If the Los Angeles Lakers are to acquire New Orleans Pelicans star Anthony Davis, it might have to wait until free agency in 2020.
According to this detailed report from Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe of ESPN, Pelicans general manager Dell Demps is not returning calls from the Lakers for Davis.
“Demps is picking up his phone and returning calls — just not from the Lakers, sources said,” the two NBA insiders reported. “From Paul George to Leonard to Davis, the Lakers’ front office is growing accustomed to icy receptions from teams enduring All-Star trade demands with a full year left on their contracts.”
As noted above, this is something that has plagued Los Angeles in the recent past. The San Antonio Spurs refused to negotiate with the Lakers for Kawhi Leonard — ultimately sending him up north to the Toronto Raptors. The offseason before saw the Indiana Pacers push back against the idea of sending Paul George to Southern California.
This can’t sit well with Lakers star LeBron James. He signed with the team this past summer under the belief that the 2019 offseason would include the Lakers adding multiple stars. While that’s still possible, Davis doesn’t appear to be in the cards right now.
It’s interesting in that the Pelicans are returning calls from other teams for Davis after he requested a trade from the team earlier this week. Though, it’s now highly unlikely that he will be dealt prior to next week’s NBA trade deadline.