East contenders stay active as Pelicans hold onto Davis
Toronto, Milwaukee and Philadelphia made their moves. Anthony Davis will have to wait until the summer for his.
Theneworleanspelicansheld onto Davis but dealt Nikola Mirotictothebucks,oneoftheeastern Conference contenders who fortified their teams Thursday before the NBA trade deadline.
The Raptors are getting former AllStar center Marc Gasol from Memphis. The 76ers sent Markelle Fultz to Orlando and will hope Jonathan Simmons can provide production where the former No. 1 pick couldn’t.
A busy swap season ended without a move for Davis, the player who dominated the discussion in recent weeks. He had requested a trade and informed the Pelicans he wouldn’t sign a contract extension this summer.
The Lakers couldn’t put together a strong enough package to New Orleans’ liking for the All-star forward. Other marquee names will be available after the season, with a free-agent class that could be highlighted by players such as Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Kawhi Leonard.
Milwaukee (40-13) already has the NBA’S best record, and Mirotic’s outside-shooting ability for a big man would appear to fit perfectly in a lineup around superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Things were quieter in the West, where there were no upgrades by teams in playoff position.
All-star draft
Lebron James has Anthony Davis as a teammate. For one game.
His Los Angeles Lakers were unable to swing a deal for Davis, but James drafted the New Orleans star when he and fellow captain Giannis Antetokounmpo chose their teams for the Feb. 17 All-star Game in Charlotte.
James chose Golden State’s Kevin Durant with the No. 1 pick, as he did last year, to be one of his starters. They’ll be joined in the Team Lebron starting five by Boston’s Kyrie Irving, Toronto’s Kawhi Leonard and Houston’s James Harden.
Team Giannis, in addition to Antetokounmpo, will start Golden State’s Stephen Curry, Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, Oklahoma City’s Paul George and Charlotte hometown favorite Kemba Walker.
Antetokounmpo took Milwaukee teammate Khris Middleton with the first pick in the reserve round, along with Denver’s Nikola Jokic, Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons, Detroit’s Blake Griffin, Brooklyn’s D’angelo Russell, Orlando’s Nikola Vucevic and Toronto’s Kyle Lowry.
James took Davis, Golden State’s Klay Thompson, Portland’s Damian Lillard, Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook, San Antonio’s Lamarcus Aldridge, Minnesota’s Karl-anthony Towns and Washington’s Bradley Beal.