Rangers Acquire Jacob Trouba From Jets

The New York Rangers have made a big splash before even the NHL Draft and free agency.

Today, the Rangers announced that they have acquired defenseman Jacob Trouba from the Winnipeg Jets. The Rangers will send defenseman Neal Pionk, as well as the 20th overall pick in this week's draft. That pick had been previously acquired from Winnipeg as part of the Kevin Hayes trade to Philadelphia.

Trouba is coming off a big year that saw him collect 50 points, including 8 goals and 42 points, and averaging around 23 minutes per game in the regular season. However, despite those numbers, there had been rumors swirling that the trade was likely, which expectations that it would happen either before the draft or during it.

Back in 2016, the 25-year-old held out of training camp and had requested a trade at that time before rescinding his request and signing in November of that year. However, there was a belief that his commitment to the team long-term had wavered, especially after opting to go through the arbitration process this last summer.

Now it's up to Rangers GM Jeff Gorton to get Trouba to commit long-term. The Jets had reportedly not granted permission to speak to Trouba about a deal before the trade was made. Now that the Rangers have that option, it looks like they will offer him a $5.5 million qualifying offer later this month before free agency opens. A long-term deal could approach $7MM-$8MM when the contract is said and done.

When he is finally signed and committed, it's likely he will slot in as their top defenseman.

Trouba's acquisition from the Jets come in the wake of Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson signing a massive deal to stay in San Jose. Current Jets defenseman Tyler Myers is also expected to re-sign with the Jets, so it's clear that defenseman are a long-term investment and the Rangers certainly needed one.

As for the Jets, Pionk is a restricted free agent this summer and is eligible for salary arbitration. He has inexperience on an NHL roster so he won't command a large salary and the Jets still have to sign free agent wingers Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor, as well as Myers. Shedding Trouba's contract was crucial in getting extra money to get its stars under contract.

Now we'll see what happens with both the extra prospect they get and the signings they make. While I don't like the deal for the Jets because it gives up one of their star defensemen, they don't have a lot of money to work with, unlike a lot of other team. Plus, Myers is their most important defenseman that they don't want to lose. Having enough money to pay them what he likes is important, so Trouba getting traded was important for him.

The Rangers are getting some massive help here too because they don't have a lockdown defenseman that they can rely on when needed to. When Trouba comes in and signs his qualifying offer, he will immediately fill that hole. They've struggled last season in defense.

Anthony Davis To The Lakers

The LA Lakers are finally getting the prized possession that they've wanted all along: Anthony Davis.

The New Orleans Pelicans have reportedly agreed to trade their All-Star Anthony Davis to the LA Lakers on Saturday.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN is reporting details of the move. In return, the Pelicans will receive Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and three first-round picks, including the fourth overall pick in this year's NBA draft.

Marc Stein of the New York Times is also reporting that as a result of the details, the Lakers will now go and try to get Kemba Walker away from the Charlotte Hornets. That also assumes the Lakers will reach a deal with Davis that keeps him in LA beyond next season.

The Boston Celtics were also in on getting Davis but were unwilling to include Jayson Tatum in any deals for Davis, which was going be a no no matter what, since Tatum would have to be included in any deal for Davis.

The Pelicans and Davis have seemed to have a falling out with each other. This franchise was coming off a high of its first playoff series win since 2007-08 by sweeping the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round in last year's playoffs.

It was shown to be a sign of improvement. However, after a 4-0 start to this season, the Pelicans went 29-49 and that included Davis demanding to be traded.

According to Wojnarowski, Davis' agent, Rich Paul, had told the Pelicans that Davis had no plans to re-sign with the team and had asked for a trade. While that was back in February, it did set in motion plans to trade Davis either to the Lakers or the Celtics.

With Davis under contract for one more season and him firmly being with the Lakers now, it does signal perhaps some relief for the Lakers organization, which was in turmoil for parts of the offseason. It included Magic Johnson's surprise resignation as President of Basketball Operations and a long search for a head coach that ended up with Frank Vogel installed there. They needed something big to happen and they got it in a Davis trade.

Honestly, if this trade had happened back in February instead of now, not only would the Lakers have been in the playoffs, but Magic Johnson probably wouldn't have had to resign, and that would've made a big difference not just for the Lakers but for the league in general. In fact, this now puts them at the top of a very competitive Western Conference and it may keep them there for years to come.

