Getty New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis
Say what you will about New Orleans Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry, but he’s nothing if not brutally honest. With the 2018-19 NBA season officially underway, the talk of Anthony Davis’ future and a potential trade has remained a hot-button topic. The MVP candidate is in somewhat of an interesting spot, as he’s under contract with the Pelicans through the 2020-21 season.
Most importantly, the Pelicans and Davis can come to terms on a long-term contract extension next offseason, which would all but end any talks of a trade. The only problem? Not everyone believes the All-NBA player will sign the extension with New Orleans, which is where the trade talks began.
As for Gentry, the Pelicans coach was one of the first to put his foot down just ahead of the start of the season. As Andrew Lopez of NOLA.com revealed, Gentry wouldn’t trade Davis for anyone – not even Beyonce.
“When you have someone who you can trade for anyone, I think that makes him the best. Or at least most valuable,” Gentry said. “Now, we aren’t considering that. We wouldn’t trade him for anyone. Even Beyonce. I think that makes him untouchable.”
That’s great news for Pelicans fans, but unfortunately, there’s more to the story than that.
Are the Boston Celtics a Possibility for Anthony Davis?
To this point, rumblings linking Davis to the Celtics are nothing more than fun chatter. Although, The Athletic’s Jay King revealed that guard Kyrie Irving may be recruiting the Pelicans star. The news came from Bleacher Report in early October, as they cited King stating Irving has “spoken to Anthony Davis” about coming to Boston.
There’s no question the Celtics would have some level of interest, but how they’d make this happen is a big question mark. Along with a soon-to-come extension for Irving, the large contract of Gordon Hayward and a plethora of young players due to get paid soon, the team may have a tough time swinging this.
At this point, we can chalk up a Davis-to-Boston trade as a longshot at best.
Anthony Davis Teaming up With LeBron James on the Lakers?
The idea of Davis joining the Lakers and taking over the role as the big man in their starting lineup with LeBron James is more realistic than the Celtics right now. After all, the Lakers have plenty of money to spend, a whole lot of talent on their roster for a potential trade and surely want another star next to LeBron.
But even Davis admitted during an interview with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols that he’s not even sure where the Lakers rumors came from.
“You hear it everywhere, it’s funny, how did [the Lakers rumors] even happen? How does that correlate?” Davis asked Nichols, laughing. “You know, in my head, I don’t pay attention to it, I keep going back to it but it’s the truth, I look at what I have now and what I can do now and that’s helping my team win.”
“You can’t listen to what somebody else is saying, all the white noise, ‘AD’s going here, AD’s going here, AD’s going here’ — AD’s playing for the Pelicans this year. My job is to focus on winning and helping these guys as much as possible on and off the floor, and the rest will take care of itself.”
Although these comments make Pelicans fans feel a bit better, it doesn’t change the fact that Davis’ main focus is on winning. During that same interview, he told Nichols that “it’s just about winning for me.” If New Orleans wins games, then trade talks may quickly quiet down, but otherwise, they’re going to remain out there.
At least until Davis signs an extension or is dealt.
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Anthony Davis Trade Rumors: Latest Updates on Pelicans Star