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.
Russell Unlikely To Stay If Irving Signs With Nets
D’Angelo Russell is highly unlikely to remain with the Nets if Kyrie Irving signs with Brooklyn, sources told Ian Begley of SNY TV.
The Nets are considered the favorites to land the Celtics’ point guard, though there’s no indication that other potential suitors have been ruled out, Begley continues.
The Nets can open up as much as $66MM of cap space to sign two major free agents if they renounce Russell’s rights. They can make him a restricted free agent by extending a $9.16MM qualifying offer but renouncing him would clear his $21MM cap hold.
The Pacers, who are shopping for a point guard, are keenly interested in Russell, Begley adds. The Magic, Timberwolves and Jazz are also expected to pursue him in free agency.
Begley’s story contradicts a previous report that suggested the Nets were willing to pair up Russell and Irving as their starting backcourt.
GM: We’ll Do Everything We Can To Keep Durant, Thompson
The Warriors will do everything in their power to re-sign Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson in free agency despite their injuries during the Finals, GM Bob Myers told ESPN’s Nick Friedell and other media members on Friday.
The Warriors’ brass made it known throughout the season they’d try to retain Durant and Thompson despite the record luxury tax penalties they’d confront. Golden State can offer Durant a max of $221MM over five years while Thompson can receive approximately $190MM over the same period. Durant is expected to miss all of next season as he rehabs from a ruptured Achilles tendon, while Thompson will miss most, if not all, of next season due to a torn left ACL.
“We value those guys at the highest level,” Myers said. “I wouldn’t be a very good GM if I didn’t understand how valuable they are to our own team. It sometimes gets lost. But I think when Kevin plays in the NBA Finals, we’ve gone 9-1. So I don’t know what else matters. And Klay — they’re both fantastic. Those are guys that you do everything you can to keep within your organization.”
Teams with significant cap space are expected to pursue Durant despite the injury, with both New York and Los Angeles teams providing the competition for his services. Durant holds a $31.5MM player option.
Thompson is likely to remain with the organization that drafted him in 2011, which his father Mychal Thompson reiterated on Friday.
“All I’ll say is that those guys are highly important to us,” Myers said. “And deserving of being rewarded in the right manner. … It’s hard to find high-quality people, and both of them are that. And so you just — try to keep those guys within these walls the best you can.”
Draft Notes: Bol, Williamson, Hawks, Knicks, Langford
Oregon center Bol Bol has received the last of 20 invites to the draft’s Green Room, Jonathan Givony of ESPN tweets. Bol Bol is ranked No. 15 overall by Givony. The 7’2” freshman appeared in only nine games with the Ducks due to a foot injury but averaged 21.0 PPG, 9.6 RPG and 2.7 BPG.
We have more draft notes:
- Projected top pick Zion Williamson has filed a lawsuit in an attempt to terminate an agreement he signed with a Florida marketing company, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports. Williamson signed a marketing deal, which included a clause that it couldn’t be terminated for five years, with Gina Ford and Prime Sports in April. Williamson’s family told the agency two weeks ago that it was terminating the agreement and the agency responded that it would sue for damages in excess of $100MM, Wojnarowski continues. According to Williamson’s suit, the agreement was unlawful under North Carolina’s Uniform Athlete Agents Act because Prime Sports is not certified by the Players Association or a registered athlete agent in North Carolina or Florida.
- The Knicks’ workout on Friday included St. John guard Justin Simon and Kansas power forward Dedric Lawson, Adam Zagoria of the New York Times tweets. Virginia Tech swingman Ahmed Hill and St. Louis guard Javon Bess also participated in the workout, Zagoria adds.
- The Pistons, Magic and Hornets are the teams most likely to take first-round prospect and former Indiana swingman Romeo Langford, Dustic Dopirak of The Athletic writes.
- The Hawks will look at six big men on Saturday according to a team press release. That group includes center Nicolas Claxton (Georgia), Aric Holman (Mississippi State), Mfiondu Kabengele (Florida State) and Naz Reid (LSU) along with Europeans Sekou Doumbouya and Luka Samanic. Langford will also visit with the Hawks on Saturday but will not workout.
