It seems like the prospect of playing with Zion Williamson isn’t enough to keep Anthony Davis with New Orleans Pelicans after all. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Pelicans have failed to convince Davis to change his mind about the trade request and have begun listening to trade offers for the 26-year-old superstar.
After Pelicans landed the No.1 overall pick in 2019 NBA Draft, the team’s newly-hired executive vice president David Griffin hoped Anthony Davis would be willing to consider staying in New Orleans. Still, during a recent meeting with the All-Star center and his agent Rich Paul, Griffin was told that Davis won’t change his stance and still wants to be traded.
While there are several teams interested in acquiring Davis, New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, and Los Angeles Lakers are believed to be in the best position to get the player. All three teams are able to offer attractive packages that involve high-value draft picks and young players, which is something Pelicans would aim for their team in the aftermath of Davis’ exit.
The thing that complicates Pelicans’ position in these trade talks is that Davis, who was one-year left on his contract, said that he would only consider re-signing with the Knicks, Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers. This effectively puts other teams at a big risk of forfeiting valuable assets without knowing whether Davis will only be a one-year rental.
