When David Griffin became the New Orleans Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations, he made it clear that his initial goal was to try and keep Anthony Davis.
However, when it was clear Davis still wanted out, Griffin got the Pelicans the best deal possible — and that ended up being a huge offer from the Los Angeles Lakers.
Normally, in any situation similar to this one, the trade would be the end of the saga as everyone got exactly what they wanted. The Lakers got a generational talent that will help the Lakers win a championship. The Pelicans got a host of talented young players and future draft picks that will begin an easy rebuilding process.
However, Griffin felt that it wasn’t quite this simple and sent a veiled shot Davis’ way when talking about big markets, according to ESPN:
“Not everyone’s made to be a part of this, and that’s OK. We’re comfortable with that,” Griffin said. “If sex appeal is your thing and you need a big market, OK. See you later. If doing something meaningful for people who care about supporting their teams every day is important, this is something you’re going to want to be a part of.”
Normally a comment like this would send shockwaves around the league. A team executive sending a direct message to a former player they’ve recently traded is the exact kind of drama the fans love. However, Davis wanted none of it and when he was asked to comment about it at the 2019 Lakers Media Day, he gave an ideal answer:
“That’s fine. I don’t care,” Davis said Friday in an appearance on ESPN’s The Jump during Lakers media day. “I mean like, the past is the past, you know? I didn’t hear that. But look, I love the city of New Orleans. I’ve been there seven years, gave my all — six and a half — gave my all. And it was fun times, you know. It was fun times.”
Davis has always been a mature person on top of an incredible player, and this just proves that even further. Instead of responding to Griffin, Davis decided to take the high road and instead focus on the team he currently plays for.
If Griffin and the Pelicans choose to live in the past, that’s on them to do so, but it seems like it won’t get the better of Davis. Davis will be with the Lakers and focused on winning a championship during the 2019-20 NBA season.