NBA Rumors: Anthony Davis Sweepstakes Not Entirely Over

After offering everything they had to the New Orleans Pelicans, it seems that the Los Angeles Lakers have given up on Anthony Davis--for now. Talks hit a big stumbling block recently, but it does not entirely mean that the Lakers have given up on “The Brow.”

As mentioned in a previous post, the Lakers had offered almost their entire young core plus a couple of picks. The overwhelming offer included Kyle Kuzma, Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, Michael Beasley, and two first-round picks. Aside from Davis, the Lakers were also willing to give the Pelicans some salary cap relief by taking in Solomon Hill’s $12.7 million contract.

But it seems that these were not enough to convince Dell Demps to agree as he apparently had wanted more. Branding it outrageous, the Lakers have reportedly pulled out of any more conversations. Though it was not mentioned publicly, NBC Sports reported that New Orleans had wanted the Lakers’ best young core and additional draft picks from the last offer made.

Hence, all eyes will now be on the Pelicans and what they plan to do next. The Boston Celtics have expressed interest, but Davis is reportedly interested in a short-term deal. The only teams that the 25-year-old is interested in signing long-term with are the Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks. As of writing, none of the teams has made a formal offer.

That could all change in the coming days with the NBA trade deadline set on Feb. 7. There is also the possibility that Davis will have to play out this NBA season as a Pelican and wait for the summer to see where he ends up.

The only thing sure is that Davis reportedly has no plans to play for the Pelicans beyond this season. For the Lakers, they have no plans to get into a bidding war with the Celtics who have plenty of draft picks to offer.

All Los Angeles can do right now is wait and see. If not in the coming days, they may have to wait until the NBA offseason to see if the Pelicans are ready to deal out Davis.

“I’ve had teammates every year be a part of trade deadline discussions and things of that nature and we’ve always figured out to just shield that away and play the game. So, if guys happen to get traded, we know that’s the business side of things,” LeBron James said.