Jason Kidd is in the discussion to be the next coach of the Los Angeles Lakers if they decide to move on from Luke Walton, according to Ric Bucher.

"Another development that I’m hearing is gaining momentum, and that’s the possibility of Jason Kidd returning to the coaching ranks by succeeding Luke Walton with the Lakers...now sources are saying that the Lakers have actually gotten back to him and that this has gone to the next level. And that if the Lakers do make a move on Luke – which, based on all of the rumblings, could happen sooner rather than later – Kidd appears to be very much in the mix and possibly is even the favorite," said Ric Bucher on his podcast.

Kidd has a career coaching record of 183 wins and 190 losses in 4.5 seasons with the Nets and Bucks. 

Kristaps Porzingis is planning to sign a one-year qualifying offer in restricted free agency with the Dallas Mavericks this summer.

Porzingis, along with Tim Hardaway Jr. and Courtney Lee, was traded to the Mavs for Dennis Smith Jr., Wesley Matthews, and DeAndre Jordan.

If Porzingis were to sign the qualifying offer, he would then become an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season.

Washington Wizards owner Ted Leonsis called the idea of tanking "offensive" and said that the Wizards are focused on making the playoffs this year.

"You have to go to the players, the coach, the staff and say, 'Do we have enough to make the playoffs?' And to a person, I was told, 'Yes we do,'" said Leonsis.

Leonsis said the Wizards would not tank the season. 

"I was asked point blank, 'Are you going to tank? That's an offensive question. You can't go to your organization, to your players, to your coach and say, 'Let's plan to lose.'"

Leonsis added that the team will not trade Bradley Beal, John Wall, or Otto Porter Jr.

The New Orleans Pelicans have already removed Anthony Davis from their Twitter page, Facebook page, and team introduction video. 

Highlights of Davis, along with Davis' image, were replaced as the Pelicans unveiled a new introduction video before their Wednesday game against the Nuggets.

Jrue Holiday replaced Davis as the main picture on the Pelicans' Twitter page. 

Alvin Gentry was unsure if Davis would suit up for the Pelicans again following his trade demand.

“That’s a hard thing to answer...I assume that he will. That’s something that’ll have to be discussed about what’s best for him and best for our team,” said Gentry.

Steve Kerr credited DeMarcus Cousins with giving the Golden State Warriors a fresh energy during their 11-game win streak.

"No dog days this year. It's been nice. I think he personally got us through what would normally be the tough stretch. Let's face it: We had some tough days earlier in the season, between injuries and some drama and all that stuff. So it doesn't feel like a normal January, February point of the schedule. It feels fresher, and a lot of that has to do with DeMarcus," said Kerr.

Kerr also added that Cousins' presence in the post freed up Draymond Green.

"He's playing as well as I've ever seen him play. The assist-to-turnover ratio is spectacular, kind of unheard of. And it's not just the assist, it's the push, it's the constant pressure he's putting on the defense. And then picking up the ball if nothing's there and moving it on. It's a highly underrated skill in the NBA," said Kerr of Green's recent play.

Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic are working with Marvin Bagley to improve his 3-point shooting.

The 19-year-old Bagley is shooting just 26.8% from deep.

“We’re just trying to help him a little bit, get his confidence up. That’s the thing about being teammate, me and Bogi, I think it’s good for him to shoot with two good shooters," said Hield.

Hield is currently shooting 45.7% from deep, with Bogdanovic at 35.6%.

Hield is optimistic about Bagley's improvement.

“He looked good, really good, he shot the ball really well. It’s part of getting better," he added.

After shooting 6 3's in the Philadelphia 76ers' 121-105 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, Joel Embiid said he felt disrespected by the space the Lakers were giving him on the perimeter.

“I don’t like shooting 3’s, but you’re not going to disrespect me by giving me a lot of space. In that situation, I’m going to shoot it. I’m Joel. I’m Joel Embiid. I don’t get disrespected. I do the disrespecting.”

Embiid is currently shooting 31% on 3's this season with 3.9 attempts per game.

Embiid suffered an injury scare late in the game and went to the locker room after hurting his back. Embiid later said that his back was fine.

Jimmy Butler explained his confrontational nature during a recent episode of the Posted Up With Chris Haynes podcast.

“Damn right I'm confrontational. I am confrontational...I would be the first to tell you, I don't give a damn. I've always been like that. I haven’t said it all the time. I’ve always acted it though. Like if you know me and you’re around me, man, if you not around me everyday, I don’t give a damn what you say because you don’t know what I go through," said Butler.

Butler said he modeled his work ethic and approach to the game after Luol Deng.

Butler added that he doesn't care how he's perceived by other people and that he liked being misunderstood.

"If you just come be around me for X amount of hours, X amount of days, you’ll be like, ‘ah, I get it. I understand. I know a little bit about him. I know why he do what he do. I know why he think the way that he thinks. I know why he move the way that he move.’ But you’re not (around me.) You only see bits and pieces from what you get out of the media or from what somebody is telling you."

In defending himself for tampering claims, Anthony Davis' agent Rich Paul stated that players have always recruited each other.

“This is nothing new. Players have always communicated with each other. Players have always played pick-up in the summer. The difference is (that) more players today are controlling and doing what they want to do vs. being told what to do, and that’s the difference," said Paul.

Anthony Davis was recently fined $50K after Paul publicly demanded a trade from the Pelicans.

Paul added that players are more bold in taking charge of their own destiny today than they were in the past. 

“Players didn’t know, or weren’t willing to do different things (like that), back in the day. They weren’t willing to say, ‘You know what? I want to go over here,’ whether it’s (because of) rules or know-how, they weren’t willing. They didn’t do those things, and now they are. That’s the difference.”

Following the Golden State Warriors' 132-100 win over the Indiana Pacers, Steph Curry said that the Warriors are turning up the intensity following their 50th game of the NBA season. 

"Coach hit us with what game this is -- I think it's 50. And you think about how quickly that springs on you. You get back from All-Star break, you still have 30 games and you're like, 'All right, this is playoff mentality time,' and you start to ramp it up, so we're starting early."

The Warriors have won 11 straight games, and have also won 10 straight road games while scoring at least 110 points in each game. 

Curry added that DeMarcus Cousins continues to improve within the team. 

"Every game, he's looking a little bit more athletic, more confident. Got a little bit more of a rhythm. Understanding where he's going to get his touches. Just the way he runs in transition defensively, the effort he's bringing on that end of the floor, as well."