Before ultimately deciding to trade Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers, the New Orleans Pelicans front office have also been engaged with other teams to see what they can offer for the All-Star forward. One franchise that showed interest in trading for AD was the Denver Nuggets. However, both sides didn't reach far with their discussions, as the Nugs were hesitant to part ways with their rising star Jamal Murray, according to Mike Singer of the Denver Post.

“…the Pelicans insisted that any potential deal for Davis had to include Nuggets rising star Jamal Murray. That was a non-starter for the Nuggets, who a month ago finished their most successful season in a decade.”

The Pelicans wanted to get as many assets as they possibly could from AD's suitors in order so that their rebuild will be a little bit faster. When they discussed the trade with the Boston Celtics, the latter also refused to give away arguably their best young player in Jayson Tatum.

Davis' camp made it clear that he had no intention of committing long-term to any team other than the Lakers and the New York Knicks, which is one of the reasons why teams like the Nuggets and Celtics limited their offers.

In the end, the Pelicans still got what they wanted. The Lakers gave away three promising young players in Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, and Josh Hart, plus three future first-round picks, including the fourth overall pick in next year's draft. The Pelicans also have the privilege to swap draft selections with LA in 2023 and 2025. It's a massive haul for NOLA, something that other teams weren't able or didn't want to match.