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The talks of Anthony Davis’ submission to the trading block by the New Orleans Pelicans have been going on for months, and it only continues to intensify.
Each game the Pelicans lose feels like it opens those gates wider and a new report or notable quote wanders in.
This time, it came from Davis himself.
“I never said money wasn’t important. Somebody asked me about money or your legacy. In that case, your legacy lasts forever. Your money comes and goes, but for me I want to build a legacy,” Davis said in a long Q&A with Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “In that case, if you have to choose between money or legacy, I think legacy wins every time, in my opinion.”
Does it suggest anything? Nothing that we probably didn’t already know. Davis has been well-respected for how he handles these often difficult situations in New Orleans without complaining or actively trying to force himself out like we’ve seen Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard, and Jimmy Butler do. He’s always been focused on winning above all else, and was fully committed to doing so with the team that drafted him.
Despite sweeping the Portland Trail Blazers in the playoffs last year, the Pelicans were put out rather easily by Golden State and are off to a solemn 20-23 start this season, leaving them 2.5 games out of the Western Conference playoffs. The unfortunate way of the NBA has left New Orleans in the league’s purgatory; being good in a league where only the elite win.
Pelicans general manager Dell Demps has firmly ignored even the possibility of having to let a player like Davis go, and who can blame him. However, for the first time in the years that this has been a topic, their parting of ways feels inevitable.
The latest of ESPN’s rumor hurls comes way from Ryen Russillo, who claims he has two sources who told him that Anthony Davis won’t be playing in New Orleans past this season.
Take it how you will, but all the signs are beginning to point to Davis being with a new team by next season.
Whether that happens next summer or at the end of his current deal, which expires in 2020, we will know better by this season’s end. Maybe the Pelicans can turn this around, but until then, enjoy Davis in New Orleans with Darius Miller and Julius Randle while it lasts.