NBA Rumors: How Anthony Davis Trade Will Change Lakers' Free Agency Approach
The NBA offseason is barely underway and it's already got fans ridiculously excited for next season.
With news breaking Saturday that the Lakers and Pelicans agreed to a trade to get Anthony Davis to Los Angeles after the injuries to Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson in the last two games of the NBA Finals, the league seems wide open.
And more importantly, it feels like we are getting set up for an even more amazing free agency than we already expected.
News and Rumors
• Pelicans forward Julius Randle will not pick up his $9 million player option for 2019-20. He will enter unrestricted free agency. (Shams Charania, The Athletic)
• The Nuggets considered trading for Anthony Davis, but were unwilling to part with point guard Jamal Murray in a potential deal. (Mike Singer, Denver Post)
• David Griffin is a major reason why the Pelicans and Lakers agreed on a deal, because former general manager Dell Dempsdidn't negotiate with the Lakers, but just wrote the names of players mentioned in possible deals on a board that would leak to the media. (Ramona Shelburne, ESPN.com)
• The Knicks were prepared to offer the Pelicans the No. 3 pick, at least one of the first-round picks they got from the Mavericks and some combination of Kevin Knox, Mitchell Robinson, Dennis Smith Jr. and Frank Ntilikini for Anthony Davis, but they "weren't close" to enticing New Orleans. (Marc Berman, New York Post)
• Kyrie Irving wanted to play with Anthony Davis for months. (David Aldridge, The Athletic)
• The Pelicans are open to waiting to complete the trade to help the Lakers with free agency, but if they move the No. 4 pick to a third team, it could complicate matters because that team or the Pelicans would not likely have the No. 4 pick during Summer League from July 5-15. (Tania Ganguli, Los Angeles Times)
• The Pelicans and Lakers plan to complete the Davis trade on July 6, but if they wait to July 30, Los Angles would end up with $32.5 million in cap space compared to $23.7 million. (Adrian Wojnarowski and Bobby Marks, ESPN.com)
• The Pelicans will also get unprotected swaps in 2023 and 2025 from the Lakers. (Tim Bontemps, ESPN)
• New Orleans gave the Lakers the No. 4 draft pick in 2019, a protected first in 2021, and an unprotected first in 2024. The Pelicans will also have the right to swap firsts in 2023. (Kevin O'Connor, The Ringer)
• The Celtics refused to make Jayson Tatum available in trade talks with the Pelicans, which put the Lakers in the prime position to make the trade for Anthony Davis. (Marc Stein, New York Times)
• The Lakers agreed to send Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and three first-round picks, including the 2019 No. 4 pick, to the Pelicans in exchange for Anthony Davis. (Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN)
• Teams are interested in the No. 4 draft pick, which now belongs to the Pelicans. Talks will continue over the next few days. (Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN)
• Anthony Davis could sign an extension with the Lakers this offseason, but he will play out the 2019-20 season to enter free agency next summer. (Chris Haynes, Yahoo Sports)
• Davis has "long-planned" to sign a new contract with the Lakers when he becomes a free agent in 2020. (Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN)
• Kemba Walker will be the Lakers' "top" target in free agency this summer. (Marc Stein, New York Times)
