Anthony Davis Won't Sign Extension With Pelicans, Requests Trade
The future of New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis appears to be set as he has told the team that he has no intentions of signing a contract extension and has requested a trade, according to ESPN.com's Adrian Wojnarowski.
The trade deadline is Feb. 7 at 3 p.m. ET.
Davis signed a five-year, $127 million extension in the summer of 2015, and sign another supermax deal worth $240 million over five years this summer.
"Anthony wants to be traded to a team that allows him the chance to win consistently and compete for a championship," Davis's agent Rich Paul told ESPN. "Anthony wanted to be honest and clear with his intentions and that's the reason for informing them of this decision now. That's in the best interests of both Anthony's and the organization's future."
Davis can also become an unrestricted free agent in 2020 if he does nothing and waits until that free agency period.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics have long been seen as the main teams expected to make a trade for Davis, although the Celtics cannot make a move until July 1 as long as Kyrie Irving is still on the roster. Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Timesreports the Lakers would likely have to open trade discussions for Davis by offering Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Ivica Zubac and a first-round pick.
The Pelicans released a statement regarding Davis's current situation and how the franchise planned to go about moving him on Monday afternoon.
"This past weekend, Anthony Davis' representatives informed us that Anthony does not wish to sign a contract extension with our team and subsequently has requested a trade," the statement said. "Although we are disappointed in this decision, our organization's top priority is to bring an NBA championship to our city and build our team for long-term success.
"Relative to specific talks of a trade, we will do this on our timeline, one that makes sense for our team and it will not be dictated by those outside of our organization. We have also requested the League to strictly enforce the tampering rules associated with this transaction."
The 25-year-old Davis was drafted first overall in the 2012 NBA draft by New Orleans and the team has only made the playoffs twice in that time, including last season when they upset the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round before losing in five games to the Golden State Warriors in the conference semifinals.
Davis is averaging 29.3 points, 13.3 rebounds and 2.6 blocks for New Orleans, who have lost three games in a row and are 22–28, the third worst record in the Western Conference.
Davis has missed the past four games with a finger injury and may be able to return this week.
