New Orleans Pelicans center/power forward Anthony Davis is one of the NBA superstars who are frequently mentioned in various trade rumors in the past months. Despite his incredible performance every season, his only greatest achievement in New Orleans was reaching the Western Conference semifinals. With the emergence of numerous “Super Teams,” Davis should consider teaming up with other NBA superstars to have a strong chance of winning his first NBA championship title.
Unfortunately, Anthony Davis is under contract with the Pelicans until the 2020-21 NBA season, and right now, New Orleans said that they have no intention to make the All-Star forward available on the trading block. Also, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN , Davis still continues to look for reasons to stay with the Pelicans.
“My sense has always been with Anthony that he is always: some players are looking for reasons to stay and some players are looking for reasons to leave,” said Wojnarowski on the Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective Show , as transcribed by RealGM . “I’ve always thought that Anthony is a guy looking for reasons to stay in New Orleans. And I think that will continue to be the case until he feels he’s out of them.”
NBA scores, highlights, updates: Anthony Davis, Pelicans look to stay unbeaten; Ben Simmons out for Sixers https://t.co/kKf2vA7myr pic.twitter.com/lP9IV2FVfq
— NBA on Scoreboard Page (@NBAonSP) October 23, 2018
The outcome of the 2018-19 NBA season will be vital for Anthony Davis and the Pelicans. If they suffer a disappointing season, Davis may consider reevaluating his future in New Orleans and decline to sign a massive contract extension next summer. Once the Pelicans make him available on the trading block, Wojnarowski believes the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers will be highly aggressive on the market just to add Davis to their team.
“I do think down the line that the Boston and L.A., if he became available, that will be interesting, especially if the Lakers get shut out this summer.”
It’s not surprising why the Celtics and the Lakers are linked to Anthony Davis. Both teams are currently in a win-now mode and have a plethora of trade assets to convince the Pelicans to engage in a blockbuster deal. The potential acquisition of Davis will strengthen their chances of beating the reigning NBA champions, Golden State Warriors, in a best-of-seven series.
However, it seems like the Celtics have an advantage over the Lakers in their pursuit of Anthony Davis. League sources reportedly told Sam Amico of Amico Hoops that, if ever they consider parting ways with Davis, the Pelicans are unlikely to send Davis to the Lakers or other NBA teams in the Western Conference.
