Latest On The Anthony Davis Trade
The addition of David Griffin in New Orleans and the lottery fortunes of both teams enabled the Lakers and Pelicans to work out an Anthony Davis trade yesterday after negotiations failed in February, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. Griffin, whom the Pelicans hired in April as executive vice president of basketball operations, was “the biggest difference” this time around, a source tells Shelburne, adding that he had the freedom to “negotiate fairly and frankly.”
Although they made a show of dealing with the Lakers before the deadline, the Pelicans weren’t willing to entrust a franchise-altering deal to former GM Dell Demps, whom they were about to fire. Ownership in New Orleans resented the way the Lakers tried to force them into a deal and never gave serious consideration to any offers from L.A., Shelburne adds. Demps would only talk to former Lakers president Magic Johnson, not GM Rob Pelinka, then would write down the names being offered and leak them to the press, which led to chemistry issues in the L.A. locker room.
In addition to bringing Griffin into the equation, the situation changed when the Lakers landed the No. 4 pick in the lottery, giving them another valuable asset to include in their offer. The Pelicans might use that selection to add another top rookie to team with Zion Williamson or they might deal it to increase a haul that already includes three picks and three talented young players.
There’s more this morning on the NBA’s first blockbuster trade of the offseason:
- Although the Lakers got the best player in the deal, they only receive a C-plus grade from ESPN’s Kevin Pelton, while the Pelicans get an A-minus. With the Celtics refusing to part with Jayson Tatum because they weren’t sure of a long-term commitment from Davis, the return of Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart plus the draft picks was the best they were going to do, Pelton contends. They already have better talent to surround Williamson with than there were able to amass around Davis. Pelton states that the Lakers had to move on Davis because they were in danger of striking out in free agency, but they gave up a lot of cost-controlled young talent and now have a top-heavy roster that will have to be filled with bargain signings.
- Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated sees the deal as a huge win for the Lakers, who now return to relevancy after six years of missing the playoffs. LeBron James is about to turn 35 in December and L.A. was running out of time to surround him with stars. Mannix calls the deal a “career-defining moment” for Pelinka.
- After the trade was announced, the Lakers became clear betting favorites to win next year’s title. BetOnline.ag lists them as +350, well ahead of the second-place Bucks at +700.
More On Anthony Davis-To-Lakers Trade Agreement
Just days after the NBA Finals and less than a week before the annual draft, the Pelicans and Lakers shook up the basketball world with one of the biggest blockbusters in league history. New Orleans agreed to trade disgruntled superstar Anthony Davis to the Lakers for guards Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart, forward Brandon Ingram and three first-round picks, including the No. 4 overall pick in this year’s draft.
We have more details and developments regarding the trade, which can’t be made official until next month.
- The other two first-rounders the Pelicans will receive are a 9-30 protected pick in 2021 – which subsequently becomes unprotected in 2022 – and an unprotected pick in 2024. New Orleans will also have the right to swap unprotected first-rounders in 2o23 and will have the option to defer the 2024 pick until 2025, according to reports from Tim Bontemps of ESPN and Tania Ganguli of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter links).
- The Pelicans are already receiving significant interest in the fourth overall pick, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.
- Ingram is expected to get back on the court next month and be ready for training camp, according to Wojnarowski. He did not play after March 2 due to a blood clot in his right shoulder.
- ESPN Jonathan Givony updated his mock draft in the aftermath of the deal, with Texas Tech shooting guard Jarrett Culver going to New Orleans at No. 4, Vanderbilt guard Darius Garland heading to the Cavaliers at No. 5, North Carolina shooting guard Coby White ticketed to the Suns at No. 6 and Virginia power forward De’Andre Hunter winding up with the Bulls at No. 7 (Twitter link).
- Former Lakers president Magic Johnson, who called GM Rob Pelinka a backstabber in a recent TV interview, praised his former front office partner after the deal. Johnson tweeted, “Great trade Rob Pelinka! Job well done.”
- The Celtics’ chances of re-signing free-agent-to-be Kyrie Irving took a major hit with Davis heading to L.A. instead of Boston, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated tweets.
- New Orleans will have $18.8MM in cap space after the trade is finalized, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets.
- LaVar Ball, Lonzo’s outspoken father, called the trade “the worst move the Lakers ever did in their life” and guarantees they won’t win another championship, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN tweets.
Five Key Offseason Questions: Brooklyn Nets
After spending several years mired in NBA obscurity as the ramifications of an ill-fated trade with Boston limited their ability to acquire impact talent, the Nets finally broke through in 2018/19, earning their first playoff berth since 2015.
