The Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans have been in negotiations over a trade that would send disgruntled star Anthony Davis to Southern California for the better part of a week, now. With the trade deadline approaching on Thursday, it appears as though things are slowing down.
On Monday, the Lakers reportedly laid nearly all of their chips down for the Pelicans but according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, they do not believe they are close to making a deal work:
Yes. So far, the Lakers have felt conversations with New Orleans have been one-sided and they are growing increasingly pessimistic about the Pelicans willingness to do a deal with them. https://t.co/vbMEcLTHwY
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) February 5, 2019
Shelburne is highly connected to the Lakers organization, so it’s possible that this is a true sentiment or a leak to get the Pelicans to finalize the trade instead of holding out until the summer.
If the Pelicans wait until July, the Boston Celtics can get involved and general manager Danny Ainge is reportedly pressuring the Pelicans to do just that. The Celtics may have the best offer to give, including Jayson Tatum. However, it’s unknown if they would include Tatum given reports that Davis would not commit to the Celtics past 2020 when he can become a free agent.
The Lakers clearly want this trade to get done now in order to not risk the best offer from Boston. The Pelicans seemingly have disagreements in their front office about whether they should keep Davis, who may not play for the rest of the season, on their roster.
