All signs point to the New Orleans Pelicans being open for business.
Shams Charania from The Athletic and Stadium reported Tuesday, citing league sources, that Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin has begun listening to teams and their inquiries on Anthony Davis, who requested a trade in January and whose stance reportedly hasn’t changed despite New Orleans recently winning the NBA draft lottery.
So, which teams should be viewed as the favorites to pull off a blockbuster for the Pelicans superstar?
According to Charania, rival executives across the NBA believe the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets will be able to compile the best trade packages for Davis.
Griffin, who was hired in April, reportedly met with Davis and his agent, Rich Paul, last week in Los Angeles to explain his vision for the organization’s future, which is even more intriguing now that New Orleans owns the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft and the opportunity to select Duke phenom Zion Williamson. The sitdown — which Charania described as “respectful and productive” — apparently did little to sway Davis, though, and it could just be a matter of time before the Pelicans trade the six-time All-Star.
Davis, 26, can become a free agent next offseason. It’ll be interesting to see whether certain teams show reluctance to go all-in for Davis if he’s unwilling to commit to a long-term contract extension at the time of a trade.
