Anthony Davis, the five time NBA All-Star since he was first drafted back in 2012, is rumored to be requesting for a trade deal and does not want to sign an extension to his contract. He no longer wishes to play for the New Orleans Pelicans, which is the team he has been loyally committed to for the entirety of his career. According to Cindy Boren and Des Bieler of The Washington Post, Rich Paul, Davis’ agent, had said to ESPN “…that his client wants to join ‘a team that allows him the chance to win consistently and compete for a championship.’” The NBA fined Davis a good $50,000 because he made his trade request public, which is a violation of the league rules.

Lebron James (left) of the Los Angeles Lakers defending Anthony Davis (right) of the New Orleans Pelicans. Photo Courtesy of Sports Illustrated. 

One of the top team prospects on his list is the Los Angeles Lakers, which superstar Lebron James recently joined this year. James has expressed his great approval, seeing that Davis will have a positive impact on the team. The Lakers are rumored to be willing to trade Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Kyle Kuzma, or Ivica Zubac for Davis, and even include some first round NBA Draft Picks. However, they certainly aren’t the only team vying for the all-star. The Boston Celtics are certainly showing some interest, even though they would be unable to add Davis to their roster under the Rose Rule as of right now. In order to obtain Davis, the Celtics would have to trade their own all-star, Kyrie Irving who has also spoken of his interest in joining his former teammate, Lebron James, down in Los Angeles. Lastly, the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, and the Denver Nuggets have also expressed their interest upon the news of Davis’ trade request.

If Anthony Davis is traded to LA, the league could just be looking at another super team forming in the West, mirroring that of Golden State. Another all-star, Klay Thompson of Golden State, said that as much as he wants to stay in the Bay Area, if Davis does end up in LA and the Warriors don’t offer Thompson a max contract, he would also consider the Lakers in his free agency. Not to mention, if Kyrie Irving truly wants to reunite with Lebron, that could mean big things for the Lakers in the upcoming years.

The NBA trade deadline was on Thursday, February 7, 2019.

By: Katalina de Leon ’19; Opinions Editor