Anthony Davis still has some juice with the New Orleans Pelicans' front office after all.
The superstar big man wasn't dealt prior to Thursday's trade deadline, ensuring he'll remain with New Orleans for the rest of the season despite his stated desire to play elsewhere going forward.
Davis injured his left index finger in a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on January 18th, causing him to miss the ensuing three weeks of play.
He was granted a clean bill of health before the Pelicans' game against the Indiana Pacers on Monday, but management reportedly prevented him from playing, lest risk the six-time All-Star suffering an injury before the team had the chance to trade him.
Davis didn't suit up for New Orleans' game against his hometown Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, either.
But after the trade deadline came and went Thursday afternoon, Davis doubled down on his hopes to play out the season's remainder for the Pelicans – on the floor, not the bench.
Though it seemed initially that general manager Dell Demps and company would resist those desires, they have reportedly decided to permit his return to the court.
After considering the possibility of shutting down All-NBA center Anthony Davis, the New Orleans Pelicans plan to allow Davis back into the lineup for the rest of the season, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 8, 2019
Demps released a statement explaining the decision shortly after the news broke.
Pelicans GM Dell Demps explains the decision to have Anthony Davis play the rest of the season pic.twitter.com/fGeKqW1c75
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) February 8, 2019
The Pelicans are stuck between a rock and a hard place here. Holding one of the game's top-five players out of the lineup would only draw further scrutiny to an existing public-relations disaster, but allowing Davis to play runs the risk of the notoriously-fragile big man getting injured between now and when he's eligible to be traded again, driving down his value.
Would the Boston Celtics feel comfortable including Jayson Tatum in a deal come summer, for instance, if Davis ends this season recovering from injury?
There was no right answer for New Orleans here, but the team probably avoided adding fuel to a roiling fire by choosing to let Davis return.
The Pelicans, who traded starting power forward Nikola Mirotic to the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday in a three-team deal that netted them Detroit Pistons wing Stanley Johnson, host the Minnesota Timberwolves on ESPN Friday night.
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