Since the 2018 NBA off season, rumors and speculations continue to swirl that the New Orleans Pelicans will move Anthony Davis before the February NBA trade deadline. The Pelicans may have managed to reach the Western Conference Semifinals last season, but their roster, as currently constructed, is not in a position to beat the reigning NBA champions, Golden State Warriors, in a best-of-seven series.
The rumors about the potential departure of Anthony Davis heated up when he decided to hire Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group as his new representative. With Paul also representing the best basketball player on the planet, LeBron James, some people believe that Davis could be headed to the Los Angeles Lakers before the February NBA trade deadline. The Lakers have a plethora of trade assets to engage in a blockbuster deal with the Pelicans and when they successfully acquired James, President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson and General Manager Rob Pelinka revealed their plan to chase for another superstar.
Unfortunately for the Lakers and other interested teams, Anthony Davis isn’t expected to be available on the trade market anytime soon. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (courtesy of Amico Hoops ), there is a “zero-percent chance” that Davis will be moved before the February NBA trade deadline.
Davis reportedly no longer a possibility for Warriors https://t.co/V2tkM8QZN1
— MSN Sports (@MSNSports) January 20, 2019
Woj’s recent report isn’t surprising at all. Even before the 2018-19 NBA season started, the Pelicans continue to remind everyone in the league that they have no intention of trading the face of their franchise. Instead of moving Davis and undergoing a full-scale rebuild, Wojnarowski revealed that the Pelicans are “determined” to get quality players that could help them make a deep playoff run this season.
Anthony Davis clearly needs more help to make the Pelicans a legitimate threat in the deep Western Conference. As of now, the Pelicans are on a two-game losing streak, sitting in the No. 12 spot in the Western Conference with a 21-25 record. To make things more complicated, Davis suffered an injury in their recent game and is expected to be sidelined for one to two weeks.
When the season is over, the Pelicans are planning to offer Anthony Davis a supermax extension worth $239.5 million over five years. If Davis declines to sign the extension, there is a huge possibility that the Pelicans will finally consider making him available on the trading block. Waiting for the 2019 NBA off season to trade Davis will be beneficial for the Pelicans, as aside from the Lakers, teams like the Boston Celtics could also join the pursuit for the All-Star center.
