Anthony Davis hears the rumors about his potential departure from the Pelicans. Boston keeps coming up as a destination for Davis should things not work out in New Orleans, but the big man isn’t giving much thought to the noise, as William Guillory of The Times-Picayune relays.
“I understand it’s a business, but if I don’t hear anything from [GM Dell Demps] or my agent, I don’t pay attention to it,” said Davis. “Once I first heard [the rumors], then I heard it again, then I heard it again, I just wanted to make sure. I found out it wasn’t [true], and that was the beginning of the summer, so I haven’t paid attention to it since.”
Davis reiterated that he wants to remain in New Orleans. “I am happy here as a Pelican,” he said. “I am happy here.”
Demps spoke with Davis earlier in the offseason and assured the big man that he isn’t going anywhere. The 24-year-old has spent his entire five-year career in the Big Easy but was only able to make a trip to the playoffs one time. He sees that changing soon despite several analysts projecting the Pelicans to end up in the lottery.
“I don’t really care what anybody says. We know what we’re doing,” Davis said. “Especially having an entire training camp with me, DeMarcus and [Jrue Holiday] and [Rajon Rondo]…We feel like we have a shot against anybody, that’s our mindset coming in. We’re not worrying about all the white noise and what other people are saying.”
Davis added that simply making the playoffs is not the lone goal.
“We definitely believe we have enough pieces on paper to make the playoffs,” he said. “Not just make it, but actually, make a run in the playoffs.”
It’s really hard to piece together a trade both sides say yes to.
To Boston:
Anthony Davis
To NO:
Tatum
Crowder
Morris
Smart/Brown
The math works… Boston takes a huge hit in depth but do you care if it means IT, Hayward, Brown/smart, Davis and Horford as a starting 5?
Pelicans hate to lose AD obviously but Holiday, Cousins, Rondo, Tatum, Crowder, Morris, Brown… That’s the makings of a darn good core.
I think Boston tries to get them to take Smart over Brown, and then tries to switch out one of the other 3 for Baynes and one of the young cheap guys when they are eligible to be traded. Maybe a deadline deal? But when they switch that guy out they would throw in two of their own firsts unprotected in ’18 and ’21 and a the right to swap that becomes a second rounder if they decline to do so in ’20. Along with a One of the top picks if it’s Tatum instead, but that seems good enough to save Brown and Crowder or Morris.
PELICANS ARE NOT TRADING DAVIS FOR ANYONE, END OF DISCUSSION!
That doesn’t mean we can’t discuss what it would take to happen. It’s the same as how people who follow the MLB love to speculate what a Mike Trout package would look like, and also, Gretzky was traded. If PHR existed when that happened every oilers fan on earth would go on and say exactly what you said. Everybody is available at a certain price.
He said he wants to stay like cousins is