put together a competitive offer for Anthony Davis, but the team currently has no plans to pursue a deal, sources tell Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
It’s hard to envision the Pelicans coveting a package centered around Jimmy Butler, and Joel Embiid simply isn’t going anywhere. That leaves Ben Simmons as the blue-chip asset which makes the most sense and a Simmons-led package would likely beat any other offer should the Sixers put it on the table.
Davis and Simmons are both represented by Rich Paul and a swap of the two is “highly unlikely,” Haynes writes. Philadelphia would be taking an incredible risk by dealing Simmons for Davis without assurance that Davis will stick around long-term.
Philadelphia could ostensibly put together a package without including their big three. Davis will bring in approximately $25.43MM this season and the Sixers a bevy of players on mid-sized deals, such as Wilson Chandler ($12.80MM), J.J. Redick ($12.25), Markelle Fultz ($8.34MM), and Mike Muscala ($5.00MM), whose salaries could be aggregated to match Davis’ figure.
The issue comes down to providing New Orleans value. Fultz was a former No. 1 overall pick but his struggles have deflated his price tag on the trade market, and the team’s veterans hold no value to a franchise that will ultimately begin a rebuild.
The Sixers wield draft capital, as they possess all their future first-round picks, though a closer look at the cupboard and the assets appear more glittery than golden. The Pelicans know that trading Davis to the Sixers would help them win more games and decrease the value of any of Philadelphia’s pick they receive.
The Sixers have an outside chance at landing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft should the Kings win the lottery (Sacramento’s pick will go to the Celtics if it’s not the top selection as part of 2017’s Fultz trade). The Kings currently sit 13th in our Reverse Standings, meaning if the season ended today, the odds of the pick becoming the top selection would be one percent.
The pick simply isn’t that valuable, given how the odds are to receive nothing (there would be a zero chance at keeping the pick if the Kings make the playoffs). On the other hand, if Davis is still available on the trade market in late spring and the pick becomes the top selection, is it worth trading the No. 1 pick for a player who may bolt in a year?
The team does own Miami’s 2021 unprotected first-round pick and it could be the key piece in making a splash that doesn’t involve its trading away a current member of its big three. Still, unless Davis adds Philadelphia to its wish list, Elton Brand & Co. will look elsewhere for another big addition.