NBA Rumors: Anthony Davis ‘Highly Unlikely’ To Change His Mind On Trade Demand, Per ‘The Athletic’
The New Orleans Pelicans are heading into the 2019 offseason with a number of reasons to be optimistic, including the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, as well as executive vice president David Griffin’s ongoing efforts to convince superstar big man Anthony Davis to remain with the team. Despite all this, a new report suggests that Davis still doesn’t have any plans to reconsider the trade demand he made earlier this year.
On Wednesday, a tweet from ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski noted that Griffin and Davis met up earlier that day to discuss the 26-year-old All-Star’s future with the team. Per Wojnarowski’s league sources, both sides were expected at that time to “continue a dialogue moving forward.” This was, however, followed up by a tweet from The Athletic‘s Shams Charania, who wrote that there’s a good chance Davis won’t change his mind and would still want to be traded to another team in the 2019 offseason.
“While New Orleans Pelicans executive Vice President David Griffin and All-Star Anthony Davis’ agent Rich Paul will continue discussions, it’s highly unlikely Davis’ stance changes on trade.”
According to Sporting News, there are several teams, including the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, and New York Knicks, that could be involved in trade talks for Davis in the summer, as it remains possible that the Pelicans will consider shipping him elsewhere. Still, New Orleans is expected to keep pushing for Davis to remain with the team, especially since they will likely be using the first overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft on Duke superstar Zion Williamson, a potential game-changer at forward who could team with Davis and fellow big man Julius Randle and give the Pelicans a formidable starting frontcourt.
ESPN story on Anthony Davis and Pelicans EVP David Griffin meeting today in Los Angeles. https://t.co/CGQbO3F5je
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 29, 2019
“There are a lot [of] reasons for him to believe that this will be different,” Griffin was quoted by Sporting News as saying. “What it starts with is just us doing what we say we’re going to do, one step at a time. Over time, I think he’s going to see there is a trust level that he should have in us.”
Although Anthony Davis won’t be eligible to opt out of his existing contract until the summer of 2020, the former All-NBA big man announced in late January that he has no plans of re-signing with New Orleans, while also making his request for a trade public. However, he remained with the Pelicans for the rest of the 2018-19 season, despite how the Lakers offered several trade packages for the six-time All-Star selection before the February trade deadline.
While Davis missed out on All-NBA honors amid an injury-plagued 2018-19 season, he still registered averages of 25.9 points, 12 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.4 blocks in 56 games for a Pelicans team that missed the playoffs with a 33-49 record.
