The New Orleans Pelicans hired former Cavaliers executive David Griffin as their new vice president of basketball operations this week. At his introductory press conference, Griffin expressed his optimism that he could fix the relationship between the organization and disgruntled star Anthony Davis:
David Griffin on Anthony Davis: "We have a long successful history with Klutch Sports. Rich Paul and I have spoke about Anthony. We are both excited about what we could potentially build here."
— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) April 17, 2019
David Griffin: "Rich Paul and I were part of succeeding. They will understand when I say this, 'You are either all the way or all the way out.'"
Griff going strong here. He believes Anthony Davis will want to stay.
— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) April 17, 2019
Griffin again says he believes there’s an openness to AD staying after talking with Rich Paul.
— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) April 17, 2019
Griffin says he has not talked with Anthony Davis directly as of yet. Has spoken with Rich Paul. There is a set time for him and AD to speak coming up soon.
— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) April 17, 2019
Griffin has a long history with Davis’ agent, Rich Paul, who also represents LeBron James. Paul is widely viewed as the architect behind Davis’ request to be traded, with the motive of getting him to the Los Angeles Lakers to team up with James.
The Lakers were unable to secure Davis at the 2019 trade deadline as negotiations became public leading to an embarrassing failure that may have ultimately led to the team’s end-of-season drop-off and missing the postseason.
The Pelicans were expected to trade Davis in the offseason when the Boston Celtics can get involved as Kyrie Irving’s contract will expire. They could previously not acquire Davis because the CBA forbids teams from having two players on designated player extensions on the same roster.
Griffin’s relationship with Klutch and James could theoretically make him more willing to trade with the Lakers than former Pelicans’ chief Dell Demps was, although ownership could outweigh his decision. His comments at his press conference could just be a way of driving up the price for Davis by making the Pelicans seem like a viable option for the big man.
That said, Griffin could also just be telling the truth. He tried to convince Kyrie Irving to stay in Cleveland but his contract expired before the trade that sent him to Boston. It’s not difficult to envision him trying to keep one of the very best players in the NBA on the team he works for before succumbing to trade demands. If Davis’ trade demand was truly about winning and putting a good product next to him, perhaps Griffin, the architect of an NBA champion, could convince him to stay.