As for the Pelicans, I hope that the players they get back in this deal will help them for the future, because I believe they're getting a good core group of guys who will be under no pressure to improve their game and be a factor in the Pelicans going forward. Although I was stunned that Kyle Kuzma was not involved in this deal, ultimately, I think the Pelicans are in a great spot and with David Griffin leading this team, he is a great negotiator and manager and I think he knows exactly what he needs to do in order to get this team successful for the future. I believe in that and I think this is the right direction for New Orleans.

This was a trade that should've happened months ago. If that was the case, this drama with the Lakers would not have happened. Now that Davis is in LA and where he wants the case, now we'll see if the Lakers will be the most dominant team out there or not. Either way, they got what they wanted and now I see them as a big threat in a tough Western Conference.

Hawks To Acquire Allen Crabbe, Draft Picks From Nets

The Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks have swung a trade that could help the Nets create two max free agent slots going into the offseason.

The Nets have agreed to send Allen Crabbe, the No. 17 pick in the 2019 draft, and a lottery-protected 2020 first-round pick to the Hawks in exchange for Taurean Prince and a 2021 second-round pick. This was first reported on Twitter by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. (link)

The move allows the Nets to clear more than $17 million from their books for the 2019-20 season. Crabbe is on an expiring $18.5 million deal. Prince, the player coming back to the Nets, is only making $3.48 million a year. This will also clear the cap hold for the No. 17 pick. What does that mean? Brooklyn will now go into the offseason with more than $47 million in cap space, enough to bring aboard one max free agent, whether it be Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, etc. It's also possible the Nets will create a second max slot if they renounce D'Angelo Russell's cap hold.

Allen Crabbe was one of the important pieces for the Nets and why they did so well to get into the playoffs. The fact that the Nets are moving on quickly from him signals they plan to get more cap room in order to get two max free agents. There's also been recent rumors that Kyrie Irving would like to sign with the Nets, and according to Woj, Irving is "serious" about it. That means the Nets are trying to beat out the Knicks and other NBA teams for top free agents this summer.

Going to the Hawks, this is a big trade for them for two reasons: Getting Crabbe also gives them extra draft picks, which means two extra first-round selections this year. There have been reports that the Hawks would be willing to add two young prospects to the roster in hopes that they could have more trade discussions with other teams and ship them off in the future.

Both players involved in the deal play similar roles so it was important that the Nets look for a player of equal value on a more team-friendly contract. Prince does just that. The Hawks are also getting a great three-point shooter. He posted a .396PT% since he signed a four-year deal back in 2016. His deal expires after the 2019-20 season, so the Hawks are getting a good shooter and it allows them to keep building their team.

Since it's not yet July, both teams won't be able to complete the deal til then, since the Hawks don't have cap room right now to absorb Crabbe's contract. They'll have to wait one more year til the new league year begins.

Jason Zucker's Trade Market

The Minnesota Wild are trying whatever they can to move Jason Zucker out of town. During the trade deadline, they tried to trade him to the Calgary Flames, which fell through. Then they tried to trade him to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Phil Kessel. That fell through because Kessel was not interested in joining a team that didn't have any possibility of competing this year. Now, it looks like another team has possibly stepped in to acquire his services.

Mike Halford, who works for The Athletic, reported on his radio station on TSN 1040 that that Vancouver Canucks are somehow interested in the Wild forward and that several trade proposals have already landed on the table.

Zucker, 27, is one of the last members of the Minnesota core that former GM Chuck Fletcher built during his time there. GM Paul Fenton is the new guy in charge there and he's already made plenty of moves, shipping out Nino Niederreiter, Mikael Granlund, and Charlie Coyle, hoping that new faces will try and change their outcome in the playoffs. Unfortunately, they didn't make the playoffs this season.

It's clear Fenton is trying to find a long-term approach to this problem and it looks like he's trying to rebuild. It makes sense too, considering all the money the core had brought in, including Zucker. Zucker still has four years and $5.5MM left on his contract, and it's a big cap hit for the Wild as they try to improve their team.

Vancouver's interest in Zucker may be more obvious than it seems. They have a bunch of young forwards who performed well this year and they have plenty of cap space to accommodate Zucker. I understand that he's a long way off from his magnificent 2017-18 season, when he produced 21 goals and 42 points. He is also one of the fastest skaters in the league, something that the young Vancouver forwards have done well in this year. Not just his speed or his value, but the Canucks also have a need on the left-side of their top-six line, which includes Bo Horvat and Elias Pettersson.

Zucker is very much wanted in this league and any team would be lucky to get him. However, I do like the role that he would play in Vancouver. Not only would his skills and production be valuable, but he also does display some leadership. I would think that in Vancouver, that would be very valuable and although the Canucks would have to pay a premium amount to get him, I think he would serve very well there and he would be a valuable piece for their future.

