NBA Rumors: Latest Buzz on Anthony Davis Trade Options, Wizards and More
While the NBA regular season is often equated to a marathon, it functions much more like a thrill ride.
Except it doesn't follow the roller-coaster trek of steep inclines and dramatic drops, but rather it seemingly bounces from one high to the next. Between the on-court brilliance and incessant off-court chatter, this league is a constant source of compelling storylines.
We have compiled and analyzed the best three buzz-worthy rumors below.
Anthony Davis Might Force His Way Out?
Look away, New Orleans Pelicans fans. This won't be easy to read.
While the prospect of Anthony Davis' 2020 free agency has long been an uncomfortable thought for the Big Easy, there's now word he may try to skip town even before then.
"With a huge free-agent summer coming in 2019...insiders think Davis will force a trade, making him the prize of a mega-star list that potentially includes Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson and Jimmy Butler," Mark Heisler wrote for the Orange County Register.
Heisler added that if Davis ever reaches that point, the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics are thought to be "the leading contenders" to acquire him.
Davis, of course, has never positioned himself close to the exits. He has professed a loyalty to the Pelicans and never entertained speculation about his future. But he also expressed his desire to win, which he hasn't done a ton of over his six-plus seasons in New Orleans.
"Winning definitely helps everything," he told ESPN's Rachel Nichols. "It helps with your legacy. It helps to be in the top of that list. ... Not going forward in the playoffs or going to the playoffs every three years doesn't help my case."
The challenge for the Pelicans seems simple, then: win or else.
With Davis eligible to sign an extension next summer, New Orleans might only have this season to convince him it can build a contender around him. If the Pelicans aren't playing—and playing well—in the 2019 postseason, things could get very dicey over the offseason.
Scott Brooks Safe For Now?
The Washington Wizards are in trouble.
They have just a single victory—a one-point, overtime win at that—to show for their first seven contests. Three of their last four outings have been double-digit losses, two of which were decided by 22 points each. Both the offense (24th in efficiency) and defense (26th) are buried in the bottom third.
Overall, this is the third-least efficient team in basketball.
So far, though, the situation hasn't proved problematic enough to put head coach Scott Brooks' job in jeopardy. League sources told Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes that Brooks "continues to have the full support of the franchise."
This is the third season of the five-year, $35 million deal Brooks signed in April 2016. He delivered the Wizards to the playoffs each of his first two years and helped them reach the second round in 2017.
"Coach is putting us in position to succeed. It's not on him," Austin Rivers said, per Haynes. "I'll tell you that right now. It's not on Coach Brooks. I'm new here and I'm looking at that right now. Everybody's saying something about Coach Brooks, but it's not on him."
Cavs Vets Yanked From Rotation?
On the surface, an 0-6 start—low-lighted by double-digit losses to the Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets—seemed to seal the fate of former Cleveland Cavaliers skipper Tyronn Lue.
But trouble brewing behind the scenes may have been even more to blame.
Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic reported there was a "disconnect" between coach Tyronn Lue, general manager Koby Altman and owner Dan Gilbert about the playing time of the team's veterans. Atlman himself had informed JR Smith and Kyle Korver they would not be part of the club's rotation.
Lue sat the swingmen for the squad's 22-point home loss to the Hawks, then reinserted both the next time out. That decision may have played a pivotal role in the coach's dismissal.
"This is a different group, and we feel it needs a different voice," Altman told reporters on Monday. "I didn't want to string it out any longer. I didn't think that'd be fair to Ty, I didn't think it'd be fair to this group. We wanted to overachieve. That hasn't happened."
The curtailing of the veteran minutes and ouster of Lue speaks to the unique push-pull on the LeBron James-less Cavaliers. While there's a publicly stated desire to remain competitive, there's also incentive for constructing the franchise's next foundation around youngsters like Cedi Osman, Larry Nance Jr. and No. 8 pick Collin Sexton.
It also perhaps speaks to the reason why the coaching situation remains in flux. While assistant coach Larry Drew has been asked to fill in as interim head coach, he's been reluctant to do so without guarantees extending beyond this season. So far, the Cavs haven't been willing to go that route.
"There are no updates, which I'm very disappointed about," Drew told reporters Tuesday.
Drew steered Cleveland to its first win Tuesday night, albeit a victory over the 2-5 Hawks. While Korver received a shade less than 15 minutes, Smith never saw the floor. ESPN's Brian Windhorst and Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Cavs "have initiated testing the trade market" for Korver and "could become more active in looking to trade other veteran players in the coming weeks."
Statistics used courtesy of NBA.com.
