Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka hopes to not only retain Anthony Davis for the long haul but also pair him with a young superstar in those future years, he told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on a recent podcast (hat tip to Donny McHenry of LakersOutsiders.com). Davis is expected to re-sign — at least in the short term — with the Lakers, even if he declines his $28.75MM player option.
“We hope that we can have another championship run next year, for sure, and we’re going to work hard to try to keep the pieces around LeBron (James) and AD, build pieces around LeBron and AD to do that,” Pelinka said. “But also, with the future, again, if you study our cap (space) we have the flexibility to say, “Can we add another really, really talented young player to run it out with AD if he chooses to stay as a free agent for five, six, seven, eight years?””
We have more from around the Western Conference:
- The Jazz need to re-sign free agent Jordan Clarkson and use their mid-level exception on a wing player that can defend quicker players, Sarah Todd of the Deseret News opines. Utah owns Clarkson’s Bird rights and needs his offensive punch, notes Todd, who also details why it would be a bad idea to trade for the Sixers’ Al Horford.
- Garrett Temple, Courtney Lee and D.J. Augustin are some of the free agents the Pelicans might consider signing, according to William Guillory of The Athletic. Any of them could take a leadership and mentoring role as well as helping off the bench. Guillory also examines the glut of guards on the roster and predicts the players that will be lopped off.
- The Mavericks’ draft picks this year could be their most valuable selections over the next five years, Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News writes. Dallas owns the No. 18 overall pick as well as the first pick of the second round (No. 31), courtesy of a 2016 three-team deal that involved the Warriors. The Mavericks don’t have first-rounders in two of the three ensuing drafts due to the Kristaps Porzingis trade with the Knicks.
“After his team had clinched the Western Conference Finals over the Denver Nuggets, (Lebron) James shared his take on Davis coming to Los Angeles.”
“This is the reason why I wanted to be a teammate of his and why I brought him here,” he reflected.”
– B/R Eric Pincus’ article from Oct 15th
(Also contains the video of said interview)
LeBron may have forced AD to the Lakers but at least he brought a difference maker. Kawhi made the Clips trade their entire future for a perennial loser.
If I recall, it was Doc who made the push to Ballmer, to sign-off on all of those draft picks ……… besides, signing PG ensured them of getting Kawhi’s commitment as well.
Unfortunately for most of the league, not everyone can get an AD, who’s a consensus top 5 player most of his career.
It’s a longshot to get AD …….. you’ll need a top 1 consensus player to do the recruiting and hope he has his own sports agency to strong-arm whoever needs to be strong-armed to get the trade done.
Yeah, almost comparing anyone to AD isnt going to be fair. You’re talking about the ultimate unicorn, that’s 7 feet tall, has ball handling skills, and can shoot with range. Not to mention he also plays some stout defense down low, and he’s quick enough to guard wings around the perimeter.
Almost every other player has some type of player that you can make a comparison to, there is NOT really a true comp for AD.
You could maybe say KD, but then again, you’re talking about a generational talent, and one of the all-time best players..
There are only so many of those guys out there, you couldn’t ever expect Kawhi to realistically get a running mate as good as AD. Unless he was able to get KD, anyone else would have been looked at as less than..
Me, personally, I would have loved to see Kawhi team up with Klay. If the Clippers have a healthy Klay over PG, they would have taken the title from the Lakers..That’s not saying Klay is better than AD, but the Clippers would have been a much more well rounded team with the Klaw and Klay to team up with Sweet Lou and their other band of defenders..
Klay isn’t a good defender, also wouldn’t have the same roster if they traded for klay over pg. Pg has had his warts (Especially in playoffs) and still netted 5 first rounders klay would have cost way more than that especially if not injured. The clippers just aren’t that good, lack depth inside and outside of beverly and kawhi the defense looked mediocre at best.
There best chance pasted them by the are going to lose a ton of depth this offseason and are stuck with pandemic p till next season at least if he doesn’t opt out.
I think lakers will be better this year and will address shooting with the addition of some form of galanari, grant, cousins, or oladipo. It’s a scary thought to envision lebron taking a back seat in a year or 2 to ad or say a giannis/beal/harden.
If lakers land jerami grant he basically neutralizes kawhi as he did in nuggets this year series. Then Kawhi will most certainly leave when they lose in playoffs and then clippers are really screwed have no picks for the next 4 years.