Suddenly, with the weight of the Celtics trade off their shoulders (Brooklyn’s 2018 first-round pick was the final piece of that deal), the Nets have a bright future ahead of them. They managed to add young talent like D’Angelo Russell, Caris LeVert, and Jarrett Allen in recent years despite a dearth of lottery picks, and they’re now positioned to bring in one or two star free agents to complement their young core.
Here are five key questions facing the franchise this summer:
1. What does the Nets’ Allen Crabbe trade signify?
It’s rare for two NBA teams to reach an agreement on a trade before the NBA Finals end, but the Nets and Hawks did just that last week, agreeing to a swap that will send Crabbe to Atlanta along with two first-round picks (this year’s No. 17 overall selection and next year’s top-14 protected pick). In return, Brooklyn will receive solid young wing Taurean Prince, Atlanta’s 2021 second-round pick, and – most importantly – additional cap flexibility.
The trade can’t officially be completed until July for cap reasons. But after removing the cap hold for the No. 17 pick ($2.96MM) and Crabbe’s expiring salary ($18.5MM) from their books and replacing it with Prince’s expiring deal ($3.48MM) and an empty roster charge ($897K), the Nets will have created about $17MM in extra cap space.
Before the deal, the Nets had no path to two maximum-salary slots and wouldn’t have had enough space for even a single max free agent if they’d retained Russell’s cap hold. Now, even if Russell sticks around, the club can comfortably afford a max-level player along with a second free agent above the mid-level. Renouncing Russell would clear a path to two max slots (with a caveat, as we’ll explain in the next section).
Teams generally don’t make this sort of move unless they know something — the Nets aren’t giving up two first-round picks to shed salary unless they’re pretty confident that the extra cap space will come in handy.
It’s probably not a coincidence that rumors linking Kyrie Irving to Brooklyn heated up right around the same time this deal was agreed upon. While things could change in the next few weeks, the possibility of Irving becoming a Net looks increasingly likely in the wake of the Crabbe trade, as a Thursday report suggested.
Draft Updates: Oni, Langford, Bitadze, Bone, Harris
Yale wing Miye Oni returned to the Bucks’ practice facility for a second workout on Saturday, ESPN’s Jordan Schultz tweets. Oni averaged 17.1 PPG, 6.3 RPG and 3.6 APG during his junior season. The 6’6” Oni is hoping to become the first Ivy Leaguer drafted since 1995, Schultz adds.
We have more draft info:
- Indiana freshman swingman Romeo Langford is meeting with the Heat this weekend, Schultz reports in another tweet. Miami possesses the No. 13 pick and Langford is ranked No. 14 overall by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
- International prospect Goga Bitadze is visiting the Celtics, Pistons and Hornets in the days leading up to Thursday’s draft. according to a tweet from Hawks website writer Kevin Chouinard. The 6’11” Bitadze, 19, led the EuroLeague and Adriatic League in blocks on both a per-game and per-minute basis. He is ranked No. 17 overall by Givony.
- The Wizards worked out Tennessee guard Jordan Bone on Saturday, according to a team press release. The point guard is No. 56 on Givony’s list.
- Forward Terry Harris worked out for the Knicks on Thursday, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News tweets. He also visited the Nets this week and will work out for the Mavericks and Jazz, Bondy adds in another tweet. He played for North Carolina A&T in his senior year, averaging 8.1 PPG. He is the younger brother of Sixers free agent forward Tobias Harris.
Pelicans Agree To Trade Anthony Davis To Lakers
The Pelicans have reached an agreement to trade All-Star big man Anthony Davis to the Lakers for guards Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart, forward Brandon Ingram and three first-round picks, including the No. 4 overall pick in this year’s draft, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.
The rest of the Pelicans’ haul includes a 9-30 protected first-rounder in 2021, which becomes unprotected in 2022, and an unprotected first-rounder in 2024.
New Orleans will also have the right to swap unprotected first-rounders in 2o23 and will have the option to defer the 2024 pick until 2025, according to reports from Tim Bontemps of ESPN and Tania Ganguli of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter links).
[UPDATE: Davis trade will become a three-team deal]
The Lakers immediately become championship contenders with Davis joining forces with LeBron James. Davis’ agent Rich Paul, also James’ agent, had tried to steer trade talks toward the Lakers over the winter after Davis’ desire to be traded was made public. But Davis didn’t get his wish at the time.
Paul and Davis recently met with the Pelicans’ new top executive, David Griffin, who tried to convince Davis to rescind his trade request. Davis declined and expressed his desire to play long-term for either the Lakers or Knicks.
