Anthony Davis made one of the biggest headlines before the February NBA trade deadline when he demanded a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans. After hiring Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group as his new representative, Davis informed the Pelicans that he has no intention of signing the massive contract extension that they are planning to offer next summer and said that he wanted to be traded to a team where he can consistently win and contend for the NBA championship.
Most people believe that Paul, who also represents LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, influenced Davis’ decision to demand a trade from New Orleans. However, in a recent interview with Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports , which is currently posted on Twitter , Davis’ former teammate, DeMarcus Cousins, revealed that “The Brow” already wanted out of the Pelicans even before he hired Paul.
“Yes,” Cousins said when Haynes asked if he knew that Davis would be demanding a trade from the Pelicans. “As soon as that goofy junk went down. I knew exactly what was going to happen.”
The “goofy junk” DeMarcus Cousins was talking about was when the Pelicans didn’t prioritize bringing him back in the 2018 NBA free agency. Cousins confidently told Haynes that Anthony Davis wouldn’t think of demanding a trade if he was still with the Pelicans right now. Though he’s already playing for the Golden State Warriors, Cousins revealed that he still has communication with Davis. He added that it will only be a matter of time before people found out the main reason why Davis is no longer interested in staying long-term in New Orleans.
“AD made his power move when he joined Klutch,” Cousins said. “If y’all can’t read between the lines with that then y’all just blind.”
Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins isn’t worried about free-agency: https://t.co/PLo1Rg1tRE pic.twitter.com/spWeM5bOjF
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) March 27, 2019
When the 2018 NBA free agency started, Dan Feldman of NBC Sports revealed that Davis tried to convince the Pelicans to re-sign Cousins. However, just when the Pelicans were ready to enter a contract negotiation with Cousins, he already signed a deal with the Warriors. Before he officially became a Warrior, “Boogie” claimed that he didn’t receive any other offers in free agency.
Aside from DeMarcus Cousins’ departure, the Pelicans’ performance in the 2018-19 NBA season may have also contributed to Anthony Davis’ decision to demand a trade. Despite Davis’ incredible numbers almost every night, the Pelicans failed to consistently win games and didn’t show any characteristics of a team that can contend for the NBA championship. A year after parting ways with Cousins, the Pelicans could be set to lose another All-Star caliber player they once considered as the face of the franchise next summer.
