Anthony Davis' trade request will be addressed on New Orleans Pelicans' terms and timeline, says team
Tuesday 29 January 2019 11:00, UK
Anthony Davis' trade request will be addressed on the New Orleans Pelicans' terms and timeline, the team has said.
Davis wants out of New Orleans. And if a trade happens, it will be on the Pelicans' schedule.
The five-time All-Star has told the Pelicans that he wants to be traded to a championship-contending team and will not sign an extension with New Orleans, agent Rich Paul confirmed on Monday.
Anthony Davis requests trade from New Orleans Pelicans
ESPN first reported Davis' demand to be traded to a contender, a request he made last week. It is a move that will resonate around the league, one that will have teams trying to see how they can put together a package good enough to land Davis.
But the Pelicans made clear in a written statement on Monday afternoon that they are in no rush, and will wait for the right deal.
"We will do this on our terms and our timeline," the Pelicans said, adding that they will only accept a deal that "makes the most sense for our team and it will not be dictated by those outside of our organisation".
The NBA trade deadline is February 7, and if the Pelicans do not get a deal they want by then, they're prepared to wait.
"He plans on playing out the season," Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said Monday while Davis was at the team's training headquarters in Pelicans gear, working out and getting treatment on the injured left index finger that has kept him out of four games. "'AD' is a professional guy and he's going to play as hard as he can once he gets well and we're going to do the best we can to try put our team in position to win games."
The Pelicans have also asked the NBA to "strictly enforce" any tampering rules associated with the pursuit of Davis, who is having the best season of his career, averaging 29.3 points and 13.3 rebounds per game. The NBA is also looking into the trade request itself, since making such a demand publicly would seem to have violated league rules.
Davis will almost certainly become a six-time All-Star later this week when the NBA announces the full rosters for this year's game that will be played February 17 in Charlotte.
It's just unclear if Davis will be in Charlotte as a member of the Pelicans.
"It's the business of basketball," said New Orleans guard Jrue Holiday, who said Davis is "90 per cent" of the reason why he decided two summers ago to sign a five-year, $126m contract to remain in New Orleans.
The Pelicans next play at Houston on Tuesday night.
In Indianapolis, where Golden State played the Pacers on Monday night, the Warriors' Kevin Durant supported Davis' trade demand.
"It's not like the president is shutting down the government. It's just basketball," Durant said. "As players, we want guys to do exactly what they want to do in this league. They have a short amount of time. So why not do what you want?"
Davis' future has long been in question. He's an elite superstar on a team that hasn't advanced beyond the second round of the playoffs since he has been in New Orleans. In four of his first six full seasons, the Pelicans didn't qualify for the postseason at all. They entered Monday 13th in the Western Conference standings, six games out of the final playoff spot with 32 games remaining.
Davis telling New Orleans that he won't re-sign with them provides a blunt message: Move me, or lose me for nothing.
But New Orleans, who control Davis' contract through the 2019-20 season, have been steadfast for months and repeatedly said they had no desire to move their best player.
Davis would be eligible this summer for a five-year, roughly $240m extension with the Pelicans that would have kicked in beginning with the 2020-21 season.
