Anthony Davis has had it with the New Orleans Pelicans.
The agent for the superstar center told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that Davis has no intention of signing a contract extension and has requested a trade, Wojnarowski tweeted Monday morning.
Davis apparently has seen enough of the Pelicans’ efforts to build around him, and the team’s recent three-game losing streak likely didn’t help matters.
Now, Davis wants to have an actual chance to play for a championship, agent Rich Paul told Wojnarowski.
Complicating matters is Davis’ contract situation. He was in line to be able to sign a five-year, $240 million contract extension after the season, and he’s eligible to test free agency in the summer of 2020.
Obviously, the Pelicans will be seeking a haul for the perennial MVP contender who is the best big man in the NBA when healthy. They certainly could get that, but they’ll be testing a market that won’t feature arguably their top suitor, the Boston Celtics. That is unless of course, the Celtics want to trade point guard Kyrie Irving, as the NBA’s “Rose Rule” won’t allow Boston to add Davis during the season.
The Celtics could make the trade in the offseason, but the timing of Davis’ trade request doesn’t seem to help their case. Perhaps the Pelicans will be able to keep Davis happy for the rest of the season and pledge to trade him in the offseason when Boston can get in on the bidding. But if he’s somehow able to force their hand before the Feb. 7 trade deadline, then the Los Angeles Lakers have to be looked at as the favorites to land Davis, according to recent NBA rumors.
