In the past months, New Orleans Pelicans superstar Anthony Davis has been frequently mentioned in various trade rumors linking him to title contenders such as the Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors. Though offers were made, the February 8 trade deadline has passed with Davis still in The Big Easy.
When the 2017-18 NBA season started, there is a growing optimism that the Pelicans could return to the Western Conference playoffs. The formidable frontcourt duo of DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis had finally shown good chemistry and was dropping huge numbers almost every night. Unfortunately, everything changed when Cousins went down with a season-ending injury.
Davis, once again, is carrying all the load on his shoulder to help the Pelicans earn a playoff spot. However, it remains questionable if the Pelicans could even survive the first round in the deep Western Conference. Their current situation makes Davis think of his future in New Orleans.
In a recent interview, Anthony Davis and ESPN’s Rachel Nichols talked about Kevin Garnett’s advice to LeBron James when he left the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat in 2010. Garnett recalled being in the same situation when he joined the Boston Celtics, and if he could turn back time, he wished he left the Minnesota Timberwolves sooner.
“Loyalty is something that hurts you at times because you can’t get youth back,” Garnett told the Associated Press (h/t Boston.com ). “I just told him, ‘Keep your head up, man. I’ve been there. You have a very, very, very bright future. Continue to work and make decisions based on you and your family.’”
Davis told Nichols that Garnett’s words somewhat had an impact on him and admitted that he’s thinking of what would have happened if he decided to leave the Pelicans .
“Yeah when you hear that, it makes you think,” Davis said of Garnett’s quote. “I’m not going to lie, it makes you think. You wonder if you’re following in that same path. But then again, you think this year could be the year. You don’t know. You just have to take it year-by-year and see. See where the team is going. What direction they want to go to and see where they’re headed.”
Anthony Davis, 24, is blessed with youth and talent, and it seems like he’s spending his prime on the wrong team. Since being drafted the first overall pick in 2012, Davis has been impressive and showed his potential to become one of the best players who ever played in the league. Unfortunately, despite his incredible performance every game, he can’t carry the Pelicans alone, especially with the existence of multiple “Super Teams” in the league.
If the Pelicans suffer another disappointing season and fail to convince DeMarcus Cousins to re-sign in free agency, Davis may consider re-evaluating his future in New Orleans. He could ask to leave the Pelicans and join a team who has a higher chance of competing for an NBA championship title.