The Anthony Davis trade saga that rocked the NBA world is still hanging over the league on its biggest weekend
- Anthony Davis did not get traded before the trade deadline, but his trade request has remained a major storyline in the NBA.
- At the All-Star Weekend, several players, including Davis himself in a candid media session, have been asked about the trade request and the resulting fallout.
- The situation has been ugly for the Pelicans, as they have been playing Davis, perhaps against their wishes, and fired their GM on Friday in a move that was reportedly aimed to take back control in the trade negotiations.
- The NBA is not happy with the way the situation has played out, and with Davis now unable to be traded for several months, the story is not going away.
The trade deadline came and went, and Anthony Davis is still on the New Orleans Pelicans.
But that hasn't stopped his trade request from remaining one of, if not the biggest talking point around the league during the NBA's All-Star Weekend.
After the Pelicans declined to deal Davis before the February 7 deadline - with the Los Angeles Lakers most notably bidding on the 25-year-old star - the saga seemed as if it would die down, with a trade unable to happen until the offseason. Instead, the fallout of the deal has been as noteworthy.
Read more: The aftermath of the Anthony Davis trade saga has turned ugly for the Lakers and the Pelicans
There was controversy over how the Pelicans would handle the situation, with the NBA calling them to inform them it would violate the rules to sit a healthy Davis. The Pelicans are incentivized to not play Davis, both to protect his health and trade value and to improve their standing in the draft lottery by losing games. They agreed to play him but on limited minutes and not in back-to-back games.
On the court, things didn't look any better. Davis appeared to be going half-speed and drew attention when he scored just 3 points in a 40-point loss to the Orlando Magic.
It didn't help optics that Davis was still scheduled to play in Sunday's All-Star Game.
On Friday, the Pelicans fired GM Dell Demps, the news over-shadowing the first day of All-Star Weekend.
At media day on Saturday, many players were asked about Davis' trade request. Several players supported Davis, saying players should have the right to ask for a change of scenery, particularly when teams have the power to trade them.
Davis himself, of course, drew one of the biggest media scrums on Saturday and fielded questions about his request.
Davis was remarkably candid during the process, saying teams like the Lakers, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and Milwaukee Bucks were all on his list of destinations he'd like to be traded. He said he wanted to win, and market size does not matter. He even said he would leave a touching tribute on Instagram to New Orleans when he's dealt.
Davis can't be traded until the offseason, however, and there is a belief that the order of the draft may need to be finalized before a deal is done, so the Pelicans know the value of any first-round picks.
The Celtics, believed to be able to offer the best package for Davis, cannot make a trade until July when Kyrie Irving becomes a free agent. The Celtics could not trade for Davis while Davis and Irving were on "designated" contracts; Irving becomes a free agent on July 1.
One league source told Business Insider that the Davis trade saga remains a big talking point in league circles. The same source said there is a belief that there won't be major transactions until the matter is settled.
In the meantime, the league office is unhappy with the way the situation has unfolded. Indeed, a player asking to be traded with a year and a half left on his contract, in what some people considered to be a power play by his agency, the resulting back-and-forth between the Pelicans and Lakers, and the loss of an executive's job is not the type of story the league wants to dominate headlines.
With 23 games still left on the Pelicans' schedule and months ahead until a deal could go through, the situation, and the story is not going away, at least for long.
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