NBA Rumors: Anthony Davis Wants To Join Lakers; Celtics Still Focused On Acquiring Star

NBA Rumors: Anthony Davis Wants To Join Lakers; Celtics Still Focused On Acquiring Star

NESN by Joshua Schrock on Tue, Jan 29, 2019 at 8:07AM

Anthony Davis wants to be a Los Angeles Laker and Danny Ainge apparently doesn’t care.

The New Orleans Pelicans star forward requested a trade Monday through his agent Rich Paul, and the Lakers, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and others reportedly already are lining up to try and acquire the generational big man. Due to the NBA’s “Rose Rule,” the C’s are unable to trade for Davis until the summer unless they deal Kyrie Irving as teams are not allowed to have two players on rookie extensions on their roster at the same time.

While Davis’ full list of suitors isn’t known yet, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Tuesday, citing sources, that Paul and Davis are preparing to make it known to teams that the forward wants to wear Purple and Gold.

Per Wojnarowski:

“multiple league sources expect the agent and star to soon deliver word throughout the league that Davis’ preferred destination is the Lakers and he’ll become a rental player until 2020 with a trade anywhere else.”

That would, in theory, limit the number of good offers the Pelicans receive and make LA’s package, which reportedly will include Kyle Kuzma, Lonzo Ball, Ivica Zubac and a first-round pick, more attractive to New Orleans.

The Celtics reportedly have long coveted Davis, and Ainge is “undeterred” by the idea of trading for Davis even “without assurances” he’ll re-sign, per Wojnarowski.

Boston’s trade package of young players and draft picks likely would trump the Lakers’ package, but Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka reportedly will make a big push to acquire Davis before the Feb. 7 trade deadline in order to keep Boston from entering the market, per Wojnarowski.

Reports leaked Monday that Davis did not view Boston as a long-term home because of the uncertainty surrounding Irving’s future with the team.

There’s also the fact that Davis and LeBron James both are represented by Paul, James’ longtime friend, and two obviously are set on playing together at Staples Center.

Buckle up, this is just getting started.

112288

I know this will launch into the trade balance number weeds but just from reading the discussions so far, why would we potentially be giving up a total of 5-6 players and picks for for one AD while the Lakers only look like they would give up 3-4 for pretty much the same?

For us that are not versed in this, any instruction would be greatly received and appreciated!

db

DANNY MAY DO A HEAD FAKE AND SET HIS EYES ON A DIFFERENT CENTER THAT CAN PROVIDE REBOUNDING, RIM PROTECTION, AND HEIGHT AND IS NOT ON EVERYONE'S RADAR. LET THE OTHERS GO CHASE A DREAM.

LET US BE CLEAR, TO WIN AN NBA TITLE, YOU NEED TO GET A CENTER. HORFORD CANNOT CARRY THIS TEAM FOR LONG STRETCHES OF GAMES. HORFORD WILL BE GOING INTO HIS FINAL YEAR, AND IS GETTING LONG IN THE TOOTH IN TERMS OF YEARS.

IF EVERYONE IS HIGH ON IRVING, YOU BETTER GET A CENTER THIS SUMMER OR HE WILL BOLT FOR LA AND DAVIS IF HE IS TRADED THERE.

112288

dbrown4 wrote:I know this will launch into the trade balance number weeds but just from reading the discussions so far, why would we potentially be giving up a total of 5-6 players and picks for  for one AD while the Lakers only look like they would give up 3-4 for pretty much the same?

For us that are not versed in this, any instruction would be greatly received and appreciated!

db

first off Kuzma, Ball, Zubac and draft pick won;t past salary muster in any trade. Lakers would have to add Caldwell-Pope for sure.

whoever wrote that has no understanding about who NBA trades are done

you can start by looking at this link and checking all the teams player salary's. Keep in mind most teams (except the kings) are over the cap, so they must come close to matching Davis' $25M salary this year.


https://www.spotrac.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/cap/

Thank you, kdp59! That is very helpful!

db

KDP,
I think it's within 25% + 100K.
Also, I believe the LAL package also includes Ingram...

AK

has to be 80% of Davis' $25M

they would need to add Pope to make that deal happen. then they are trading FOUR players for one.

Maybe LeBron can get Rich Jefferson, James Jones and Varajeo to come out of retirement and fill out that roster for vet minimum then...>LOL.

kdp59 wrote:has to be 80% of Davis' $25M

they would need to add Pope to make that deal happen. then they are trading FOUR players for one.

Maybe LeBron can get Rich Jefferson, James Jones and Varajeo to come out of retirement and fill out that roster for vet minimum then...>LOL.

KDP,
I think it is 75%, not 80%. In other words LAL need to have players with combined salaries of about $20.3M

AK

you may be correct

https://clutchpoints.com/kentavious-caldwell-pope-will-not-be-traded-to-get-anthony-davis-because-of-the-lakers-summer-plans/



Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will not be traded to get Anthony Davis because of the Lakers’ summer plans







by Matthew Schmidt
January 29, 2019




With Anthony Davis telling the New Orleans Pelicans he wants a trade, fans everywhere are getting on RealGM trade checker to see which deals work for their respective favorite teams.

