After months of speculation New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis has finally requested to be traded to another team. At the time of writing the Pelicans currently have a 23-29 record and sit in 13th in the NBA’s Western Conference- a disappointing position to be in when you have a top 5 player amongst your ranks.
AD has every right to request a trade, he’s a once in a generation talent the likes of which the NBA hasn’t seen at his size in a number of years. In a guard dominated league Davis is averaging close to 30 points over 13 rebounds and 4 assists playing at the Centre position, despite being drafted as a power forward. Davis is arguably the best big man since Shaquille O’Neal, one of the most dominant players of all time, but the scary thing is that he has no weakness. Surprisingly, Davis appears to play better in his non-natural position at centre. While most centres are sluggish and very few have a consistent jump-shot, Davis is quicker and more athletic than anyone playing at the 5 making him the ultimate offensive threat. He can beat you on his own and the Pels current record is more a reflection of the lack of talent around him than his own lack of ability or leadership.
A trade for the Brow has everyone in the league scared. The current frontrunners are the Boston Celtics and Lebron’s LA Lakers. In theory Boston could produce the better deal for Davis, having a wealth of young talent such as Jason Taytum and Jaylen Brown alongside draft picks which could be used in a deal for Davis. The Lakers on the other hand would most likely have to give up on all their young players that they drafted, including Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Ivica Zubac and picks. However, despite the Celtics in theory being able to produce the better offer they’ll have to wait until summer as a contract rule means that they’d have to trade away star player Kyrie Irving. Then there’s the fact that AD’s agent Rich Paul is also the agent and close friend of LeBron which makes a Lakers move even more enticing. If either team trades for Davis they become an immediate threat to the Golden State Warriors hegemonic domination of the league. However, a deal with Boston makes more sense for the Pels.
Either way, Davis’s trade request could change the narrative of the NBA for years to come. It could manage to disrupt the Warriors dynasty, making Davis an MVP, a champion and an all-time-great in the process.