GM Rob Pelinka, who has been under fire after criticism from former Lakers president Magic Johnson, pulled off a major coup by winning the Davis sweepstakes over the Knicks and Celtics, among others. Los Angeles gave up plenty in the deal but didn’t have to include another talented big man, Kyle Kuzma.
Davis could sign an extension with the Lakers but still intends to test free agency next summer, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports tweets.
The Lakers will have either $27.8MM or $32.5MM in cap room after the deal to pursue a high-level free agent, depending upon timing and Davis’ willingness to waive his $4MM trade bonus, ESPN salary cap expert Bobby Marks tweets.
The trade cannot be officially finalized until after the new league year begins in July. It may be even be completed as late as July 30 — newly-drafted players can be traded immediately without signing a rookie scale contract, but if they sign that contract, they aren’t eligible to be dealt for 30 days. Waiting those 30 days would be advantageous to the Lakers for cap-related reasons, as Marks notes (via Twitter).
The Lakers still don’t have quite enough cap room to max out a free agent like Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler, Kyrie Irving or Kemba Walker but they’re close to it, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. Naturally, one of those free agents might take a little less to form a superstar trio in Los Angeles or the Lakers could make other moves to clear more cap room. Walker will be the Lakers’ top free agent target, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets.
Boston refused to part with its top young player, forward Jayson Tatum, in trade talks with the Pelicans, Stein add in another tweet. That put the Lakers in the driver’s seat for Davis’ services.
With Ball and Hart joining Jrue Holiday, the Pelicans have greatly enhanced their backcourt. They now have the No. 1 and No. 4 picks in Thursday’s draft. It’s a slam dunk they’ll select Duke forward Zion Williamson with the top pick and theyll get another high-level prospect, unless they have another trade in the works. Williamson and Ingram should be a formidable duo at the forward spots and the Pelicans can now concentrate on bringing in another big man to make all the other pieces work.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Central Notes: Beverley, Bucks, Pacers, Doumboya
Clippers free agent guard Patrick Beverley would consider signing with the Bulls, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune (hat tip to Kurt Helin of NBC Sports). Beverley said he’d enjoy playing in his hometown, though he’d probably take the best offer he can find on the market.
“I am Chicago. I’m from Chicago. I bleed Chicago. I really think I can help the city. I think I can save the city,” Beverley said. “I inspire already. And I’d be a great inspiration just walking around the city of Chicago, knowing I’m from there, knowing that someone made it out and you can go and do the same. I’m a Chicago kid. So of course I’m open to playing for the Chicago Bulls if that’s a team that’s interested in me. At the same time, any decision that is made, it’s never personal. It’s always business.”
We have more from the Central Division:
- The Bucks are the early favorite to win the championship next season, Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets. The odds from BetOnline.ag have the Bucks as the lukewarm 9-2 choice, followed by the Warriors.
- The Pacers will host the Virginia Tech duo of Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Justin Robinson in a pre-draft workout on Monday, according to a team press release. Phil Booth (Villanova), Kris Clyburn (UNLV), Matt Mooney (Texas Tech) and KZ Okpala (Stanford) will also visit Indiana’s practice facility. Alexander-Walker is ranked No. 22 overall by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony with Okpala two slots behind him. Devin Cannady (Princeton) JaKeenan Gant (Louisiana-Lafayette), Cameron Jackson (Wofford), Christian James (Oklahoma) and Lamar Peters (Mississippi State) were among the players who visited on Friday, Scott Agness of The Athletic tweets.
- Draft prospect Sekou Doumbouya visited the Bulls on Friday, the team’s PR department tweets. The forward plays for Limoges CSP in the French league.
Is Pursuing A RFA Worth The Risk For Sixers?
The Sixers have said that their primary plan this summer is to re-sign both Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris. But, it’s been reported that both players are open to looking at other options (the Clippers, Knicks, Lakers, and Nets come to mind).
If Butler or Harris end up signing elsewhere, Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon, Nets guard D’Angelo Russell, or Celtics guard Terry Rozier could be other options for Philadelphia. But, as Derek Bodner of The Athletic writes, pursuing a restricted free agent complicates matters.
In order to submit an offer sheet to Brogdon, Russell, or Rozier, the Sixers would first need to create the requisite cap space necessary to sign one of them. The cap holds of Butler and Harris combined with the 2019/20 salaries of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons eat up just under $88.5MM of a projected $109MM cap, leaving a little more than $20.5MM in cap space. Adding in the $1MM in guaranteed salary owed to Jonathan Simmons, the salaries for Zhaire Smith and Jonah Bolden, and six incomplete roster holds equates to about $99.6MM.
