Anthony Davis is unanimously the best big man in the NBA, and arguably a top-five player overall in the league today. Despite this, his name has frequently arisen in trade talks over the past couple seasons due to the New Orleans Pelicans’ inability to rise into the upper echelon of teams in the Western Conference.
Head coach Alvin Gentry isn’t having any of this trade talk nonsense, according to Andrew Lopez of The Times-Picayune:
“If you don’t want to call him the best player, I call him the most valuable,” Gentry told reporters after Monday’s practice. “If you can trade him for anybody, then he is the most valuable guy in the league. Not that we would ever consider that. … There’s no one in the league that we would trade him for and there’s no one out of the league — not even Beyonce. If we wouldn’t trade him for her, he’s probably untouchable.”
Anthony Davis is once again primed for an MVP-caliber season and will be tasked with leading the Pelicans back to the postseason without the services of DeMarcus Cousins, who signed with the Golden State Warriors this offseason.
The All-Star averaged 28.1 points and 11.1 rebounds over 75 games with New Orleans last season. Davis’ current contract locks him in with the Pelicans through 2019-20, with a $28.7 million player option for the 2020-21 campaign.
