The Anthony Davis trade saga certainly engulfed headlines last year and casted a dark cloud above the New Orleans Pelicans franchise for almost the entire 2018-19 season.
The drama finally ended over the summer, when the disgruntled superstar got his wish and was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in a massive deal.
In the latest episode of ESPN’s Mason and Ireland Podcast, NBA Insider Ramona Shelburne shared some interesting and rather controversial details about AD’s ugly exit from NOLA.
Apart from the complexities behind trading a franchise superstar, the veteran reporter suggested that there were racial overtones that factored in the incident.
“I believe there’s a racial component to all this. That a black agent telling, not asking, a team that they should trade him [AD] did not go over well. Especially in the South.. Aaron Mintz did the same thing with Paul George & it wasn’t as bad.”
Shelburne, of course, was talking about Davis’ African-American agent Rich Paul, whose straightforward approach might have not gone well with some of the franchise higher-ups from the South.
She hinted that those factors may have been the cause of why the team initially refused to grant the Klutch Sports Group’s request for a trade.
Here's the full quote in question from Ramona about Rich Paul, Anthony Davis and New Orleans: pic.twitter.com/sRJCt7kBlK
— Mason Ginsberg (@MasonGinsberg) November 27, 2019
Davis, meanwhile, will make his return to the team that drafted him first overall in 2012.The Lakers will take on the Pelicans at the Smoothie King Arena on Wednesday, in what promises to be an emotionally-charged event.
Given the circumstances of his departure, Davis will likely received a somewhat hostile reception in New Orleans, which may even rival that of his teammate’s LeBron James the first time he played a game as a visitor against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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