How do the Lakers, who are already over the salary cap, land Gallinari or Grant? I don’t see other teams doing a sign a trade to benefit the Lakers
Did you really just say that Klay isnt a good defender!?!
It was more just a hypothetical, who could they possibly have gone after, that would have been better than PG13. The point was, there weren’t many players better than George. Which, just the year prior George was, at one point, being mentioned in the MVP race. People quickly forget the past, and how good George once was when he was on and healthy.
Regardless though, Klay is one of the league’s best defenders, and one of the best 2-way players. Please dont ever say he’s a poor defender again, because anything you say after that instantly loses any credibility..
Man can you please stop your whinnying & bitterness, you comin’ across as pathetic!
We get it for some odd reason you don’t like AD for the LAL, that is fine as your opinion, but hardly goes by a day without you posting about it!
As I said we get it, how you feel, so just stop, please!
My comment was for @mike.honcho
@El Don ……… All the sarcasm clearly had flown right past you bro. You’re probably 12, maybe 16.
Let me be clear, for your benefit.
I like AD, he’s been clearly top 5, most of his career. What I don’t like was the process that got him to the LAKERS …….. I’ve called it unethical, even unfair. It will probably set a bad precedent, for years to come.
I don’t even care if the LAKERS somehow gets Giannis, Harden, Cp3 and Beal ……… as long as Lebron and Klutch don’t go behind the scenes to tamper and fix everything up. Keep it above-board.
Coincidentally, a very recent article from The Athletic, somehow says a similar thing about what Lebron & Klutch are doing that’s unethical.
I think you overrate the importance of Klutch. Without Klutch, the same events likely occur anyway, maybe less confidently by AD, but another agent would likely also advise a force-out. Posters to HR generally agreed the Pels were not getting it done and he should get out like Garnett eventually did.
It never sounded like NOLA’s owner was being forced by threats. She mostly sounded vengeful and wanted to defy him. After all the BB team was not her favorite team so she could get personal with it and use it for establishing a rep useful to say, the Saints.
The key was LJ waited a year for him instead of a second star quicker to recruit like PG. Indeed he seemed willing to wait two years for AD and make it all look natural. But I have no doubt AD wanted out and probably worries about fragility.
I think I rate Klutch about the same as most know it (that is, outside of Lebron nuthuggers).
Everyone and his mother knows who really owns Klutch ……. or at the very least who their preferred client is.
I just had to chuckle the way ESPN reacted to the recent Athletic article about an anonymous sports agent blasting Lebron & Klutch’s malpractices, saying pretty much similar things I’ve been posting here.
One those guys quoted anonymously in a the Athletic’s agent’s poll, sounded insane talking about Rich Paul, and did not seem to have a grasp of the timelines… it was like an SNL skit, comedic.
Anyway RP, even if he makes the Klutch decisions, has not changed anything beyond what was inevitable (that I recall). Indeed he has turned down players who wanted to get radical but went too far. LJ is not really a boat-rocker.
I would argue that AD could have stayed and made the Pelicans legit. They won the lottery and were adding Zion. Granted, injuries are unpredictable, but AD, Zion and Jrue is a pretty nice core
He just won a ring playing for the Lakers. You think that would ever happen for him with the Pelicans?
Legit question, would LeBron have ever won a ring for the Lakers if AD didn’t bolt from the Pelicans? It’s easy to forget just how much of a mess they were before AD came.
At least Davis gave the Pelicans adequate notice that he wasn’t going to re-sign with them (and who, with any intellect, could blame him). They got a good haul and it helped them. Paul George give about 48 hours, after signing an extension with the Thunder, yet people point the finger at Davis. It’s pathetic.
If you want an actual example of tampering, just look to the Clippers acquisitions of Leonard and George.
Every team with a superstar FA should be so lucky as the PELICANS, with AD giving them adequate notice …….. with almost 2 years left on his contract.
Yes, what PG did was downright shite.
I am 46 actually dude… just a bit annoyed you keep repeating the same point add nauseum!!!
I don’t really care what happened!
I am not against tampering!
Don’t care either way!
I only care about the play, not the offseason, trades, FA signings, draft… all that is just to fill the time until the real juicy stuff begins.
