Davis says Celtics among NBA clubs he'd gladly join

www.yahoo.com/sports/davis-says-celtics-among-nba-clubs-hed-gladly-201334789--nba.html

Charlotte (AFP) - New Orleans Pelicans star Anthony Davis said Saturday he would welcome a trade to the Boston Celtics or any other NBA team, stretching his desired list of prospective new clubs.

The 25-year-old forward repeated his desire to play in Sunday's 68th NBA All-Star Game but said he would have to see how his bruised left shoulder felt ahead of tip-off in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Davis has been the talk of the NBA the past couple of weeks since he confirmed what his agent revealed, that the star big man wants a trade from the Pelicans and won't sign a new long-term deal with New Orleans.

No deal was struck by last week's NBA trade deadline, with reports that Davis first wanted a deal only to New York or the Los Angeles Lakers, later adding Milwaukee and the Los Angeles Clippers to the list.

At the time, the Boston Celtics were thought to be the team with the most to offer the Pelicans in return but the report revealing Davis wanted out in New Orleans indicated he did not want to go to Boston.

Davis says that's not so, repeating several times on Saturday of the Celtics that "they are on my list" while telling the NBA's television network "all 29 other teams are on my list" and he had no preferred destination.

"I just want to go to a team that wins," Davis said.

After the Lakers were spurned in overtures for Davis, the Pelicans announced the dismissal Friday of general manager Dell Demps, who couldn't build a consistent winner.

"I didn’t know anything about it but the Pelicans are going to do what's best for them," Davis said. "My intentions are still the same no matter who the GM is. The Pelicans made a move for what's best of their organization and I'm going to go out and play basketball with my teammates."

- 'Not stressful at all' -

Davis says he intends to play for the Pelicans for the final two months of the season, with New Orleans unlikely to rise from third-worst in the Western Conference to a playoff spot.

"We wanted to get something done and it didn't happen, so my job is to play and that's what I'm going to continue to do," Davis said.

Davis has another season on his contract but said he won't sign a new deal until he becomes a free agent in July 2020. That could make some teams think twice about devoting major talent for a trade deal only to watch Davis leave after the 2019-20 campaign.

"It wasn't stressful at all for me," Davis said. "I had a plan, and I had steps to follow that plan and did what I'm supposed to do.

"I knew there was a chance it probably wasn't going to happen, because the Pelicans have to make that decision. But I followed that plan and nothing happened, so I'm still here playing basketball until the end of the season."

After that, the Pelicans could field offers to avoid having Davis leave in 2020 without anything in return for New Orleans.

Well I guess the media were making things up again. All of them want him to go to LA so bad its ridiculous.
He said he never said he wouldn't play for the Celtics.

Aaaaaaaaand we're back to where we thought we were well before all this started!! I'm just wondering if DA had made his mind up already. He usually NEVER does what we think or expect!

db

tardust wrote:Well I guess the media were making things up again.  All of them want him to go to LA so bad its ridiculous.
He said he never said he wouldn't play for the Celtics.

So Davis is now claiming that the other 29 teams are in play for him...???
So, that includes Phoenix, Orlando and Cleveland? What's so bad about New Orleans for them to be the only team that is excluded?
This new revelation is a way to get through all-star weekend instead of saying that he only wants to play for the Lakers or one of a few teams.
Technically he might be correct.
Maybe he didn't exclude any teams.
It seems like his agent Rich Paul did the excluding for him.

What a mess!!

I think we should consider Dell Demps wasn't fired because the Laker proposal was awful and he didn't take it.  He might have been fired because the Laker proposal was attractive and he didn't take it.  One could argue he was doing the right thing by pushing back against fairly obvious tampering by Rich Paul and Magic doing this through the media instead of quietly, but the new GM won't look at it the same way I think.

From LA's perspective the breakdown in negotiations hurt because they wanted 34 year old LeBron and AD together this year so the Lakers could make a run for the playoffs and generate some more enthusiasm in an underwhelming year after all the buzz that came with signing LeBron.  After the Jim Buss Era debacle Jeannie is working her cute little ass off to restore some luster back to the brand and having LBJ and AD together would certainly do that.  It would also bring in a new, young building block for her to build around.  If AD is traded to anybody except the Lakers in the off-season then LeBron will be going on 36 before AD can be an UFA and choose them and that's not much of a window.  They still get the building block, but making that building block pay off before LeBron is done is a tighter squeeze.


bob


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bobheckler wrote:What a mess!!

I think we should consider Dell Demps wasn't fired because the Laker proposal was awful and he didn't take it.  He might have been fired because the Laker proposal was attractive and he didn't take it.  One could argue he was doing the right thing by pushing back against fairly obvious tampering by Rich Paul and Magic doing this through the media instead of quietly, but the new GM won't look at it the same way I think.

