NBA Executives Are Still Holding Out Hope Kyrie Irving And Anthony Davis May Be Available In 2019


Getty Image

There are plenty of big names that figure to be in play when the 2018-19 season ends and midnight strikes on July 1, 2019. Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler, and DeMarcus Cousins all appear to be headed to the free agency market to give legitimate consideration to a new team.

That, coupled with a third of the league being able to open up max space this summer with relative ease will make for a fascinating summer. However, there are executives around the league that want to get a bit greedy and are hopeful two more stars will come available either in free agency or on the trade market.

Kyrie Irving will be an unrestricted free agent, but he’s already told the Boston crowd at a preseason event that he plans on re-signing. Anthony Davis won’t be a free agent until 2020, but there’s long been chatter that he might come available on the trade market this summer should he push his way out and not sign the supermax extension he’s eligible to receive from New Orleans this summer (which will assuredly offer it to him).

According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, executives around the league are talking about both like they’ll be players in the mix to be on the move next summer, even though at this point there’s no indication either will choose to be. What does that mean? Not a whole lot, other than teams are getting their ducks in a row in case the opportunity arises to chase either.

Teams are already figuring out what packages they could offer for Davis, that way they can be near the front of the line to put a call in to the Pelicans should he pull an Irving or Jimmy Butler and make a trade request over the summer. Should the Pelicans’ build off their hot start to the season and become a real player in the West, that likely becomes a moot point. As for Irving, we’ve already seen how his mind can change with his request to leave Cleveland and, beyond that, the Celtics are expected to after the full five-year max, but if they decide to get cute with a contract offer, execs feel Irving may look elsewhere.

Still, all of this seems to be executives trying to speak this into existence, because they know the competition for free agents will be high and the more players on the market the more of a chance they’ll have of getting a star. As for Pelicans and Celtics fans, the rumors won’t stop until contracts are signed, so be prepared for this kind of chatter all season.

×