New Orleans Pelicans talisman Anthony Davis is expected to be one of the most interesting targets as he nears the end of his current five-year, $127 million contract, which runs until the end of 2021.
The Pels will have the chance to woo Davis and lock him up for good with a supermax extension after getting First Team All-NBA honors the past two seasons — an offer that could be too succulent to resist.
Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports said that all eyes will be on Davis moving forward, seeing if any sign of discontent could be potential for the star seeking his way out of New Orleans.
“What everyone around the league is zeroing in on [is to see what Anthony Davis does]. They are waiting for the first time that Anthony Davis grumbles a little bit. They’re waiting to see either private or public consternation from Anthony Davis,” said Mannix in Jeff Goodman's The Good N' Plenty podcast. “That’s the first domino to fall: once he starts griping a little bit about what’s going on there, and why they can’t put their type of team around him, that’s when you start to panic in New Orleans.”
Yet there has been no signs of discontent from the Pelicans front office, remaining fully committed to accumulating the cap space necessary to offer Davis the supermax compensation he deserves next summer.
“When I talk to people down in New Orleans – and look, they’re now fully entrenched there, I believe both the coaches and GM got extensions somewhat recently – they’re not talking about moving Anthony Davis,” said Mannix. “They’re not entertaining anything seriously about moving Anthony Davis. That could change, and probably will change once, and if, Davis starts grumbling publicly or privately about where they’re at.”
Any supermax deal offered would not kick in until after the summer of 2021, unless his contract is re-negotiated to reap the fruits of his labor sooner, rather than later.
Davis' impending extension was perhaps the biggest reason GM Dell Demps only felt comfortable offering DeMarcus Cousins a $40 million deal — knowing that spending more would nix the opportunity to reel in Davis long term.