NBA Rumors: Latest Rumblings on Anthony Davis, Luke Walton and More

The NBA's trade deadline came and went on February 7, and Anthony Davis is still a member of the New Orleans Pelicans. He'll remain so until the offseason, when trade talks can open up again.

However, this doesn't mean the drama surrounding the 25-year-old and his public trade request is also going to disappear until the summer. On the contrary, it's going to remain one of the biggest stories hovering over the NBA for the next several months.

Though he'll be costly, Davis will be the biggest available trade target of the 2019 offseason. Questions about his future aren't going anywhere.

Here's a look at the latest Davis buzz and some other recent NBA rumors.

The Pelicans Wanted to Sit Davis for the Season

The Pelicans probably never had any real interest in moving Davis before the trade deadline. Waiting until the offseason allows the Boston Celtics to get in on the bidding, and it allows New Orleans to know the order of the 2019 draft—thereby allowing the team to better gauge the trade value of picks.

All of this means the Pelicans should be able to get more in return than they might have by dealing Davis before the deadline. Of course, this is only true if he finishes the season healthy. Any significant injury would throw a major wrench in the team's plans.

This is why New Orleans actually wanted to sit Davis for the remainder of the season once his trade demand was made public.

"The Pelicans initially planned to sit Davis for the rest of the season once they responded to his request to be traded by deciding to keep him beyond Thursday’s deadline, according to two people familiar with New Orleans’ stance who were not authorized to discuss it publicly," Marc Stein of the New York Times wrote.

Sitting Davis would make sense because he most likely will eventually be traded. However, sitting a star player for a long stretch could also be viewed as a form of tanking. This, according to Stein, is why the league is ordering the Pelicans to play Davis.

"League rules governing competitive integrity therefore require that he be permitted to play,” league spokesman Mike Bass said, per Stein.

So, Davis has to be allowed to play, but he doesn't want to play for New Orleans. This is going to make for a bad product for Pelicans fans for the rest of the season, and the player is well aware.

"We sucked," Davis said after putting up just three points in a blowout loss to the Orlando Magic, per Scott Kushner of the New Orleans Advocate. "Nobody was interested in playing."

There probably won't be much interest in watching the Pelicans until after Davis is moved.

Tatum Wouldn't Mind Going to New Orleans

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

The Celtics weren't able to make an official bid on Davis before the deadline because of league rules. Both he and Kyrie Irving signed extensions under the "Rose Rule" and teams are forbidden to acquire more than one such player.

Therefore, Boston cannot trade for Davis until Irving opts out of his player option in the offseason and either re-signs or goes elsewhere.

This, however, doesn't mean Boston wasn't in touch with the Pelicans regarding a potential trade. It was. According to Sean Deveney of Sporting News, the Celtics have at least suggested they would be willing to include Jayson Tatum as part of a deal to acquire Davis.

While the 20-year-old isn't the accomplished player Davis is, he's at least a young star who could serve as the face of the Pelicans franchise. Apparently, that's something that Davis would be perfectly fine with.

"It's gossip, but the gossip is Jayson Tatum wouldn't mind," ESPN's Tim MacMahon said during a recent appearance on ESPN's Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective podcast. "Jayson Tatum wouldn't mind if he's shipped to New Orleans and has the chance to be the face of the franchise somewhere. Because he's not going to get that opportunity in Boston, at least not in the immediate future."

This gives Boston an edge in a potential trade. While Tatum couldn't block a trade, he could openly state he would leave New Orleans as soon as possible. On the other side of things, though, is the fact Davis may not be willing to sign an extension with Boston.

Walton's Job Reportedly Safe

The Los Angeles Lakers tried to acquire Davis before the trade deadline but were unsuccessful. This puts LeBron James and Co. in danger of missing the postseason.

While this was never supposed to be a year in which the Lakers contended for a title, it could end up a total disappointment considering James-led teams just don't miss the playoffs. Los Angeles cannot afford to have a similar season next year, which means big changes are coming in the offseason—possibly including the hiring of a new head coach.

Luke Walton's job appears to be safe until then, though. According to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times, the coach will at least finish out the season. The writer cited "according to people with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly on the sensitive matter."

Turner wrote:

"Walton 'will definitely finish the season' and has the full support of the Lakers’ front office, one person said. Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, president of basketball operations Magic Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka are all on the same page regarding Walton being the coach for the rest of the season, the people said."

This doesn't come as a huge shock since the Lakers were unable to land Davis.

Had he been paired with James for the remainder of the season, a coaching change may have helped to spark a playoff run. With the current roster, the Lakers are unlikely to go deep into the postseason regardless of who is coaching the team.

A coaching change, along with L.A.'s next attempt at Davis, will have to wait until the summer.