Gerald Herbert/Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — Negotiations between the Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans for Anthony Davis came to a screeching halt Tuesday, with Lakers President Earvin “Magic” Johnson walking away from talks with Thursday’s trade deadline nearing.
Per Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times, Johnson told the Pelicans “the Lakers had made their best offer, were not willing to add anything else and were done with negotiations.”
What were the Pelicans asking for? Everything—reportedly six to eight draft picks and every one of the Lakers’ top young players. It’s no wonder the Lakers (27-27) pulled back from the Davis sweepstakes. But where does Los Angeles go from here if talks don’t restart with New Orleans over the next 24 hours?
Let’s start with the deal the Lakers have already made.
Reggie Bullock, Anyone?
Nick Wass/Associated Press
For starters, the Lakers will trade Svi Mykhailiuk and a second-round pick to the Detroit Pistons for veteran shooter Reggie Bullock, per Shams Charania of The Athletic. Bullock is earning $2.5 million for the current season and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
The 27-year-old hit 44.5 percent of his shots from three last season, although he’s down to a still solid 38.8 percent this campaign.
Mykhailiuk should eventually find his stroke, but the 21-year-old is only hitting at a 33.3 percent clip from the field as a rookie in 10.8 minutes per game.
Wait for Other Stars in Free Agency
Michael Dwyer/Associated Press
If that’s the only trade the team makes this week, the Lakers should be able to re-sign Bullock in July while still having enough cap space to chase another star such as Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler or Klay Thompson.
If the Lakers can lure Kevin Durant, who can earn up to $38.2 million, Bullock would most likely need to be renounced unless the Golden State Warriors All-Star defected at a discount.
That’s if the Lakers hold on to their youthful core, the same group of players who were reportedly offered to the Pelicans for Davis (Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and Ivica Zubac).
Johnson and the team’s front office will need to do some serious damage control after the failed blockbuster. The Lakers looked listless Tuesday in a 136-94 blowout in Indiana, and that’s what happens when everyone not named LeBron James is on the trade block.
The Lakers may find they are rebuffed by their top free-agent targets. If so, they may look at other options like Kemba Walker, Khris Middleton, Nikola Vucevic or Marc Gasol.
Take Another Stab at Davis
Ringo H.W. Chiu/Associated Press
Los Angeles can also revisit the Davis possibility this summer.
The Lakers still have the same young prospects and their own first-round draft picks to offer. The team could even use its cap room to sign a max free agent and then work a trade for Davis. The math is tight but workable, especially if players like Zubac, Michael Beasley, Lance Stephenson or Bullock are willing to join the Pelicans as part of a sign-and-trade.
Then again, if the Pels were willing to pass up a huge offer from the Lakers at the deadline—partially to see what they could get from other teams this summer like the Boston Celtics, but also a seeming reluctance to pair Davis with James—are they going to willingly create a three-star superteam in Los Angeles?
The Lakers’ best hope may be if Irving leaves the Boston Celtics. If so, perhaps they aren’t as motivated to trade for Davis…at least that’s what Los Angeles might want to believe.
Wait for Davis in 2020; Trade for Help Now
The long play is to wait until Davis is a free agent in 2020. That only works if the Lakers make sure they have the salary-cap space to sign him.
If they move on from Ingram and have a roster of just James, Ball, Kuzma, Hart and Moritz Wagner, they’ll have up to $47 million in spending power (depending on first-round picks they use over the next two drafts).
That would be enough to sign Davis at his maximum salary of roughly $35.4 million, but is James (34) willing to wait that long for another star?
If the Lakers invest in a max free agent this summer, they’re not going to have enough to pay Davis in 2020. That’s where Johnson must make a judgment call. How likely are the Lakers to land a high-level free agent? Will that player be worth passing on a chance at Davis in free agency?
Instead, Johnson could look to acquire players at this deadline with one more year left on their contracts, announcing that his team will be sitting out free agency this summer and won’t negotiate with the Pelicans.
He’d be sending a message to the rest of the league that the Lakers will be signing Davis outright in 2020. That might kill the market for the All-Star forward/center, especially if his agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group, makes it clear to competing franchises that his client will only sign with Los Angeles.
Brandon Dill/Associated Press
Would the Lakers be able to make a late run at Gasol? Would he be willing to opt into the final year of his contract ($25.6 million) contingent on a trade to the Lakers? Perhaps an offer of Ingram, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Beasley would interest the Memphis Grizzlies.
How about Tristan Thompson, who will earn $18.5 million next season? He has NBA Finals experience playing alongside James and is also with Klutch Sports. That would send a strong message that the Lakers and Klutch are bound tightly together. The Lakers shouldn’t need to send much more than Caldwell-Pope and perhaps Wagner to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Perhaps Avery Bradley of the Los Angeles Clippers would be available, with only $2 million of his $13 million contract guaranteed for next season. The Clippers might even consider doing a deal straight up for Caldwell-Pope to get Bradley’s small guarantee off their books.
Brian Windhorst of ESPN recently linked the Lakers to Jabari Parker, who has a $20 million team option for 2019-20. The Lakers could try to move Caldwell-Pope with Beasley, giving them a bit of added flexibility, although Parker’s option would need to be decided before July 1.
David Zalubowski/Associated Press
Per league rules, Caldwell-Pope can block any trade since the Lakers re-signed him for just one season last summer. Since he’s with Klutch Sports, his agent may be willing to comply with any moves that help his bigger clients but may also pre-negotiate a buyout if the destination isn’t a playoff contender.
For the Lakers, consider the addition of salary a semi-bluff that they’ll hold off until 2020. The bigger goal would be to poison the market so teams believe Davis to Los Angeles is inevitable in an attempt to block the Pelicans from finding a viable trade. If so, the Lakers could try to make a deal with New Orleans for a more reasonable package of young players and picks.
Others around the league with just one more year on their deals who might be available include Kent Bazemore of the Atlanta Hawks, Allen Crabbe of the Brooklyn Nets, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist of the Charlotte Hornets, JR Smith of the Cavaliers, Brandon Knight of the Houston Rockets, Jonathon Simmons of the Orlando Magic and Ryan Anderson of the Phoenix Suns, among others.
With the Clippers (30-25) agreeing to trade Tobias Harris on Tuesday night to the Philadelphia 76ers, they may no longer have designs on a playoff berth. That could open the window for the struggling Lakers, who need to eclipse the Sacramento Kings (28-25) and Clippers to snag at least the eighth seed in the Western Conference.
Closure beyond the trade deadline will help, but so too would additional players to bolster their run. Bullock is a start. Given there’s only one day left, that may be the only move the Lakers make via trade.
In the meantime, Johnson and the Lakers must figure out how to repair the damage after the stalled Davis talks and figure out how to give James enough help for the rest of the season. That could mean Carmelo Anthony in free agency or other veterans bought out after the trade deadline.
Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter, @EricPincus.
from Viral News Show http://bit.ly/2Bm1a2w
0 Comments