As reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Pelicans forward Anthony Davis has informed the team that he will not sign any extension offered to him by the team and has requested a trade.
Agent Rich Paul has notified the New Orleans Pelicans that All-NBA forward Anthony Davis has no intention of signing a contract extension if and when presented and that he has requested a trade, Paul told ESPN on Monday.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 28, 2019
It’s long been speculated that this would be the case, but an affirmation of this to the Pelicans before this year’s trade deadline makes things interesting for all NBA teams. Anthony Davis wants to play for a contender, according to agent Rich Paul.
“Anthony wants to be traded to a team that allows him a chance to win consistently and compete for a championship,” Paul told 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.
Perhaps two teams that have the assets available to make a trade with the Pelicans are the Lakers and Boston Celtics, but Tas Melas of The Starters pointed out that a Boston trade for Anthony Davis couldn’t be completed very easily.
Teams can only trade for one player extended via the Rose Rule. Celtics acquired Kyrie by trade.
— Tas Melas (@TasMelas) January 28, 2019
A trade for Anthony Davis by the Boston Celtics wouldn’t be able to happen until July 1st, when Kyrie Irving’s deal with the Celtics is officially expired.
Adrian Wojnarowski said that the Lakers want to get a deal done for Davis.
This is an opportunity for the Los Angeles Lakers to be aggressive in offering a package for Davis prior to Boston’s inclusion into talks. Paul also represents Lakers star LeBron James, and the Lakers have been determined to acquire Davis in a deal, league sources said.
According to Marc Stein of The New York Times, the Pelicans have not informed Rich Paul, agent of both LeBron James and Anthony Davis, if a deal will be made anytime soon.
Asked if the Pels would honor Anthony Davis' request before the Feb. 7 trade deadline, agent Rich Paul told @NYTSports: "They haven't said much, but we wanted to do the right thing to let them know by the deadline so they could do what's best for the organization going forward."
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 28, 2019
Marc Stein has also confirmed that Davis has not given the Pelicans a list of preferred teams.
Anthony Davis' agent Rich Paul tells @NYTSports he has NOT given the Pelicans a preferred trade destination for Davis. But Davis' July 2020 free agency obviously gives hm huge say in where he lands since no team will surrender meaningful assets for a player it can't re-sign
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 28, 2019
For the Lakers, every player not named LeBron James should be available in trade talks, and the team should be as aggressive as possible to get a deal done this season. No other team has the assets available that the Lakers do, despite the Lakers young core not showing consistency this season. The Lakers would have to go 19-13 to win 45 games and theoretically avoid missing the playoffs for the sixth straight year. Anthony Davis would surely help turn the team around to potentially make that run this year and avoid any close calls in future years.