As I said we all know how you feel about it, so is no point for you to keep repeating it time & again!
DJ Augustin always seem to be available during most offseasons …… much like Jarrett Jack back in the day, a quality back-up PG, yet he cant find a long-term home.
DJ will be a good pickup for the PELICANS.
It won’t happen for any team but Lakers are the Only one with a realistic chance to pair ad and Giannis ! For any team to have a prayer they will have to have the bird rights of at least one of them , it’s all moot though they will never team up they don’t even compliment each other play wise
Great contribution to the conversation.
Well the link was of the Lakers adding another star to Davis !
Maybe he wants Giannis to another team, or was sincere. I do think LJ will leave before long.
Indeed he may have said that to AD, anyway Pelinka got wind, and thats why he says he wants a future star… to replace LJ not to add to him. He said that for AD’s sake, for leverage. But he can be too expensive, so young.
Or Pelinka is gearing up for Bledsoe! 30, signed through 2023, not perfect, but star-capable if not purposed to defense.
edit*
But “another really, really talented young player” would be too expensive for their salary picture, so realistically Pelinka must either be a risk-free predictor, or compromise a bit with Bledsoe…
Nevermind all that. The GSW FO says a lot of things, too much and too contradicting to be believed.
If AD is smart he will just sign a two year deal, then head out when LeBron leaves. They just simply wont have the assets to acquire another star player next to him, unless it’s in free agency, and they arent getting Giannis..
I could see AD signing a 2 yr deal, winning another title in LA, and then heading back home to Chicago to try and bring a title back to his home city. AD loves Chicago, and would consider it a dream come true to win at home.
Hopefully signing Donovsn and bringing in their new GM is a sign of bright things ahead for the Bulls. They need to target Hayes with their number 4 pick, and then target another 3&D wing to backup Otto Porter Jr.
Hayes/White/Sato
LaVine/Dunn/Sato
Porter Jr./Valentine/Hutchinson
Markkanen/Young
Carter Jr./Gafford/Kornet
They have some talented players for sure, and some players that were severely hampered by their previous head coach. Before Boylen had Lauri just stand around and shoot 3s, he was potentially a promising 20/10 player, Carter Jr. showed flashes of being a scoring and playmaking option at the 5, LaVine was always an offensive threat, Dunn has been one of the best perimeter defenders, White showed flashes of being at least a real scoring punch off the bench like a Lou Williams, Gafford showed flashes of being a solid rim runner and protector in the mold of Tyson Chandler, and Porter Jr. has proven to be a versatile threat offensively as well when he’s been healthy.
Add in using their veteran additions correctly like Young and Satoransky, and then an excellent young distributor and play maker, plus a good pick n roll defender in Hayes, and that’s the makings of something Donovan can work with. With their new coach and health alone, I think the Bukks will more than push for a playoff spot. It’s going to be fun to see how they round out their roster, who they draft, and it will definitely be fun seeing these players enthusiasm being able to play for a new coach and getting a fresh start in an actual system..!!
AD could say that about “loving” Chicago as an excuse to leave LA without hurting his legacy, but I haven’t gotten the impression of those or any such feelings. I’m sure for the sake of, again, good feelings, he does say nice things about the hometown.
Markannon can make a difference in the team’s W-L. I have never liked it when players just stand in the corner and wait but that seems to be a tenet of the five-out scheme which is getting more popular. Donovan may even run it utilizing WendellC’s touch!
I think Davis will likely sign the max to remain in L.A.
I think there should be a couple of pieces there for Dallas to fit their needs for size, defense and shooting on the wing, and at the 4/5 spots
Dallas is done if KP can’t stay on court. He needs weight and to play center. He is not Dirk.
I’m not a fan of how Bron recruits. Truth is most want to play with him. So we can’t hate lol. We gotta beat him. I’m actually a Bron guy. But never appreciate arrogance. The whole Miami thing. Not 4, not 5, not 6, not 7. He did put up with Cavs. Teams have to learn to win. Lakers were not a dominant team. A good team. Who took advantage of things as they are. They are not winning next yr. AD can be handled. He’s not the force he thinks he is. Teams win championships not teammates. Lakers were a team that played everyone. Their whole bench lols. You gotta respect that. Still don’t like them.