From LA's perspective the breakdown in negotiations hurt because they wanted 34 year old LeBron and AD together this year so the Lakers could make a run for the playoffs and generate some more enthusiasm in an underwhelming year after all the buzz that came with signing LeBron.  After the Jim Buss Era debacle Jeannie is working her cute little ass off to restore some luster back to the brand and having LBJ and AD together would certainly do that.  It would also bring in a new, young building block for her to build around.  If AD is traded to anybody except the Lakers in the off-season then LeBron will be going on 36 before AD can be an UFA and choose them and that's not much of a window.  They still get the building block, but making that building block pay off before LeBron is done is a tighter squeeze.


bob


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Bob,

The way I view AD and I hope LA views him the same way is not just in the next year or the Lebron window.
Yes, it would be great for the Lakers to have AD now or next year, but the world and the Lakers go on even if they don't acquire AD in the next year.
Of course LA would be happy to sign Kawhi or Durant or Kyrie this summer. If they did, then signing AD is not realistic.
Being able to sign Davis in the summer of 2020 would make him the face of the Lakers or whatever team signs him.
IF AD really wants to be a Laker for basketball and/or other reasons, I hope the Lakers are patient and wait for the summer of 2020 if they need to.
At some point Lebron's contract will come off of the books and LA will have plenty of cap space again to sign a star or two.
Being a little patient and waiting for the Golden State window to close some might be a good course of action.

tjmakz wrote:

bobheckler wrote:What a mess!!

I think we should consider Dell Demps wasn't fired because the Laker proposal was awful and he didn't take it.  He might have been fired because the Laker proposal was attractive and he didn't take it.  One could argue he was doing the right thing by pushing back against fairly obvious tampering by Rich Paul and Magic doing this through the media instead of quietly, but the new GM won't look at it the same way I think.

From LA's perspective the breakdown in negotiations hurt because they wanted 34 year old LeBron and AD together this year so the Lakers could make a run for the playoffs and generate some more enthusiasm in an underwhelming year after all the buzz that came with signing LeBron.  After the Jim Buss Era debacle Jeannie is working her cute little ass off to restore some luster back to the brand and having LBJ and AD together would certainly do that.  It would also bring in a new, young building block for her to build around.  If AD is traded to anybody except the Lakers in the off-season then LeBron will be going on 36 before AD can be an UFA and choose them and that's not much of a window.  They still get the building block, but making that building block pay off before LeBron is done is a tighter squeeze.


bob


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Bob,

The way I view AD and I hope LA views him the same way is not just in the next year or the Lebron window.
Yes, it would be great for the Lakers to have AD now or next year, but the world and the Lakers go on even if they don't acquire AD in the next year.
Of course LA would be happy to sign Kawhi or Durant or Kyrie this summer. If they did, then signing AD is not realistic.
Being able to sign Davis in the summer of 2020 would make him the face of the Lakers or whatever team signs him.
IF AD really wants to be a Laker for basketball and/or other reasons, I hope the Lakers are patient and wait for the summer of 2020 if they need to.
At some point Lebron's contract will come off of the books and LA will have plenty of cap space again to sign a star or two.
Being a little patient and waiting for the Golden State window to close some might be a good course of action.

TJ,

I agree. As I said I think they want AD as a bigger, longer-term building block. And the whole league is waiting for the Warrior window to close. That pretty much makes it clear when you are talking about a dynasty, doesn't it? When the whole league is waiting for you to breathe your last gasp before they think they have a shot, you are a dynasty.


bob


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BobH,

I agree with everything you are saying but I'll have to take a stand on the Laker proposing.  While I'm no Trump level negotiator in the gazillions of dollars, I am a part of and watch normal negotiations everyday as part of my job.  

Rule #1 is never vomit on the table.  For one it's a mess to clean up. Second, it implies desperation. Opposing table is expecting your best offer. Never give them just one option and ask yes or no. Expect a no and you will never be disappointed. Offer at least a choice, 2 options preferable but never more than 3.   Anything more is at best confusing and insulting to the receiver.  

Rule #2 is never bid against yourself in any circumstance.  Shows desperation to the nth degree.  When you send something across the table and there is no response you have either way underestimated the value of your own proposal relative to what they have to offer and have insulted the other side like low-balling a home bid, (you think it's cute and maybe just maybe they will bite) or the other side never had any intention of moving forward and were just dipping their toe in the water.

Not sure what the Lakers were thinking because the proposals could have all been excellent but trying to overcome those two colossal errors above in the summer without literally giving away the whole team including LeBron will be next to impossible. It was the proposING and delivery that was the problem not the proposals, IMHBAO.

db