Anthony Davis has been at the center of controversies since that night that he went to dinner with LeBron James. During the All-Star news conference, the Pelicans forward cleared the air and shed some light about these controversies. Davis also refuted the claims that Boston wasn't on his list of preferred trade destinations.
ESPN reported that Davis appeared before reporters during the All-Star Game media day conference last Saturday in Charlotte, North Carolina. Davis not only accommodated the reporters warmly but the All-Star forward also gamely answered most of the reporters' inquiries and appeared to not be holding back with his replies.
The 6-time All-Star has a reputation of being one of the nicest guys off the basketball court but what surprised the members of the media was the way he opened up during the interview session. "I'm just keeping it real, to be honest," Davis said.
Davis discussed a wide range of topics, including the Boston Celtics, his preferred teams if he was traded, and the reason why wanted to be traded from New Orleans. It took more than the allotted 10-minute time but Davis again surprised the media by continuing the interview. "I just stated how I feel, I stated my intentions, and we'll go from there," Davis said.
During the interview, Davis revealed that he is willing to play for the Boston Celtics. Recent reports suggest that the Celtics has the highest chance for landing Davis since Boston has the assets that the New Orleans Pelicans covet.
The Pelicans are targeting a couple of young stars and a number of draft picks. It also doesn't hurt that the Celtics seemingly has the Pelicans front office ears with regards to this deal.
The only problem was the timing. The Celtics couldn't trade for Davis because the Celtics had just acquired Kyrie Irving. The NBA league rules technicalities. But one thing is clear: Davis is open to playing with the Boston Celtics should the time come.
A pairing of Davis-Irving should be an immediate upgrade for the Boston Celtics. The Celtics is currently sitting at the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference despite having one of the deepest rosters in the league.
But then, the New Orleans Pelicans threw another potential threat to a Davis-Celtics union. Dell Demps has been relieved of his duties as general manager. Demps was replaced by Danny Ferry who is expected to handle the Davis trade talks personally.
This could potentially mean that the Pelicans would listen to other NBA teams' offer before deciding where to send Davis. That means that the Lakers and all the other 28 NBA teams still have a shot at landing Davis.
But then again, it seems that getting out of New Orleans is the current priority for Davis. There is still the question of whether he would re-sign with the club that he would be traded.
It would be a long summer for Anthony Davis. And while he cleared the air and declared his intentions, there are some things that are out of his hands. One thing is for sure, though, whoever wins the Anthony-Davis-Sweepstakes would acquire one of the most versatile player on the planet; a top-5 NBA player who could potentially turn a franchise around; an MVP-caliber player who wants to win.