Pacific Notes: Thompson, Caroline, Fall, Kings’ Staff
Mychal Thompson, father of Warriors star Klay Thompson, said there’s “no question” Klay will re-sign with Golden State, Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. The Warriors are expected to offer him a full five-year maximum deal worth nearly $190MM despite Thompson’s knee injury during Game 6 on Thursday. Thompson suffered a torn left ACL and is expected to miss most of next season.
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- Nevada forward Jordan Caroline worked out for the Lakers on Thursday and the Kings on Friday, Jordan Schultz of ESPN tweets. Former UCF center Tacko Fall will also work out for the Lakers before the draft, Schultz adds in another tweet.
- Guards Jalen Adams (UConn) and Quinndary Weatherspoon (Mississippi State), forwards Shaqquan Aaron (USC) and Markis McDuffie (Wichita State) and center Dylan Osetkowski (Texas) also worked out for the Kings on Friday, according to a team press release.
- The Kings have officially named former Suns head coach Igor Kokoskov, Bob Beyer, Jesse Mermuys and Roy Rana as assistant coaches under Luke Walton, according to a team press release. Bobby Jackson, Jonah Herscu and Will Scott will round out the staff.
Ujiri Under Investigation For Incident With Police Officer
Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri is under investigation for suspicion of misdemeanor battery on a police officer during the NBA Finals, according to an ESPN report.
The alleged incident occurred on the Oracle Arena floor at Oracle Arena after the Raptors captured Game 6 to clinch the championship. Ujiri was stopped by a deputy, according to Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, as he tried to join the celebration on the floor.
“Mr. Ujiri was unknown to the deputy at that time. He [the deputy] asked him for a credential,” said Sgt. Ray Kelly, a spokesman for the sheriff’s office. “He shoved the deputy out of the way and walked toward the court. The deputy pushed back. The president came forward more with a more significant push and ended up striking the deputy in the face.”
Ujiri watched the end of the game on television outside the Raptors’ locker room, then came through the tunnel to the floor to join the celebration.
The NBA requires extra credentials to gain access to the floor when the series is clinched, the report notes. Kelly claimed Masai either didn’t have the credentials or didn’t show them.
A season ticket holder who was standing next to the officer told The Associated Press’ Rob Gillies that officer didn’t ask for Ujiri’s credential. The same fan also said Ujiri did not strike the officer in the face (Twitter link).
The investigation should be completed by next week.
Silver Believes New Lottery System Will Decrease Tanking
NBA commissioner Adam Silver believes the new lottery system has decreased the incentive to tank, as he told ESPN’s Rachel Nichols in an interview relayed by ESPN’s Royce Young.
Silver believes the former system created a “destructive” mindset in which teams intentionally waved the white flag in order to improve their future prospects. Fans bought into that mentality and preferred to see their team lose, simply to get a better draft choice.
“Hopefully, it’ll stop fans in those markets from rooting for their teams to perform poorly,” Silver said. “Because that race to the bottom is just destructive, I think, for everyone. Corrosive for players and franchises, and I think, in some cases, even some executives who knew better felt they couldn’t withstand the pressure from the communities, from the media in some cases, saying, ‘Why are you operating at this level when you should either get much better or much worse?'”
In the first year under the new system, the Pelicans moved to the top spot despite having only a six percent chance of getting that pick. The bottom three teams in the league had just a 14 percent chance to win the lottery, compared to 25 percent under the previous system. The new lottery also determined the top four picks, instead of top three.
The Knicks, who had the worst record, dropped to third, and the Cavaliers and Suns, who were tied for the second-most losses, wound up with the fifth and sixth picks.
“I think in this case now with the change in the lottery, people are going to realize that there’s only one way to build a franchise,” Silver said. “Of course, you need to get great players, but at the same time you need to build culture, you need strong management, you need strong coaching. And players incrementally get better year after year.”
Five Key Offseason Questions: Detroit Pistons
Thanks to an All-Star season from Blake Griffin, the Pistons reached the playoffs for just the second time since the 2008/09 season. Their postseason stay didn’t last long, as they were swept in the opening round by the top-seeded Bucks.