Andrew McCutchen Out For The Year

The Phillies received devastating news about one of their outfielders after a serious injury had him leave the game against the Padres last night.

The Athletic's Matt Gelb is reporting via Twitter that outfielder Andrew McCutchen has been diagnosed with a torn left ACL and will end up missing the remainder of the season.

This past offseason, Philly signed McCutchen, 32, to a three-year contract worth $50 million. In the first two months of the season, McCutchen played well. In 262 plate appearances, he had a line of .256/.378/.457 batting with 10 home runs, 12 doubles, a triple, two steals and 43 walks, that last stat being the best in the NL. He had been the starting center fielder after Odubel Herrera was placed on administrative leave by MLB. However, with this injury, it will leave the Phillies two outfielders down.

2017 first-rounder Adam Haseley was flown in to San Diego to meet them for the Padres series in the event of a serious knee injury for McCutchen. It's likely now he'll step into center field on a regular basis, while recent acquisition Jay Bruce will take left field. Bryce Harper, meanwhile, will continue to man right field.

It would seem more than likely that the Phillies may end up having to look for center field help on the market this year. However, if Haseley's minor league numbers say anything (.275/.358/.466 in 204 plate appearances) it could be that Haseley will perform well in the interim and the Phils may not need to go to the market.

That being said, this is a devastating blow, not just to the Phillies, but to McCutchen as well, and you have to wonder if this knee injury will take him out for the rest of his career. I hope not, and I believe he will come back from this injury. However, he is either close to the end of his career or he's about to get to that point where injuries may have a say on when he retires.

I wish him the best in recovery, and I'm hoping the Phillies, and especially Haseley, can hold this down for the long term, especially if Herrera is going to be on leave for a while, and it looks like he may be. We wish McCutchen the best and hope he can come back from this injury.

Pelicans Begin Listening to Davis Inquiries

Pelicans head of basketball operations David Griffin was probably hoping to hold onto the All-NBA big man Anthony Davis and have him continue to be the All-Star for the Pelicans going into next season. Now, it seems that the Pelicans have finally decided to think about trading him.

Shams Charania of The Athletic is reporting that Griffin has begun to listening to inquiries regarding Anthony Davis. However, that doesn't mean he will be moved this offseason, but now it seems that the Pelicans are more interested in hearing out potential suitors.

Davis and Griffin reportedly met for the first time this offseason in Los Angeles. The meeting was described as respectful and productive. However, Davis's preference to be traded has apparently not changed. So that means either the Pelicans keep trying to win over AD and hang onto him until the 2020 trade deadline or try to see what they get in the draft and perhaps get another valuable prospect  or maybe even more during the free agency period.

Davis has a list of preferred destinations and they include the obvious teams in the Lakers, Knicks, Clippers, and Bucks. It's actually stunning to me that he would think about joining Giannis in Milwaukee, but the other three are the no-brainer ones. Many executives around the time, as reported by Charania, believe that the Lakers and Knicks have the biggest capability of putting together strong packages to land Davis. The Lakers may still have the biggest strength to land him, and I believe they still may end up getting him eventually.

While the Pelicans now appear open to moving Anthony Davis, the same can not be said of Jrue Holiday. There's no indications within the Pelicans front office that they're willing to deal him. For New Orleans, he remains their lone "cornerstone" player, meaning he would become the leader of the team if Davis is moved. I really believe that the Pelicans wouldn't be competitive without him and Holiday is perhaps their best player when and if Davis gets moved.

As for Davis himself and the Pelicans, the recent reporting may lead me to believe that the Pelicans would like to deal Davis this offseason. He does not want to be there and they may be rebuilding at this point. He has to go somewhere where he can not only be an impact player, but also play with other superstars and have a chance to win a championship. If it's with the Lakers, then I'm all for it, because they have the most they can offer New Orleans, including Kyle Kuzma.

I really thought this trade would happen during the deadline, because I thought this trade not only would've make the Lakers competitive and put them in the playoffs this year, but it would have saved Magic Johnson's job and all the turmoil in the Lakers front office would not have happened. That being said, if the Lakers can land Davis and be willing to give up some important pieces, it would be a big thing for them and it would definitely make Davis happy and New Orleans probably would have a brighter future.

Now it seems the Pelicans are more than interested now in dealing Anthony Davis. They may ultimately not trade him, but now it seems that Davis is not swaying his position and David Griffin will try his best to land the best deal possible.

