NBA Trade Rumors: Anthony Davis On Radar Of Several Teams Despite New Orleans Pelicans' Fast Start

The New Orleans Pelicans won’t consider dealing Anthony Davis anytime soon. That hasn’t stopped NBA teams from thinking about what trade offers they might be able to put together for the league’s best big man.

According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, teams around the league are already looking beyond the 2018-2019 season and heavily focused on next year’s offseason. That means targeting potential free agents and trade targets. Davis is at the top of the list.

Davis isn’t going anywhere before February’s trade deadline. New Orleans is one of five remaining undefeated teams, and the former No.1 overall pick is expected to be in the MVP conversation all season long. He has two years left on his contract with a player option in 2020. The Pelicans can offer Davis an extension in the summer worth close to $230 million.

There is plenty of speculation that Davis could leave New Orleans for a bigger market. If he decides not to sign the Pelicans’ supermax offer next year, you can bet teams will be lining up to trade for the superstar. At that point, the Pelicans might feel they have to accept the best offer, unwilling to risk losing Davis for nothing as a free agent before the 2020-2021 season.

A potential trade for Davis is months away from being a possibility, but most of the league realizes nothing they can do this year will put them any closer toward competing for the 2019 NBA Finals. With Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green still on the same roster, the Golden State Warriors remain overwhelming favorites to win another championship.

That might not be the case next season when both Durant and Thompson are eligible to become free agents. Durant appears more likely to sign with another team, and there are questions about Green’s future with Golden State since he’ll be eligible for an extension in 2019 before he can become a free agent in 2020.

Davis’ commitment to New Orleans might depend on how the team performs this season. They are off to a fast start with a 3-0 record. Davis is putting up monster numbers, averaging 30.3 points, 13.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 3.3 blocks and 2.0 steals per game. He was an All-NBA First Team selection for the second straight year last season and finished third in MVP voting behind LeBron James and James Harden.

New Orleans swept the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of last year’s playoffs as the No.6 seed in the West. The Pelicans’ 48 wins were the most they’ve recorded since drafting Davis in 2012.

It might not be long before Davis is considered to be the NBA’s best player. New Orleans will do whatever it takes to make sure he remains with the team for years to come.

We’ve seen multiple stars force their way out of town in recent years when they were a season away from free agency. The Indiana Pacers traded Paul George to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the summer of 2017. The San Antonio Spurs sent Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors this past summer after he made it clear he didn’t want to remain with the team, even though they had the option of offering him the supermax.

The Minnesota Timberwolves haven’t traded Jimmy Butler yet, despite the fact that the All-Star has made it clear he plans to leave as a free agent next season.