In spite of the whirlwind of action at the NBA exchange due date, Anthony Davis will remain a Pelican – in any event until the late summer. After purportedly being locked a stalemate with the Lakers, the Pelicans will currently open their search to any team that will assemble a package, including the Celtics who can put an arrangement on the table this summer.
Next is the fairly ungainly circumstance of: What to do with Davis? Davis has been held out of the last two games by the Pelicans, notwithstanding supposedly needing to play on Monday against the Pacers.
All things considered, since the due date has passed, Davis will not have to wait long to take the floor again as Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN is reporting that the Pelicans intend to respect the All-Star’s request for and allow him to come back to the lineup for whatever the rest of the 2018-19 campaign.
Not long after Wojnarowski’s report, Pelicans GM Dell Demps discharged an official statement on the issue affirming that Davis would, indeed, keep on playing for the team all through the rest of this season:
“Anthony Davis will play the remainder of the 2018-19 season for the New Orleans Pelicans. Various factors contributed to this decision. At last, Anthony made it obvious to us that he needs to play and he gives our team the best opportunity to win games. In addition, the Pelicans need to protect the integrity of the game and align our organization with NBA policies. We trust Anthony playing maintains the values that are to the greatest interest of the NBA and its fans. We anticipate seeing Anthony in a Pelicans uniform again soon.”
While that may not be perfect for the Pelicans, who appear to be interested in rebuilding and preparing for life post-Davis, they likely won’t have a decision. The NBA isn’t hesitant to advise teams to play their stars – see the Bulls and Grizzlies last season with a some of their endeavors to tank.
Davis will presently be without individual forward Nikola Mirotic, who was exchanged to the Bucks before the trade due date. He’ll be encompassed by some new faces upon his arrival subsequent to missing the previous nine games. The Pelicans are 24-31 on the year, 4.5 game out of the No. 8 seed in the West, however their message this deadline is clear. They’re thinking about the future. They got four second-round picks from the Bucks in the Mirotic bargain, demonstrating that they’re hoping to store a few assets.
The Pelicans are 20-21 with Davis in the lineup and 4-10 without him. This year, Davis is averaging career highs in point per game (29.3), bounce back per game (13.3) and assists per game (4.4).
