NBA Trade Rumors: Rounding Up Buzz on Potential 2019 Draft Deals and Plans
Now that the NBA draft lottery is over and the New Orleans Pelicans won the Zion Williamson sweepstakes, the stage is set for an offseason full of wheeling and dealing. The Pelicans aren't likely to trade away that No. 1 pick, but other teams in the top five may be more inclined.
The New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers, for example, own the third and fourth picks, respectively, and could look to deal them ahead of the draft. The Pelicans' Anthony Davis is an obvious trade target.
Davis isn't the only player out there whom teams may try to acquire—and the Knicks and Lakers are certainly not the only teams looking to do deals. Here, we'll examine some of the latest NBA trade buzz with next month's draft rapidly approaching.
Knicks Looking to Deal Ntilikina
The Knicks will almost certainly make a run at Davis using the third-overall pick as a bargaining chip. However, this doesn't mean New York isn't interested in taking its chances in the draft.
"We're excited about where we are," team president Steve Mills said, per Marc Berman of the New York Post. "We know we'll get a good player at 3. So it's something we're excited about and look forward to."
In fact, the Knicks apparently want to add another selection, using third-year pro Frank Ntilikina to make a deal.
According to Berman, the Knicks will "look into" offers for Ntilikina in the hopes of landing a late first- or early second-round selection.
Ntilikina was taken eighth overall in the 2017 draft but hasn't quite lived up to expectations in New York. This past season, he played an average of 21 minutes per game, while scoring just 5.7 points per contest.
It's fair to believe that a change of scenery could help Ntilikina improve, and there is likely a team or two out there believing that taking a chance on the point guard is a better option than rolling the dice on an unproven prospect.
Bulls Interested in Ball
The Lakers are also likely to make a run at Davis before or during the draft—they tried and failed to do so before the trade deadline. They have some promising young players who could be used as trade capital, including former second-overall pick Lonzo Ball.
If the Lakers cannot get a deal done for Davis, they may still be able to move Ball if they so desire. According to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Bulls are interested in potentially adding Ball to their roster.
"Ball intrigues the Bulls as a pass-first, defensive-minded point guard with positional size who can best maximize the talents of Lauri Markkanen, Zach LaVine and Wendell Carter Jr.," Johnson wrote.
The question, of course, is what the Bulls could actually offer the Lakers in order to get a deal done. They do have the seventh overall pick in the draft, but there appears to be a notable drop-off among prospects after Williamson, Ja Morant and RJ Barrett.
If the Lakers were to actually consider an unproven prospect whose pro potential isn't higher than Ball's, it would strictly be because of his injury history. Ball underwent arthroscopic knee surgery last offseason and was shut down in March because of an ankle injury.
Lakers Weighing Trade Options
With Los Angeles looking to maximize its window with LeBron James, the Lakers appear more interested in adding proven veterans than developmental draft prospects. This is why, according to Sean Deveney of Sporting News, they will look at options other than just Davis.
"The Lakers have other players they're targeting in trades, according to league sources," Deveney wrote. "Chief among them is Wizards guard Bradley Beal, though with the Wizards not yet hiring a front office honcho, no decision has been made whether to trade Beal."
Deveney also mentions Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry and Utah Jazz forward Derrick Favors as possible trade targets.
While trading for a player like Beal, Lowry or Favors wouldn't provide the same immediate impact as a Davis deal, it also wouldn't cost as much to get done. This means Los Angeles would likely be able to keep core youngsters like Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma.
This is big for the long-term Lakers picture because this group does have talent. Let's not forget that Los Angeles was firmly in the playoff mix before James' groin injury and the team's subsequent collapse. Adding another proven veteran—even if it isn't Davis—could be enough to get the Lakers into the postseason.