Prospective Guys The Suns May Look At

The Phoenix Suns have a lot to do this offseason regarding potential free agent targets. More specifically, they're looking at point guards they believe can come in and be veterans who can help improve this team.

In a recent tweet from John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 has outlined four targets that the Suns may keep an eye on: Cory Joseph, Patrick Beverley, Darren Collison, and T.J. McConnell.

There are also other potential targets like Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker, and D'Angelo Russell. The problem with those guys is that although they are talented point guards who can make a big impact, the Suns don't have the cap room necessary to sign any of them, which could hurt them in the long run and impact their luxury tax. Therefore, the four potential targets that Gambadoro lays out makes much more sense.

In a contradictory report that Gambadoro also writes out, it looks like the Suns are not shopping the No. 6 overall pick, though that could change as we get closer to the draft. As I outlined yesterday, if the Suns are willing to shop that pick, it would be for a veteran point guard, such as Mike Conley. They could still do that, but based on where things stand today, I wouldn't count on the Suns trading out of that pick.

As Jonathan Givony of ESPN noted, the Suns would be willing to move that pick for the right player. Now, the right player can mean a bunch of different things. However, it looks like the Suns' definition of the right player is somebody who is going to come in and make an impact right away, as well as serve as a veteran leadership presence. Seems like Mike Conley could fit that bill, if they can make it work and move a guy or two off their team.

Filling that point guard role will one of many priorities for the Suns this offseason. If the Suns decide to use its mid-level exception or open up cap space, they could pursue that veteran point guard in the offseason then use the pick on somebody other than a point guard.

However, if the Suns decide that they want to use the No. 6 pick on a point guard, they could acquire another veteran leader in free agency who is not a point guard. One name that came up recently is Julius Randle, who is currently on the Pelicans. He's expected to hit free agency this summer and reports are that the Suns would land him if they solve their point guard issues. I wouldn't bet on it right away, since the Suns have to take care of that point guard issue first. However, if they manage to figure it out whether in the draft or in free agency, perhaps then they would take a chance on Julius Randle.

As for the four free agency names earlier, I believe all of them would bring some sort of veteran presence and leadership that the Suns need for their team. Devin Booker is not seen as a leader yet, despite his numbers and his impact on this young Suns team. The one name I would look at if I was the Suns is Patrick Beverley. Although Beverley could very well go back to the Clippers if the Clippers have money to sign him this offseason, it's clear their attempt to get a big-name free agent could push Beverley out the door. Beverley is the biggest name of these four players and may be willing to go to the Suns to help them improve and serve as a leader. That is something I would think he would find very attractive. Then again, it wouldn't be surprising if the Suns decide to go after Mike Conley via trade or even a guy like T.J. McConnell, who has shown some impact and could serve as a big piece in the Suns' plans going forward.

Suns Open To Trading Their No. 6 Pick

The Phoenix Suns may be open to moving their No. 6 pick if they get the right player in return.

ESPN's Jonathan Givony is reporting that the Suns are open to trading that pick if the right veteran guard becomes available.

Phoenix has been without a solid starting point guard for much of last year, so the team is looking out for a veteran who they hope can come in and handle the ball, rather than be an off-ball shooting guard.

However, this doesn't mean that the Suns would be willing to ship out that pick for just any point guard. They want to make sure it's the "right" point guard. That means probably getting an impact player on a "team friendly" contract, meaning no max deals. Unfortunately for the Suns, there is no available point guard in the league right now who really fits that description and will become available.

Among the many point guards who are on the trade block this offseason are Mike Conley and Lonzo Ball. Between the two of them, it seems Conley would fit more into the role and would serve as a veteran presence for young, up-and-coming players like Ayton and Booker. I can't say the same for Ball, who's still trying to find his shooting in this league and the Lakers are hoping that Jason Kidd will serve as a mentor in that role. Not only that but he has been injury-prone in his first two NBA seasons and has yet to prove he's a consistent offensive threat.

The bad news with Mike Conley is that his contract is not "team-friendly". He has a $32.5MM salary for the 2019-20 season and would require the Suns to move out some equal pieces and that means a player or two.

There is probably no chance right now that the Suns would move that No. 6 pick because it would be valuable in picking up a point guard that they need desperately. However, if they can find someone to offload that they don't need for the future, then it's possible they get rid of him and then sign Conley at one point. That's no sure thing, though, and I would expect the Phoenix Suns and GM James Jones to take the smart approach and keep that pick and find their future starting point guard there.

Will Phoenix make any progress there? We will see.