Of course, one team that will be in the thick of the Davis sweepstakes is the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers have the young talent to trade for Davis, and they will have the cap room to extend him after next summer.

Here is the thing, though: a lot of people are putting Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in their trade scenarios for Davis not knowing the implications of him.

As Nick Wright of FOX Sports explains, Caldwell-Pope is an expiring contract, and keeping him on the roster through this season so he becomes an unrestricted free agent at year’s end would open up enough cap room for the Lakers to go out and sign another star to play alongside of Davis and LeBron James.

With a deep free-agent pool, Los Angeles will have plenty of opportunities to bring aboard another star this summer.

Of course, it’s a two-way street, as those players will also have to be open to playing for the Lakers (which has been a relatively sticky issue of late), but it would nice for Los Angeles to add least have the financial capability to add someone like Kawhi Leonard.

Naturally, you would think to include Caldwell-Pope in a deal for Davis before the trade deadline because of the fact that he is an expiring deal making $12 million this season, so he would be a nice piece to throw in for salary matching purposes.

However, the Lakers would be wise to get more creative with their trade offers, because if they end up moving Caldwell-Pope, they could end up costing themselves the chance to add another top-tier free agent this offseason.

Now, it probably won’t matter much in the grand scheme of things anyway, as it does not seem likely that the Pelicans will trade Davis before the Feb. 7 deadline.

After all, Davis can’t opt out of his contract until next summer, so he has under team control through 2020. Plus, New Orleans isn’t going to want to rush to move the 25-year-old. This is going to be one of the most important moves any team in league history makes, as Davis is a generational talent. If you are going to trade him, you better make sure you are getting good value.

For that reason, the Pelicans would be wise to wait until the offseason to move him and should instead focus on gathering information and gauging the market around the league before they make any rash decisions.

Let’s also keep in mind that due to a stipulation in the trade that the Boston Celtics made for Kyrie Irving during the summer of 2017 (known as the “Rose rule”), the Celtics cannot deal for Davis until the summer. With Boston having even more assets to trade for Davis than the Lakers, New Orleans will almost surely want to wait for the C’s to make their pitch.

You also have to take the New York Knicks into consideration.

The Knicks currently own one of the worst records in the NBA and have a legitimate shot at the No. 1 overall pick. If they end up winning the draft lottery, then that changes everything, as New York will essentially have Zion Williamson at its disposal in addition to numerous other young pieces, possibly even including Kristaps Porzingis (although Porzingis will be a restricted free agent this summer).

There are going to be a ton of teams making offers to the Pelicans for Davis, so expecting New Orleans to reach a deal sometime within the next week or so just does not seem very realistic.

Again, the Pelicans aren’t trading Julius Randle here; they are getting set to trade away arguably the best power forward since Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett and possibly the best current player in the NBA

If New Orleans is going to do this (and it looks like it has to), it needs to get it right.

But, if you are the Lakers, you need to keep all of this in mind. Letting Caldwell-Pope prevent you from having the opportunity to land another big-name free agent to potentially group with Davis and LeBron would be a catastrophic mistake, and I’m sure Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka are aware of it.

The craziest part about all of this is that it’s only January, so if the Pelicans don’t trade Davis by Feb. 7 (and they probably won’t), we are going to have to deal with months and months of speculation.

Remember the Kawhi Leonard saga last year? Imagine that and multiply it by 10. That’s how insane this Davis trade request is about to get.



bob



.

The more I look at it, the more I'd be happy if Davis lands somewhere other than Boston.

Davis has been in the league for what, 7 years? He's had his injuries along the way, too. A big, with several years in the league, already a little dinged up. Are the injuries likely to get less frequent? No. And then there's the price you would have to pay him to secure a longer term deal.

Then, to get him now, you have to swap Kyrie. No thanks, not if there is a chance of signing Irving this summer. And NOLA isn't taking a short-time rental back anyway. To get him this summer what will the cost be? Tatum? I'd rather keep a healthy young Tatum and look for, or draft, other bigs. If NOLA would take, maybe, Brown, Horford, a first rounder, and an assortment among Theis, Wanamaker, Dozier or later picks, maybe then. But then you still have the same contract dilemma with a higher mileage, high money, player.

AD is a fantastic forward. But the cost and risk seem too high. If Kyrie can be retained, and you still have Tatum, Smart, and a few others on the current roster, I think there is enough value among other players and picks to swap, and still get what's needed to reach the finals.

Starting to think pass.

Ainge isn't going to get hosed, or settle for a short-term contender. I wonder if he's already gone through the same thought process and will sit this one out.

NYCelt wrote:The more I look at it, the more I'd be happy if Davis lands somewhere other than Boston.

Davis has been in the league for what, 7 years? He's had his injuries along the way, too. A big, with several years in the league, already a little dinged up. Are the injuries likely to get less frequent? No. And then there's the price you would have to pay him to secure a longer term deal.

