David Griffin might be realizing it’s time to seriously consider trading Anthony Davis.
The Pelicans’ new executive vice president of basketball operations met last week with Davis, who requested a trade in January, to explain his vision for the future of the organization. Davis’ stance regarding a trade reportedly is “highly unlikely” to change despite New Orleans winning the NBA draft lottery, though, and Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported Tuesday, citing league sources, that Griffin has begun listening to teams and their inquiries on the six-time All-Star.
Previously, according to Charania, the Pelicans were trying to convince Davis to stay, an effort that seemingly became easier once New Orleans shockingly secured the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft and the opportunity to select Duke phenom Zion Williamson. However, it doesn’t sound like those efforts have gone anywhere despite Griffin reportedly having a “respectful and productive” sitdown with Davis and his agent, Rich Paul, in Los Angeles. Thus, the Pelicans reportedly are open to hearing what other teams have to say leading up to the draft on June 20.
There figures to be no shortage of competition for Davis’ services, with the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets among the teams rumored to be interested in the 26-year-old. So the Pelicans should be able to land a sizable haul in a trade, even though Davis can become a free agent next offseason and there’d be serious risk involved with swinging a deal if he doesn’t agree beforehand to sign a long-term contract extension with his new team.