Therefore, even if the Sixers renounced all of their free agents besides Butler and Harris (which seems unlikely given they would ideally like to re-sign J.J. Redick as well), renounced all their exceptions, and traded the No. 24 overall pick, they’d still only have about $9.4MM in cap space, which is likely not enough to offer Brogdon, Russell, or Rozier a contract commensurate with their value.
As such, the Sixers would ultimately need to also renounce their rights to Harris or Butler in order to pursue one of the aforementioned guards. They won’t do this with Butler, so it would have to be Harris. But here’s the risk: even if the Sixers negotiate a deal with Brogdon, Russell, or Rozier right at 6:00pm on June 30, the Bucks, Nets, or Celtics (all Eastern Conference rivals to the Sixers) would have until 12:00pm on July 8 – two days after the July moratorium ends – to decide whether to match the Sixers’ offer for Brogdon.
In other words, the two-day deadline to match an offer sheet does not commence until the moratorium is over, and you can be sure Milwaukee, Boston, or Brooklyn would take all of their allotted time. During the time period between the Sixers’ agreement with Brogdon, Russell, or Rozier and the opposing team’s ultimate decision – 7 days and 18 hours – the Sixers’ cap space would be completely tied up. It’s entirely possible that both Harris and Redick sign elsewhere during this time, as deals often get done at a breakneck speed during the first week of free agency.
If the Bucks, Nets, or Celtics decline to match, no harm done. But what if they match the offer sheet? The Sixers are left with a relatively significant amount of cap space with no free agents left to sign. And even if Harris and Redick are still available, they may be frustrated/resentful by the Sixers’ decision to go after Brogdon, Russell, or Rozier at their expense.
Ultimately, a decision like this comes down to how much the Sixers like the player for whom they’re incurring the risk. If the Sixers think Brogdon, Russell, Rozier, or any other restricted free agent can put them over the top, the risk may be worthwhile. If the player being pursued is just another piece, however, the risk is probably too much to bear.
Six Key Stories: 6/8/19 – 6/15/19
If you missed any of this past week’s biggest headlines from around the NBA, we’ve got you covered with our Week in Review. Here are some of the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days:
The Pelicans and new head of basketball operations David Griffin have begun to provide teams in pursuit of Anthony Davis with an idea of the package they’re seeking in return for the All-Star big man. As of now, it appears as though a three-team trade may be necessary for the Pelicans to obtain the package they seek – an All-Star, a young player with All-Star potential, and multiple first-round picks. Davis is reportedly interested in joining the Lakers or the Knicks, with agent Rich Paul even publicly proclaiming that should another team (like the Celtics) trade for AD, it would be for a one-year rental. Despite Paul’s remarks, the Celtics (and the Lakers) are currently engaged in trade talks with New Orleans, with L.A. thought to be the current leader for Davis’ services.
Warriors’ All-Stars Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson both suffered serious injuries during this year’s NBA Finals, with Durant suffering a ruptured right Achilles tendon and Thompson suffering a torn ACL in his left knee. However, neither injury is expected to deter the Warriors’ pursuit of their stars, with GM Bob Myers saying that the team will do everything in their power (i.e. offer max-contracts) to keep both Durant and Thompson in San Francisco. Durant’s injury will will likewise not deter other teams from pursuit of the all-time great, with reports indicating that the Knicks, Nets, Lakers, and Clippers would likely all still offer the forward a max-deal knowing he likely won’t play next season.
As expected, All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving plans to decline his player option for the 2019/20 season. In what ended up being a busy week for Irving, it was also reported that he and his longtime agent Jeff Weschler parted ways, with Irving planning to sign with ROC Nation Sports. This decision, of course, fueled rumors that Irving plans to sign with the Nets this summer, and just one day after the ROC Nation report, it was reported that Irving does indeed plan to sign with Brooklyn this summer. Interestingly, this will likely signal the end of D’Angelo Russell‘s tenure with the Nets, as he is unlikely to remain in Brooklyn should Irving sign.
Jimmy Butler will likewise turn down his player option for the 2019/20 season and hit the free agent market. The Sixers remain adamant about retaining Butler long term, but the Lakers are reportedly interested in Butler also, and there have been rumors about a potential pairing on Butler and Irving in Brooklyn. Regardless, it’ll likely take a maximum-salary offer to sign Butler this offseason.
