Pelicans Begin Listening to Davis Inquiries

Pelicans head of basketball operations David Griffin was probably hoping to hold onto the All-NBA big man Anthony Davis and have him continue to be the All-Star for the Pelicans going into next season. Now, it seems that the Pelicans have finally decided to think about trading him.

Shams Charania of The Athletic is reporting that Griffin has begun to listening to inquiries regarding Anthony Davis. However, that doesn't mean he will be moved this offseason, but now it seems that the Pelicans are more interested in hearing out potential suitors.

Davis and Griffin reportedly met for the first time this offseason in Los Angeles. The meeting was described as respectful and productive. However, Davis's preference to be traded has apparently not changed. So that means either the Pelicans keep trying to win over AD and hang onto him until the 2020 trade deadline or try to see what they get in the draft and perhaps get another valuable prospect  or maybe even more during the free agency period.

Davis has a list of preferred destinations and they include the obvious teams in the Lakers, Knicks, Clippers, and Bucks. It's actually stunning to me that he would think about joining Giannis in Milwaukee, but the other three are the no-brainer ones. Many executives around the time, as reported by Charania, believe that the Lakers and Knicks have the biggest capability of putting together strong packages to land Davis. The Lakers may still have the biggest strength to land him, and I believe they still may end up getting him eventually.

While the Pelicans now appear open to moving Anthony Davis, the same can not be said of Jrue Holiday. There's no indications within the Pelicans front office that they're willing to deal him. For New Orleans, he remains their lone "cornerstone" player, meaning he would become the leader of the team if Davis is moved. I really believe that the Pelicans wouldn't be competitive without him and Holiday is perhaps their best player when and if Davis gets moved.

As for Davis himself and the Pelicans, the recent reporting may lead me to believe that the Pelicans would like to deal Davis this offseason. He does not want to be there and they may be rebuilding at this point. He has to go somewhere where he can not only be an impact player, but also play with other superstars and have a chance to win a championship. If it's with the Lakers, then I'm all for it, because they have the most they can offer New Orleans, including Kyle Kuzma.

I really thought this trade would happen during the deadline, because I thought this trade not only would've make the Lakers competitive and put them in the playoffs this year, but it would have saved Magic Johnson's job and all the turmoil in the Lakers front office would not have happened. That being said, if the Lakers can land Davis and be willing to give up some important pieces, it would be a big thing for them and it would definitely make Davis happy and New Orleans probably would have a brighter future.

Now it seems the Pelicans are more than interested now in dealing Anthony Davis. They may ultimately not trade him, but now it seems that Davis is not swaying his position and David Griffin will try his best to land the best deal possible.