Even though Anthony Davis is under contract until the summer of 2020, his agent informed the New Orleans Pelicans that he has no interest in signing a contract extension with the team and thereby requesting a trade.
Davis, a 6-foot-10 power forward and center, is currently sidelined with a broken left finger. In his sixth NBA season, he is averaging 29.3 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game.
The Pelicans (22-28) are currently in fourth place in the Southwest Division. They are #13 out of 15 teams in the Western Conference. Only the Memphis Grizzlies and Phoenix Suns have a worse record than the Pelicans.
Davis shares an agent, Clutch Sports’ Rich Paul, with LeBron James. The Los Angeles Lakers seems like a potential landing spot for the five-time All Star.
No Mas NOLA
Davis, 25, played one season at Kentucky before the New Orleans (then named the Hornets) drafted him with the first-overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft.
After averaging 28 points for two seasons in a row, Davis is scoring a career-high 29.3 points. Since he arrived in the NBA, Davis’ scoring has gradually increased along with his shooting percentage.
Davis cited the Pelicans lack of commitment to winning as his reason for requesting a trade.
“Anthony wants to be traded to a team that allows him a chance to win consistently and compete for a championship,” said Davis’ agent Rich Paul said in an interview with ESPN. “Anthony wanted to be honest and clear with his intentions and that’s the reason for informing them of this decision now. That’s in the best interests of both Anthony’s and the organization’s future.”
The Pelicans made the playoffs twice in his career. Last season, the Pelicans swept the Portland Trailblazers in the opening round. They faced the Golden State Warriors in the second round. The Warriors won in five games to advance to the Western Conference finals against the Houston Rockets. The Pelicans were eliminated by the eventual champions.
According to the South Point Casino and Sports Book in Las Vegas, the New Orleans Pelicans are 200-1 odds to win the NBA championship.
Boston Brow Bound?
The Boston Celtics and Davis have been linked for a couple of years now. They would love a marquee player like Davis. The future hinges upon Kyrie Irving. Will Irving stay or go? Is Irving headed to the New York Knicks? As soon as the Irving situations resolves itself, the Celtics will be in a better spot to know which players to offer up.
The Celtics are stocked with young talent including Gordon Hayward, who is a year removed from a horrible leg injury. They also have Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Marcus Smart to toss into any deal.
LeBron, the Lakers, and the Brow
LeBron James got in trouble for commenting on the possibility of Anthony Davis joining the Lakers. Magic Johnson hinted that he had other tricks up his sleeve in trying to rebuild the Lakers into contenders again. One of them has Davis as LeBron’s sidekick.
Magic Johnson and the Lakers would offer every player on the team not named LeBron. That includes some of their top young players Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, and Ivica Zubac.
Unibrow for the Unicorn
The New York Knicks are in full-blown tank mode and they are in the Zion Williamson sweepstakes. Now that Davis is on the block, will they offer their top draft pick for him? The Knicks also have disgruntled center, Enes Kanter, who fell out of the rotation and is currently warming the end of the bench. Kanter makes a hefty $18.6 million salary, which could help even out the salary swap.
Another scenario that’s lighting up the NYC tabloids right now is a Unicorn for Unibrow swap involving Kristaps Porzingis (22.7 points and 6.6 rebounds per game). The Knicks center has been rehabbing his knee after ACL surgery. Porzingis and the team have been on shaky waters in the wake of the Phil Jackson fiasco. He has also butted heads with head coach David Fizdale.