Anthony Davis plans on playing again for the New Orleans Pelicans before the February 7th trade deadline.
Davis' teammates and coaches can tell he is trying to balance how much he should still be part of the Pelicans team versus detaching himself amid trade rumors.
Davis took his teammates out to dinner in Houston this week after his trade demand went public.
The Pelicans already have removed Davis from their social media pages and their introduction video.
The Boston Celtics have told the New Orleans Pelicans to hold off on trading Anthony Davis before the trade deadline as they believe they have the best trade package to offer.
The Celtics want to keep Jayson Tatum in any potential deal for Davis, but could offer Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward, Marcus Smart, and a bevy of first-round picks at their disposal, including a future Memphis first-round pick that becomes unprotected in 2021.
Davis did not have the Celtics on his initial list of desired destinations because his camp do not believe that them re-signing Kyrie Irving is a lock.
Davis' position is that he will sign with the Lakers in 2020 and a trade to any other team will be a 1-year rental.
The Celtics believe that Irving would re-sign if they traded for Davis, and that Davis would not walk out on a core of him, Irving, and Tatum when he becomes a free agent in 2020.
As the February 7th trade deadline approaches, Anthony Davis' stated intention is that he will sign with the Lakers in 2020 as a free agent and a trade to any other team will be a one-year rental for the superstar.
Teams interested in trading for Davis want to see if his stance softens once the February 7th trade deadline passes.
Pelicans general manager Dell Demps has yet to return Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka's phone calls to discuss a trade for Anthony Davis, although Demps is responding to other general managers.
The Pelicans are ready to play a long-term game with Davis, including keeping him through next season to force the Lakers to play another year without Davis.
The New Orleans Pelicans reportedly have "no interest in acquiescing Anthony Davis to the Lakers right now," according to Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Pelicans are said to be in no rush to move Davis before the trade deadline, with general manager Dell Demps avoiding trade offers.
Alvin Gentry stated that he did not know whether Davis would play for the team in the future.
The New Orleans Pelicans have already removed Anthony Davis from their Twitter page, Facebook page, and team introduction video.
Highlights of Davis, along with Davis' image, were replaced as the Pelicans unveiled a new introduction video before their Wednesday game against the Nuggets.
Jrue Holiday replaced Davis as the main picture on the Pelicans' Twitter page.
Alvin Gentry was unsure if Davis would suit up for the Pelicans again following his trade demand.
“That’s a hard thing to answer...I assume that he will. That’s something that’ll have to be discussed about what’s best for him and best for our team,” said Gentry.
New Orleans Pelicans GM Dell Demps is ignoring phone calls as teams attempt to negotiate trade offers for Anthony Davis.
ESPN's Dave McNenamim writes that Demps is “not picking up his phone" according to a source near the situation.
The Pelicans are reportedly in no rush to trade Davis before the February 7th deadline.
The New Orleans Pelicans have made Nikola Mirotic, Julius Randle, and E’Twaun Moore available following Anthony Davis' trade demand.
The Pelicans are looking for draft picks in return, according to Zach Lowe.
Mirotic is a free agent this summer, Randle has a player option, and Moore is signed through the 2020 season.
Jrue Holiday stated that Anthony Davis played a big factor in why he resigned with the New Orleans Pelicans in 2017.
“He’s like 90 percent of the reason that I stayed. He’s a talent that comes once in a generation. A 7-footer who can do everything at his skill level," stated Holiday.
Holiday ended up signing a 5-year, $131.8 million deal that summer.
Holiday also said that he has no hard feelings for Davis following his trade request.
“He had to what he had to do for his family and what’s best for his career. Anthony has always been professional with us and even more so, he’s been a friend and like a brother. Whatever his decision he makes, I can’t be upset with him. I know it’s a business and he’s doing what’s best for him," said Holiday.
Anthony Davis has been fined $50,000 by the NBA after his agent Rich Paul publicly demanded a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans.
The league's collective bargaining agreement prevents players or their agents from publicly demanding trades.
Paul told Adrian Wojnarowski on Monday that Davis "wants to be traded to a team that allows him a chance to win consistently and compete for a championship."
The NBA said that Paul's comments were "an intentional effort to undermine the contractual relationship between Davis and the Pelicans."
Host Danny Leroux (@DannyLeroux) and Ben Golliver of the Washington Post (@BenGolliver) catch up on a big stretch of news, including the Anthony Davis trade request.
The two discuss potential Davis suitors, the Pelicans’ challenging decision, Memphis possibly trading Conley and Gasol and his ideas for fixing the three-point contest.
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