Per a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the New Orleans Pelicans and their Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin have begun the process of providing potential trade suitors for their disgruntled All-NBA forward Anthony Davis. Negotiations have now begun to include a multiteam deal that would expand New Orleans’ potential array of trade assets.
As it stands, Los Angeles and New York teams — the Clippers, Lakers, Knicks, and Nets, are the prominent and most inquiring front offices most applicable to sign the 6-time All-Star, per league sources. The Boston Celtics remain along the top of Davis’ desired free agent destinations and although Celtics have some venerable pieces to move, the looming decision of Kyrie Irving’s future with the team may ultimately decide what the Celtics want to do if they are to consider a trade.
Toronto has also suddenly emerged as a threat to sign Davis. With the franchise’s recent success in making their first NBA Finals under the tutelage of first-year head coach Nick Nurse and the experienced guise of two-way superstar Kawhi Leonard in just a year, the small-market feel to the city of Toronto can be seen as a familiar feature to Davis.
According to front offices who’ve engaged in conversations with Griffin, a one-team trade is not likely to fulfill his wishes for the impending Davis negotiation. Therefore, Griffin has been working to find multiteam trade scenarios that could benefit all sides with some significant assets of preferable players or picks.
For instance, scenarios could involve the Lakers to find a team that would value its younger pieces more than New Orleans does. Another scenario could include the Knicks flipping their two future first-round picks from the Dallas Mavericks into players the Pelicans can build with and around. The goal for New Orleans is to clearly maximize the return on Davis’ imminent departure, and by the looks of it, the organization is willing to be creative in the idea to creatively construct a championship roster in the distant future.
Griffin is unwavering but lenient on the path to dealing AD, not providing a strict timetable to teams on a complete deal. He has, however, indicated that he wants the acquisitions of all 2019 draft picks to be completed days prior to to the draft on June 20. This gives Griffin and the Pelicans time to examine and analyze all draft prospects slotted in the vicinity of picks possibly traded to New Orleans.
Both the Knicks and Lakers, two teams belonging to the major media markets of LA and New York, have the 3rd and 4th picks in this year’s draft. Positional numbers that are up for consideration for Griffin and his executive team.
Griffin’s plan is to replace Davis with an All-Star caliber player, a young player with superstar potential and two first-round picks. Granted, those wants are not paramount and confirmed. For example, the better the player, the softer the requests on the draft picks — and vice versa. The Pelicans are hoping to rebound quickly in the aftermath of setting Davis loose, who will more than likely leave as a free agent this July.
In what will be a building around of projected No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson and star point guard Jrue Holiday, the Pelicans are prepared for whatever picks or trades need to happen that will provide for extra help for the team’s core.
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