Pelicans Welcome Lakers Offer With Young Forward, Anthony Davis Trade Gathers Pace

The New Orleans Pelicans have admitted defeat in their pursuit of convincing Anthony Davis to commit his long-term future to the franchise and are now looking at trade packages for the power forward. The Los Angeles Lakers, who were outsiders in the race for Davis, are said to be back in it with the Pelicans now ready to listen to their offer.

The Lakers made multiple offers to the Pelicans when Davis expressed his desire to leave the team earlier in the year. But all their offers, which included one with five players and draft picks were turned down by then-general manager Dell Demps.

Demps has since been fired from his post and David Griffin has taken over as the new executive vice-president and is likely to oversee Davis’ trade. The Pelicans are said to be now ready to consider every proposal on the table and will approve the one that suits the team the best going into a new era.

According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, the Pelicans will now consider the Lakers’ offer, especially if they still include Brandon Ingram as part of the package. The 21-year-old small forward is said to have a number of admirers within the New Orleans organization while also holding the entire trade package offered in February in high regard.

“I spoke to several people within the Pelicans’ organization in the past several months that have a really high opinion of Brandon Ingram, and beyond just Brandon Ingram, have a really high opinion of the trade package that was on the table that was ultimately rejected,” McMenamin said on “The Sedano Show”, as transcribed by The New York Post.

Pelicans beat writer Andrew Lopez recently revealed that the Pelicans have begun considering offers for Davis as they are keen to have a deal in place before they exercise their No.1 pick at the 2019 NBA Draft. They are also keen to acquire further draft picks via the trade package and intend to use it on draft night.

Apart from the Lakers, the Boston Celtics have been identified as one of the frontrunners, while the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets have also been identified as potential destinations for Davis, who will not have a say in the final decision.