Anthony Davis, Pelicans Begin Talks, Celtics Given Hope With Forward's Stance Unchanged

The New Orleans Pelicans have begun their charm offensive to convince Anthony Davis that his long-term future lies in the Big Easy, where he has spent his entire NBA career since being drafted No.1 overall in 2012. The power forward requested a trade via his agent in January, and thus far his stance is unchanged about wanting to leave the team in the summer.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that new executive vice-president of basketball operations David Griffin met with Davis Wednesday in Los Angeles to discuss his future. He is trying to convince the forward about the project the Pelicans are embarking on, especially after they landed the No.1 pick for the 2019 NBA Draft.

The player and the franchise are expected to continue their dialogue in the coming days with the Pelicans hoping to convince Davis to reconsider his stance about wanting to leave the team this summer. The forward, who requested a trade, can choose to remain with the Pelicans for one more season and leave as an unrestricted free agent to a team of his choosing in the summer of 2020.

“New Orleans star Anthony Davis and Pels EVP David Griffin met this morning in Los Angeles and are expected to continue a dialogue moving forward, league sources tell ESPN. Griffin is making his case to AD on a future with the Pelicans. Davis can be a free agent next summer,” Wojnarowski wrote.

However, despite the Pelicans landing the No.1 pick, The Athletic’s Shams Charania is reporting that Davis is unlikely to change his stance about wanting to leave the franchise this summer. Griffin has already said that if they cannot convince him to sign a new deal, they will trade him this summer as it will be more beneficial to the team to acquire some assets in the process.

The Los Angeles Lakers made multiple bids to sign Davis before the Feb. 7 trade deadline but were rebuffed by the Pelicans. They are expected to make an offer again this summer and this time a No.4 draft pick could be part of the package to make it more enticing.

The Lakers, however, will not be the only franchise making a move for Davis as the Boston Celtics are expected to be major players for the power forward along with the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets.