New Orleans Pelicans power forward Anthony Davis has been in the middle of many trade rumors in his young career, and although he made it through another year without getting traded, he also knows it's a possibility, and he opened up to Rachel Nichols on The Jump about the rumors:
Although Davis is signed for three more years he acknowledges that he has heard different ex-players like Kevin Garnett say they wish they would have asked for a trade to a more competitive team earlier.
“Yeah, when you hear that it makes you think. You wonder if you should follow that same path but then again you think this year could be the year, you don't know. You just have to take it year by year and see where the team is going and see what direction they want to go and see where they are headed”
The Pelicans failed to make it to the postseason in each of the past two seasons, and when Davis was asked if just making the playoffs this year is good enough, he didn't mince words saying it isn't.
“No, it's not. I have done that before and no one talks about it, no one talks about just making the playoffs. We can do more and we have to do more. They say basketball is a game of runs and this might be our run, you don't know. You just have to play it out, and go from there.”
DeMarcus Cousins might have a huge part in if Anthony Davis ultimately decides to ask for that trade. With Cousins and Davis together, they are a contender, but without him, they are probably just a team who squeaks in the playoffs.
The Pelicans head into the second half of the season sitting on the eighth spot of the Western Conference clutching a 31-26 record. As for Davis, the 24-year-old big man is averaging a double-double of 24.7 points and 10.7 rebounds per contest.
It will be an interesting storyline to watch as the playoffs, and free agency comes rolling around.