New York—The New Orleans Pelicans confirmed Monday that forward Anthony Davis has asked to be traded, but say they won’t be “dictated to” when it comes to letting their star go.
Davis, a five-time All-Star and member of the 2012 London Olympic gold medal squad, won’t sign a contract extension and wants to be traded to an NBA contender before the league’s February 7 transfer deadline.
Two teams expected to be interested in Davis are the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, whose superstar LeBron James is also represented by agent Rich Paul.
“This past weekend, Anthony Davis’ representatives informed us that Anthony does not wish to sign a contract extension with our team and subsequently has requested a trade,” the Pelicans said in a statement.
“Although we are disappointed in this decision, our organization’s top priority is to bring an NBA championship to our city and fans and build our team for long-term success.
“Relative to specific talks of a trade, we will do this on our terms and our timeline. One that makes the most sense for our team and it will not be dictated by those outside of our organization.”
The 25-year-old Davis, the top pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, shares second in the NBA with 29.3 points a game and third in the league with 13.3 rebounds per contest. He also has 4.4 assists, 2.6 blocked shots and 1.7 steals a game this season for New Orleans.
At 22-28 with seven losses in their past eight games, the Pelicans are 13th of 15 clubs in the Western Conference, six games behind the Los Angeles Clippers for the eighth and final playoff berth.
Davis, out since January 19 with a sprained left index finger but due back this week, could become a free agent in 2020 and sign a five-year contract extension worth $240 million after this season.
The New York Times reported that Paul has not given the Pelicans any preference as to which team he wants to join. Paul said the decision was made “to let them know by the deadline so they could do what’s best for the organization going forward.”
The Pelicans have missed the playoffs in four of six seasons since drafting Davis, but swept Portland in the first round of last season’s playoffs for their first postseason series triumph since 2008. New Orleans fell in the second round to eventual champion Golden State.
While the Pelicans now appear open to the idea of trading Davis, rather than risk losing him for nothing as a free agent, the team said it doesn’t want the process to become a free for all.
“We have also requested the League to strictly enforce the tampering rules associated with this transaction,” the Pelicans said, a reference to NBA rules prohibiting teams from trying to lure players who are under contract.
Meanwhile, James is ramping up his training activity but no date has been set for his return to NBA action after a Christmas Day groin injury, Los Angeles Lakers coach Luke Walton said Monday.
Walton told reporters that James took part in three-minute, full-court scrimmages with the team—the closest he has come to playing under game-type conditions.
“We’ll see how his body responds to that, and from there we’ll take it as far as making those scrimmages longer, or if he says, ‘Hey I feel great, I’ll see if I can play,’ then we’ll make those adjustments,” Walton said.
The coach said he was preparing his team for a Tuesday game against the Philadelphia 76ers as if James won’t be available.
The Lakers face the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday in a cross-town clash before a Saturday showdown with the NBA champion Golden State Warriors.
James has missed 16 games since he was hurt in the holiday victory over the Warriors, having never missed more than 13 games in any of his 15 prior seasons.
“He’s not driving the lane and tomahawk dunking on people right now,” Walton said. “But he’s moving well and he’s getting into the paint and shooting jumpers."