At just 24 years old, New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis has established himself as one of the most dominant forces in today’s NBA. Davis has continued to make strides at an All-Time level since his rookie year, but the Pelicans’ lack of playoff success has raised plenty of questions regarding his future.
With the Pelicans qualifying for the postseason just once since drafting Davis, there have been rumors of a potential split for a while now, a bit of an oddity considering the Kentucky product’s generational talent. However, Davis said he isn’t going anywhere before 2021, the year his current 5 year, $127M deal expires. Following from The Advocate’s Scott Kushner:
Anthony Davis: “I’m here until 2021 and then I’ll make a decision from there. I don’t plan on leaving in the next couple of years or anything like that. I’ve always said I wanted to be here and that’s still true.”
— Scott Kushner (@ScottDKushner) February 22, 2018
Of course, Anthony Davis would have no control over this situation if he was traded and unsurprisingly, there have been plenty of suitors. However, knowing the immense potential Davis carries, trading him wouldn’t seem logical, especially with fellow elite big man DeMarcus Cousins slated to hit free agency this summer.
Davis provides New Orleans with stability and a foundational piece going forward, so dealing him would almost leave the team without an identity. Without Cousins for the remainder of the season and perhaps the future, Davis will have to shoulder huge amounts of responsibility, something he may have already grown tired of prior to Boogie’s arrival.
One of the biggest knocks against New Orleans has been their inability to attract big-name free agents to pair with Davis. Now that they finally found him a compliment in Cousins, letting him walk this summer could irreparably fracture the relationship between Davis and the Pelicans, making it a situation worth monitoring.
