Celtics GM Explains Anthony Davis Trade Offers, Pelicans Will Play Forward

The NBA trade deadline passed Thursday and Anthony Davis remains with the New Orleans Pelicans. The team decided not to act on the Los Angeles Lakers’ offer for the power forward after he had requested a trade via his agent at the end of January.

The Lakers made multiple offers to the Pelicans in order to bring Davis to the Staples Center but they all fell on deaf ears. They even offered five players and draft picks, in a desperate bid to get the trade over the line, but the New Orleans franchise simply ignored it and decided to push Davis’ eventual departure to the summer.

While the Lakers would not be happy about it, the Boston Celtics were likely the biggest winners despite not being able to trade for the player this month. They are long-time admirers of Davis and are very keen to sign him but could not make a move owing to already having a player – Kyrie Irving – on a designated contract.

The Celtics were hoping and had reportedly implored the Pelicans to hold off until the summer with the promise of an explosive offer. They do have the best assets in the league in terms of talent and draft picks to make a trade.

Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe had reported about discussions between the Celtics and Pelicans, in which the latter was informed no players would be off the table when the time comes to discuss packages. But Danny Ainge, the Celtics general manager, reportedly confirmed there was no specific offer promised to the Pelicans yet, according to NBA expert Chris Mannix.

Meanwhile, Davis was sidelined with a fractured finger for almost two weeks, but despite returning to fitness this week, he was held back due to his trade request. It was initially planned the Pelicans would shut him out for the remainder of the season but have changed their mind and will now allow him to return to court and complete the campaign.

Pelicans' general manager Dell Demps revealed a number of “factors contributed” to their sudden change of heart and one of them was Davis’ insistence he wanted to play for the Pelicans until the end of the season, which was certain to help them win more games.

“Anthony Davis will play the remainder of the 2018-19 season for the New Orleans Pelicans. A number of factors contributed to this decision. Ultimately, Anthony made it clear to us that he wants to play and he gives our team the best opportunity to win games,” Demps said via a statement on the team’s official site.

“Moreover, the Pelicans want to preserve the integrity of the game and align our organization with NBA policies. We believe Anthony playing upholds the values that are in the best interest of the NBA and its fans. We look forward to seeing Anthony in a Pelicans uniform again soon.”