Anthony Davis put out word he’d re-sign with only the Lakers. But the Pelicans were reportedly unimpressed with the Lakers’ offer.
So, everything seemed stalled.
Not anymore, though.
Shams Charania of The Athletic:
Anthony Davis’ representatives have informed the Pelicans that he would sign long-term with the Lakers, Knicks, Bucks and Clippers if he is traded, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 4, 2019
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
The Lakers have offered a new package to New Orleans that includes multiple young players, multiple draft picks and Pelicans salary cap relief for Anthony Davis, league sources tell ESPN. The offer appears to move closer to the objectives that the Pelicans are pursuing in a deal.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 4, 2019
Lakers president Magic Johnson and Pelicans GM Dell Demps have had multiple conversations today, league sources tell ESPN. There's no sense how much progress sides have made progress toward a possible trade, but the Lakers have absolutely gotten more serious in the discussions. https://t.co/R84Aetv9n3
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 4, 2019
Momentum is clearly building toward Davis getting moved before Thursday’s trade deadline.
Davis is increasing the number of viable suitors now and diminishing the threat of a huge Celtics offer next summer. He clearly doesn’t want to spend the rest of this season in New Orleans.
The Lakers are also pushing in. Though no team will have certainty of Davis staying beyond 2020 free agency, Los Angeles can be most confident in his future there. The Davis-Rich Paul-LeBron James connection provides that security and incentivizes the Lakers to surrender more in a Davis trade.
The Knicks likely lack the assets to get Davis now. Maybe if they land the No. 1 pick in the draft lottery this spring, but that’d require Davis remaining available after the trade deadline. So, New York seems like a long shot.
The Clippers are clearly interested in chasing stars, but they’ve shown most interest in Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant. It might be difficult to land both forwards, and there’s obviously more uncertainty in waiting for free agency. If they can get reasonable assurances of Davis re-signing, the Clippers should try to trade for him now. L.A. has assets in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tobias Harris, Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell and future first-round picks.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bucks made Davis’ list simply as a way to put him in a favorable light. Including Milwaukee shows Davis cares about winning and not market size – and probably won’t lead to Davis actually joining the Bucks. Milwaukee’s assets just don’t match up well for a Davis trade.