The Buzz on Anthony Davis

In 2012, the New Orleans Pelicans selected forward Anthony Davis with the first pick of that year’s NBA draft. Since then, Davis has had an outstanding career, earning three All-NBA First Team selections and being named to five consecutive All Star games. Anthony Davis has decided it is time for him to move on from New Orleans, as his agent Rich Paul informed the Pelicans that Davis has no intentions of signing a contract extension with the Pelicans.

Although fans and analysts alike recognize Davis as one of the best players in the league, the Pelicans have struggled in recent years, only making the playoffs twice in Davis’ first six seasons in the NBA. The Pelicans have tried to bring in talent like former All Stars DeMarcus Cousins and Jrue Holiday alongside Davis in an attempt to become title contenders, but have not found much success.

Davis has played in 13 playoff games throughout his entire career. Last season, Davis made it past the second round for the first time in his career and the Pelicans swept the Portland Trail Blazers before losing to the Warriors in five games. Davis averages 30.5 points per game, 12.7 rebounds per game and 2.6 blocks per game in the playoffs.  

Some believe that Davis will end up being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Lakers superstar forward LeBron James has expressed interest in Davis several times, leading fans to speculate the Lakers will attempt to acquire Davis in a trade. Now that Davis has requested a trade, it seems very likely the Lakers will pursue him.

Some fans also believe Davis could be traded to the Boston Celtics, but this is not allowed due to the NBA’s Rose Rule, named after guard Derrick Rose, which allows players coming off of their rookie contracts who performed exceptionally well to sign a larger contract. NBA teams cannot have two players with these contracts on their roster. Davis is signed to a Rose Rule extension, as is Celtics All Star guard Kyrie Irving. Unless the Celtics trades Irving, the Celtics cannot trade for Davis.

Other teams are looking to acquire Davis from the Pelicans, but the Pelicans may take their time finding a deal. They have until the 2019 Trade Deadline, Feb. 7, to find a deal for Davis.