By now, Anthony Davis exiting from the New Orleans Pelicans seems a done-deal as far as the All-Star is concerned. Still, David Griffin, the team's executive vice president, is scrambling to avert what looks like the inevitable. Griffin is now in negotiation with Rich Paul, agent for AD, obviously to prod the latter's ward, make him change the player's mind.
There might be a chance as Griffin and Paul go way back, and their good history might prove the unseen force for Davis to stay in New Orleans. On the other hand, the discussion might end up futile as Davis appears firm on his exit plans, CBS Sports reported.
"It's highly unlikely Davis' stance changes on trade," the report quoted analyst Shams Charania as saying.
So while Griffin and Paul try to salvage a deal on Davis that would favor the Pelicans, it seems the question that matters now for AD is where next to go for Season 2019-20. A promising destination would be the New York Knicks, where Davis will surely flourish and where there is a chance for him to secure a max contract.
However, the teams that truly will have the pull on Davis are the NBA's winningest - the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. CBS said Boston is long-rumored a strong contender to lure Davis away from the Pelicans. If the two can agree on a deal, speculations are rife the Celtics will move heaven and earth to keep Kyrie Irving and offer up Jayson Tatum.
It is not hard to imagine that Davis working with Irving is a dream scenario for both superstars. They'll be inching closer on winning an NBA ring or two wearing the fabled Green jersey.
The Lakers though are in a better position to land Davis. The team has a lot to offer that both Davis and the Pelicans will find hard to resist. They can put Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram on the table to convince New Orleans that it is best to send Davis packing to LA. The deal would be mutually beneficial - for the Lakers to become a serious contender again after more than five seasons of frustration and for the Pelicans to attain championship caliber in the coming years.
It helps too that when he opts to suit up for the Lakers, Davis will be joining a club that is actively building up to become an NBA Superteam. Already, LeBron James, widely acknowledged as the best player in the league now, is part of the roster and likely bigger names will arrive.
Should Irving decide against staying in Boston, Davis will still get to play with him if the next route brings him to LA. Reportedly, Irving is now more open to playing with the Lakers despite the feud he had with James. There is a chance too that Kawhi Leonard will become a Laker and so is Kevin Durant though the latter is a moonshot. The bottom line for Davis, going for the Lakers is a big win for him.
