Basketball Hall of Famer and four-time NBA champion Shaquille O'Neal has chimed in on the hottest topic in the league right now. According to O'Neal, he believes it would be in the better interest of Anthony Davis if he were to stay with his current team, the New Orleans Pelicans, instead of making the big move to a team like the Los Angeles Lakers.
O'Neal speaks from his own personal experience here, and gives a pretty good illustration of the financial repercussions of Davis' decision if he were to make a move to team up with LeBron James in L.A.
Here is @SHAQ breaking down why he'd stay in New Orleans for financial reasons if he was Anthony Davis: pic.twitter.com/LrgIch0pZ0
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) February 2, 2019
O'Neal spent a total of eight highly-successful seasons with the Lakers organization, and based on his explanation above, Davis will be pocketing a significantly smaller amount of money if he indeed decides to sign for the Lakers.
It is also worth noting that O'Neal has a connection with the city of New Orleans, as he spent his three college playing years with the Louisiana State University.
Nonetheless, O'Neal's argument might not mean much with Davis already publicly demanding for a trade to a championship contender. At this point in time, Davis appears set on moving on from his time with the Pelicans organization, and staying on for an extension appears to be out of the question.
Then again, with the trade deadline fast approaching, coupled with New Orleans' determination to not be pressured into a haphazard deal, it is still very much possible that he ends up staying with the Pelicans until at least this summer. There's still a few months between now and then, and anything can happen — including a possible change of heart for the highly-coveted 25-year-old.
Perhaps O'Neal's comments here might hold some bearing in Davis' decision. Then again, it probably won't.
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