Jacari McRae | January 29th, 2019
The Anthony Davis trade season has officially begun. Davis’ agent, Rich Paul, informed the Pelicans that his client had no intention of signing a contract extension with them this summer and wanted to be traded to a championship contender, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Monday. Davis is eligible for a supermax extension, which would pay him around $240 million over five seasons.
Should the Pelicans entertain trade talks, Miami will most likely be interested. Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson reports the Heat will inquire about a trade for the superstar ahead of the NBA trade deadline:
“The Heat is expected to inquire about a trade for Anthony Davis, but two major obstacles loom in the wake of the New Orleans Pelicans All-Star requesting a trade”.
As Jackson noted, the Heat are not a championship contender and trading for Davis would remove all of their young assets to build a roster around him. Additionally, those pieces may not be enough to land Davis. The Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics—if the trade saga drags into the summer—can offer more attractive pieces. The Lakers can offer a package that includes Kyle Kuzma, Lonzo Ball, and Brandon Ingram with draft picks. The Celtics can offer multiple first round picks, including a future Memphis first (which could become valuable with the Grizzlies heading for a rebuild), a Sacramento 2019 first, and a Clippers first. They also could entice the Pelicans with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and others.
To add to this, the Heat are going to want assurances that Davis will re-sign with them in 2020, once he’s allowed to hit free agency. It’ll be very risky trading for a player who reportedly has his eyes set on the Lakers. That said, the Miami Heat will be involved. When there’s a franchise-changing player available, you got to go for it. Even when the odds are stacked against you.
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