The Anthony Davis trade request has been one of the most talked about stories during the 2018-19 NBA season, even though it only officially came earlier this week.
The Los Angeles Lakers had always been tied to Davis simply due to the agency connection between Davis and LeBron James.
However, the connection is a lot more real now. There have already been reports that Davis intends to let teams know the Lakers are his preferred destination and things were taken a step further.
Davis has already begun telling teams of his intentions that should he not be traded to the Lakers, he’ll be signing with them in 2020 free agency, via Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe of ESPN:
Davis’ plan is to treat any trade destination as a one-year stop — except, of course, the Lakers. Teams are learning that Davis’ stated intention will be to play the season elsewhere if traded outside of the Lakers, but move to the Lakers as a free agent in 2020.
As comforting as this may be, this situation is starting to sound awfully familiar. Remember, it was just about two years ago when Paul George requested a trade from the Indiana Pacers. He also made it known the Lakers were his preferred destination and was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder only to re-sign with them.
And right now, refusing any Lakers offer seems to be the plan for the Pelicans. General manager Dell Demps isn’t even returning general manager Rob Pelinka’s calls.
Every day, it seems a little more likely Davis is traded somewhere else and the Lakers will be forced to play yet another waiting game for a free agent. Hopefully Davis’ comments will repel other teams from making a deal.
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