Although the New Orleans Pelicans deciding against dealing Anthony Davis by the 2018-19 NBA trade deadline, the saga hardly came to an end. All indications were Davis still sought to be traded before becoming a free agent.
However, New Orleans was emboldened by the hiring of David Griffin as executive vice president of basketball operations and securing the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. With his proven track record and likely selection of Zion Williamson ahead, Griffin hoped to sway Davis into remaining with the team.
Griffin recently met with Davis to discuss a potential future together, though the attempt appears to have proven futile. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers remain among the interested teams in completing a trade for Davis.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Griffin has begun providing teams with a sense of what it will require in order to trade for Davis:
New Orleans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin has started to provide potential suitors with the framework of the package that he is seeking in a trade for All-NBA forward Anthony Davis, including multi-team scenarios that would expand the Pelicans’ pool of assets in a deal, league sources told ESPN.
With the potential of multiple teams being involved, Griffin reportedly is seeking All-Star talent and multiple draft picks:
Griffin is pursuing a combination of assets that include an All-Star player, a young player with All-Star potential and two first-round picks, league sources said. Those wants are on a sliding scale. For example, the better the player, the softer the asks on the draft picks — and vice versa.
The Lakers, who hold the No. 4 pick in this year’s Draft, are considered by many to be in a position to present the Pelicans with a competitive offer. In addition to the draft pick, L.A. can put a package together that includes a combination of Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Brandon Ingram, and Kyle Kuzma.
They reportedly were among the players the Lakers were willing to part with as they are believed to have essentially pushed all their chips into the center of the table at the trade deadline. Though, one hurdle — which presumably would require a third team — is the Lakers don’t have a bonafide All-Star to trade to New Orleans.
Another obstacle could also be the Pelicans’ willingness, or lack thereof, to trade with the Lakers. There have been conflicting reports on that likelihood since Davis’ agent, Rich Paul, first made it clear his client sought a trade.