Then, to get him now, you have to swap Kyrie. No thanks, not if there is a chance of signing Irving this summer. And NOLA isn't taking a short-time rental back anyway. To get him this summer what will the cost be? Tatum? I'd rather keep a healthy young Tatum and look for, or draft, other bigs. If NOLA would take, maybe, Brown, Horford, a first rounder, and an assortment among Theis, Wanamaker, Dozier or later picks, maybe then. But then you still have the same contract dilemma with a higher mileage, high money, player.

AD is a fantastic forward. But the cost and risk seem too high. If Kyrie can be retained, and you still have Tatum, Smart, and a few others on the current roster, I think there is enough value among other players and picks to swap, and still get what's needed to reach the finals.

Starting to think pass.

Ainge isn't going to get hosed, or settle for a short-term contender. I wonder if he's already gone through the same thought process and will sit this one out.

NYCelt,

We cannot trade for AD until the summer because the salaries don't work out without Kyrie AND we cannot trade Kyrie until the summer. Whether Danny would trade Kyrie for AD in the summer is a different story but he CANNOT until then.


bob


.

bobheckler wrote:

NYCelt wrote:The more I look at it, the more I'd be happy if Davis lands somewhere other than Boston.

Davis has been in the league for what, 7 years? He's had his injuries along the way, too. A big, with several years in the league, already a little dinged up. Are the injuries likely to get less frequent? No. And then there's the price you would have to pay him to secure a longer term deal.

Then, to get him now, you have to swap Kyrie. No thanks, not if there is a chance of signing Irving this summer. And NOLA isn't taking a short-time rental back anyway. To get him this summer what will the cost be? Tatum? I'd rather keep a healthy young Tatum and look for, or draft, other bigs. If NOLA would take, maybe, Brown, Horford, a first rounder, and an assortment among Theis, Wanamaker, Dozier or later picks, maybe then. But then you still have the same contract dilemma with a higher mileage, high money, player.

AD is a fantastic forward. But the cost and risk seem too high. If Kyrie can be retained, and you still have Tatum, Smart, and a few others on the current roster, I think there is enough value among other players and picks to swap, and still get what's needed to reach the finals.

Starting to think pass.

Ainge isn't going to get hosed, or settle for a short-term contender. I wonder if he's already gone through the same thought process and will sit this one out.

NYCelt,

We cannot trade for AD until the summer because the salaries don't work out without Kyrie AND we cannot trade Kyrie until the summer.  Whether Danny would trade Kyrie for AD in the summer is a different story but he CANNOT until then.


bob


.

Bob,

I don't understand anything you just wrote.

We cannot trade for Davis this season UNLESS Kyrie is included in the trade directly or in a three way trade.

Bob,

I could be wrong, but I think Irving could go in a trade for AD now. Even if so, it would seem to make little sense for either team, especially NOLA.

Even if I am wrong, which has been known to happen, my overall point remains the same. I'm thinking I'd pass on Davis.

Regards

gyso wrote:We cannot trade for Davis this season UNLESS Kyrie is included in the trade directly or in a three way trade.

That's the way I understand it.

NYCelt wrote:The more I look at it, the more I'd be happy if Davis lands somewhere other than Boston.

Davis has been in the league for what, 7 years? He's had his injuries along the way, too. A big, with several years in the league, already a little dinged up. Are the injuries likely to get less frequent? No. And then there's the price you would have to pay him to secure a longer term deal.

Then, to get him now, you have to swap Kyrie. No thanks, not if there is a chance of signing Irving this summer. And NOLA isn't taking a short-time rental back anyway. To get him this summer what will the cost be? Tatum? I'd rather keep a healthy young Tatum and look for, or draft, other bigs. If NOLA would take, maybe, Brown, Horford, a first rounder, and an assortment among Theis, Wanamaker, Dozier or later picks, maybe then. But then you still have the same contract dilemma with a higher mileage, high money, player.

AD is a fantastic forward. But the cost and risk seem too high. If Kyrie can be retained, and you still have Tatum, Smart, and a few others on the current roster, I think there is enough value among other players and picks to swap, and still get what's needed to reach the finals.

Starting to think pass.

Ainge isn't going to get hosed, or settle for a short-term contender. I wonder if he's already gone through the same thought process and will sit this one out.

I love watching Kyrie play, but I would trade him for AD in a second. You are correct though, that NO would never make that trade; Kyrie wouldn't agree to re-sign, and would bring back a lot less in return than AD. Of course we would have to give up a lot to get Davis, but the Celtics are in the amazing, seemingly unique position where they could give up a lot of talent for AD and still have more than enough left for a serious run at the title. As it is, we don't have enough minutes for all our talent and it has affected the way guys have played. I suspect Danny would be willing to take the risk of trading for him without a guarantee he will re-sign. Danny probably feels that once AD is on a winning team with a great culture, it will be hard for him to leave. I would agree. Whether we can get him or not is the question. It would definitely be in New Orlean's best interest to not panic and wait until this summer to deal AD if necessary. Even then, who knows if Boston can get it done. Many teams will be after him, and it seems like the landing spot for every disgruntled superstar has been a surprise recently.