The Anthony Davis Sweepstakes Have Begun
On Monday morning, Anthony Davis requested a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans. Agent Rich Paul informed the Pelicans that Davis will decline his inevitable super-max extension offer from the organization this summer and that he wants to be traded to another team.
Jazz Sports posted betting odds on where Anthony Davis will play next season. Oddsmakers have the Lakers (+125) and Celtics (+200) as the favorites. Teams are already starting to line up to try to get Davis, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft and it’s not difficult to see why.
Davis is set to make his sixth straight All-Star appearance and fourth All-NBA First Team. He’s averaging 29.3 points and 13.3 rebounds in 41 games while playing high-level defense with 2.6 blocks and 1.7 steals per game.
There’s time for a deal to be made before this year’s trade deadline but the Pelicans are apparently not taking calls for Davis. The Celtics have the necessary assets and potential desire to make something happen but they can’t trade for him until July 1, unless Kyrie Irving is involved in the trade.
A deal without Irving would fall into “The Rose Rule” (a player finishing his rookie contract can make 30 percent of a team’s salary cap — up from 25 percent — if he’s twice been voted an All-Star starter, twice been voted All-NBA or won an MVP award and you can’t trade for a second Rose Rule player while there’s someone on the roster already contracted under these terms), so, unless Irving is involved in the trade, the Celtics are out of the running until the summer.
The Lakers are among the NBA teams that can put together a decent offer before the trade deadline and they’re likely the frontrunners in the summer because Davis and Rich Paul reportedly plan to tell teams that the Lakers are his No. 1 choice and that he doesn’t plan to sign an extension with any other team before the summer of 2020, when he will become a free agent.
Where will Anthony Davis play in Game 1 of the 2019-20 season?
Odds provided by Jazz Sports
Los Angeles Lakers +125
Boston Celtics +200
New Orleans Pelicans +500
Toronto Raptors +600
New York Knicks +800
Philadelphia 76ers +1200
Golden State Warriors +1500
Houston Rockets +2000
Oklahoma City Thunder +2500
San Antonio Spurs +2500
Field (All others) +2500
Check odds here: Jazz Sports
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