NBA Rumors: Davis Wants LA Or Knicks; Durant, Irving Team-Up Chances Increase

With both the Lakers and Knicks highly capable of acquiring superstars, chances of Anthony Davis teaming up with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving or Kawhi Leonard have become clearer.

As the number of teams interested in Davis narrows down, the Pelicans star sees himself with either the Lakers or Knicks. Given that Davis has set the two teams as top priorities, the possibility of the Pelicans star landing where Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving or Kawhi Leonard will sign appears to have increased.

According to The Bleacher Report, league sources said that with Davis about to become a free agent and the existence of player option in 2020-21 season in his contract, the Pelicans will surely secure a trade deal that will benefit them well should Davis really opt out. In simpler terms, Pelicans will ensure that they will get a good package in return if they are about to lose a big fish.

Recent reports have claimed that NOLA has let the teams interested in Davis know what they want in return. Sources claimed that Pelicans executive vice president for basketball operation David Griffin is demanding two first-round picks, young players with good potential and some All-Stars in exchange for Davis, Yahoo Sports reported.

But now that Davis himself trimmed down the list of teams he would want to sign with to just the Lakers and the Knicks, the chances of a powerhouse team-up with Durant, Irving or Kawhi have become more feasible as those two teams have the capacity to meet the demands of the Pelicans, CBS Sports noted.

There are extremely valid reasons that could support the possibility of Davis teaming up with either of the three upcoming top free agents as Lakers or Knicks.

First off, the Lakers have the no. 4 spot in the 2019 Draft pick order, which means their draft can serve as a good bargaining chip, along with the apparent interest of NOLA in Brandon Ingram. Also, LeBron James has been reportedly recruiting stars, including Kawhi, to play for LA and the franchise has enough cap space to sign a max free agent this offseason.

The Knicks, meanwhile, are holding on to a good no. 3 spot in the draft, which they can leverage a deal out of. Plus, sources also claimed that Griffin has been looking for multi-team deals for Davis, and if Knicks will be able to pull off a good deal from their pick, there’s a good chance the Pelicans will consider their offer.