There are conflicting reports about whether the Wizards are preparing a massive contract offer to Raptors head of basketball operations Masai Ujiri. An initial report indicated that Washington was willing to pay upwards of $10MM per season over six years to poach Ujiri, with owner Ted Leonis planning to reach out to Raptors’ ownership for permission to speak with Ujiri. Then, one day later, the Wizards denied that there were any imminent plans to make an offer to Ujiri, with Raptors’ majority owner Larry Tanenbaum telling reporters there is no chance Ujiri will leave Toro
nto.
Eligible for a super-max contract with the Hornets this summer, All-NBA point guard Kemba Walker wants to stay in Charlotte long term. Walker’s first priority during free agency will be to sit down with Hornets brass and try to get a deal done. Walker even said he’d potentially be willing to take less money to stay. But, Walker will still meet with other teams, and teams like the Lakers, Mavericks, and Knicks are still interested in signing the point guard this offseason despite his interest in remaining with the Hornets.
Here are 12 more noteworthy headlines from the past week:
- Heat point guard Goran Dragic has picked up his $19.2MM player option for the 2019/20 season.
- In a somewhat surprising move, Grizzlies center Jonas Valanciunas has decided that he won’t opt into the final year of his contract. He’ll instead become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
- Hornets forward Marvin Williams has exercised his player option for the 2019/20 season, thereby locking in a salary of just over $15MM for next season.
- Celtics center Aron Baynes also exercised his player option for the 2019/20 season. The big man is contracted to make just under $5.5MM.
- The Knicks exercised rookie Allonzo Trier‘s team option for next season. The guard will make $3.5MM.
- Longtime NBA point guard and Spurs all-time great Tony Parker is retiring from basketball after 18 seasons.
- The Grizzlies have hired longtime Mike Budenholzer assistant Taylor Jenkins as their new head coach.
- Sixers forward Tobias Harris, a Long Island native, is interested in meeting with the Nets during free agency this summer.
- Top prospect Ja Morant planned to meet with the Knicks in New York City on Friday less than a week after meeting with the Grizzlies. The teams hold the No. 3 and No. 2 picks, respectively.
- Big man Deyonta Davis, armed with a non-guaranteed salary of just over $1.6MM for next season, was claimed by the Rockets after he was released by the Hawks.
- The NBA officially announced its complete list of early entrant prospects eligible for the 2019 NBA draft.
- Spurs assistant coach Ettore Messina has agreed to a deal to become president of basketball operations and head coach for Italian club Olimpia Milano
Hoops Rumors Originals: 6/8/19 – 6/15/19
Every week, the Hoops Rumors writing team creates original content to complement our news feed. Here are our segments and features from the past seven days:
- Hoops Rumors’ own JD Shaw sat down with swingman James Ennis to discuss his decision to turn down his $1.85MM player option with the Sixers, what he hopes to accomplish in free agency, and his ultimate desire to stay in Philadelphia long term.
- Luke Adams took a look at some offseason trade restrictions in place for NBA teams.
- Our lone Community Shootaround discussion post this week addressed whether Kevin Durant‘s return to the court could save the series for the Warriors. Painfully for Golden State – in more ways than one – it could not.
- In his weekly mailbag, Arthur Hill answered readers’ questions regarding the free agency of Kemba Walker and Durant, as well as the Wizards’ 2019/20 outlook.
- Our Five Key Offseason Questions series focused on the following teams this week:
- With free agency right around the corner, Luke Adams explained why sign-and-trade arrangements are so rare these days.
Southeast Notes: Beal, Dragic, Reddish
While Wizards owner Ted Leonsis is reluctant to trade Bradley Beal, doing so may represent the team’s quickest path to contention, David Aldridge of The Athletic writes.
Beal is an enormously valuable asset that could net a batch of valuable assets. The Wizards, then, could focus on John Wall‘s rehabilitation in hopes of surrounding him with a strong rotation once he’s healthy.
Aldridge clarifies that the Wizards shouldn’t trade Beal because of any shortcomings, in fact, the opposite. An abundance of teams are clearing space to sign max free agents this summer but there’s only so much top talent to go around.
Beal, as a result, could draw a significant return if the Wizards are willing to leverage the 25-year-old’s excellent 2018/19 campaign.
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- When Goran Dragic opted in to his player option with the Heat for next season he became eligible to be traded. Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel explores what the peculiar timing could mean. Dragic didn’t have to opt in until June 29.
- The Hawks met with Cam Reddish yesterday, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. Reddish, having recently undergone core muscle surgery, did not work out with the club. There’s a decent chance Reddish is available when the Hawks pick at No. 8.
- One area that the Heat could focus as the 2019 NBA Draft approaches is shooting guard. Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel writes about the uncertainty at the two-guard position in Miami and the players who could potentially fill that void.