The Los Angeles Lakers and the New Orleans Pelicans are now talking although seeing an Anthony Davis move to Hollywood will take time. The Pelicans are in no hurry to deal the 25-year-old all-star center, meaning negotiations may take a while.
After making it known that he wants out of New Orleans, Davis immediately got linked to the Los Angeles Lakers. One reason behind this is because "The Brow" is handled by the same agent of LeBron James, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports.
According to a report from ESPN, both the Lakers and the Pelican connected by phone although it was not substantive. The NBA trade deadline is on Feb. 7 so it will be interesting if both teams can come up with an amicable trade to seal the deal.
If no deal materializes, Davis season will become a bit awkward playing for a team that he no longer intends to sign with after the 2018-19 NBA season. It could also be bad news for the Lakers if a deal is not made now since it buys other teams time to tinker and make the necessary room for the top overall pick of the 2012 NBA Draft.
There are other teams interested such as the Boston Celtics. But according to the same ESPN report, it seems that Davis will only agree to sign with any team but on a one-year deal. This excludes the Lakers - easily indicating that he wants to bring his act to Hollywood.
However, that potential move has not been spared from the backlash. Charles Barkley, the NBA legend and TV analyst who has been known to lash out at controversies, believes that NBA commissioner Adam Silver should step in and prevent Davis from landing in Laker land, Yahoo Sports reported.
It calls to mind the case of Chris Paul back in 2011. He was traded by the New Orleans Hornets to the Lakers at the time but the whole deal was voided. The NBA had control of the franchise back then and CP3 eventually ended up with the Los Angeles Clippers.
The case is different now since the NBA has no hold on what the Pelicans decide. The best they can do is look into tampering or other violations close to the Davis issue. If nothing is found, there is no stopping Davis from joining the Lakers.
From there, other pieces could follow in the summer. Kyrie Irving has been linked to reuniting with James while Klay Thompson could bolt the Golden State Warriors and follow the footsteps of his dad, Mychal Thompson in Hollywood. The NBA offseason should be interesting to watch out for.
