The New Orleans Pelicans know the Lakers are thirsting for Anthony Davis and they are going to make them wait.
After Rich Paul, Davis’ agent, informed the Pelicans his client would not be signing a long-term extension and would like to be traded, many assumed the star big man would be wearing Purple and Gold by the time the Feb. 7 NBA trade deadline rolled around.
But Pelicans general manager Dell Demps reportedly is not picking up his phone to field trade offers and New Orleans, at least at the moment, reportedly is “not interested” in trading Davis to LA, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, via Bleacher Report.
A number of teams reportedly are interested in acquiring Davis, but the team with the most assets, the Boston Celtics, is unable to swing a trade for the 25-year-old until the offseason due to the NBA’s “Rose Rule.”
The Lakers’ package for Davis reportedly would have to include Kyle Kuzma, Lonzo Ball, Ivica Zubac and a first-round draft pick, among other things and LA is gearing up to make a “monster” offer in order to get LeBron James the second star he desires.
While Davis reportedly has made it known that he only will sign an extension with the Lakers, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge is hellbent on dealing for the big man and Boston is willing to give the Pelicans anything they want for one of the NBA’s top stars.
It certainly looks like Davis will be a Pelican for the remainder of the season and the sweepstakes will drag into the summer, which is good news for the Celtics and bad news for James and the Lakers.