Making improvements to the team this offseason will be challenging for the front office. They are saddled with some bad contracts that will prevent them for pursuing top-level free agents. Talent is thin beyond the frontcourt duo of Griffin and Andre Drummond and they need to find some shooters. The team ranked only above the woeful Knicks in field-goal shooting percentage this season.
Here are five key questions facing the franchise this summer:
1. Will they keep the Blake Griffin/Andre Drummond/Reggie Jackson core intact?
It’s unlikely the Pistons will go into full tank mode after making the playoffs for the second time in a decade. Once the gold standard among Eastern Conference franchises by reaching the conference finals from 2003-08, the Pistons have been irrelevant for too long to start all over again.
Griffin has given the franchise the star power it has sorely lacked for many years. He has reshaped his game over the years, turning himself into a stretch four, ballhandler and playmaker. Moreover, concerns over how Griffin would handle the switch from Los Angeles to snowy Detroit have evaporated. He’s become the clear team leader and spokesman while endearing himself to teammates, coaches and staff members with his work ethic and professionalism.
Drummond is a tricky case. He’s the league’s premier rebounder and one of its most mobile big men. His offensive game has shown improvement, particularly at the free throw line where he’s gone from historically awful to somewhat respectable. He’s also shown some improvement defensively, leading the team in blocks and steals, though his presence doesn’t discourage opponents from attacking the paint.
The bigger question mark is Drummond’s future plans. He holds a player option on his contract after next season at $28.75MM. If he intends to opt out, the Pistons could explore trades to pile up assets rather than risk losing him for nothing more than salary-cap space next summer.
Jackson ranked 32nd among point guards on ESPN’s Player Efficiency Rating scale. Injuries have set his career back, though his play perked up after the All-Star break. There’s little doubt the Pistons would jump at the chance to upgrade at the point, since coach Dwane Casey‘s scheme isn’t reliant on pick-and-rolls and Jackson is more comfortable running those sets.
Jackson becomes a free agent next summer, so the cap-strapped Pistons may simply roll with him next season and then replace him.
The general feeling around the organization is that the Pistons will target a wing with their pick, which is just outside the lottery, but the team may ultimately utilize the “best player available” strategy at that spot.Durant Suffers Achilles Injury; MRI On Tuesday
JUNE 11: The Warriors believe that Durant’s MRI on Tuesday will confirm a torn right Achilles tendon, league sources tell ESPN’s Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
JUNE 10: Warriors superstar forward Kevin Durant suffered a right Achilles injury during Game 5 of the Finals, GM Bob Myers told the media after Golden State’s victory on Monday.
“The initial injury was a calf injury. This is not a calf injury. I don’t know how they are related but this is a different injury,” Myers said, according to a tweet by ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.
Durant will undergo an MRI on Tuesday to determine the extent of the injury, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN tweets.
Durant returned to action after missing over a month with a right calf strain suffered during the conference semifinals against Houston. Durant played well, scoring 11 points in 12 minutes, before injuring himself when he planted the leg making an offensive move during the second quarter. He was helped back to the locker room by teammate Andre Iguodala, among others.
Naturally, Golden State will be questioned for allowing Durant to play. Myers said he’ll take the hit.
“He was cleared to play tonight, that was a collaborative decision,” Ben Golliver of the Washington Post tweets. “I don’t believe there’s anybody to blame. I understand this world, if you have to, you can blame me. I run our basketball operations department.”
Durant departed the arena during the second half walking on crutches and wearing a walking boot, Shelburne adds in another tweet. If Durant suffered a tear, the injury would have giant implications on the free agent market.
Durant was expected to opt out of his contract — he has a $31.5MM player option for 2019/20 — and head into the market as the top free agent. Rumors of Durant joining one of the New York teams have been rampant and those plans could be shattered if Durant’s injury is significant. The Warriors have stated they plan to do everything possible to keep Durant.
Now, it’s possible Durant will opt into the remaining year of his contract if he’ll miss a good chunk of next season. Teammate DeMarcus Cousins didn’t return to the court for nearly a year after suffering a ruptured Achilles while he was still with the Pelicans.