Anthony Davis still has some feelings toward the New Orleans Pelicans over his exit and its aftermath.
Davis publicly asked the Pelicans for a trade in 2019, and the way he engineered a move to the Los Angeles Lakers left many fans with a bad taste in their mouths. At the time of the trade, Davis said he might eventually return to New Orleans later in his career, but that is no longer a consideration.
In an appearance on “The Draymond Green Show,” Davis expressed his shock at not receiving any tribute from the franchise in his first game back in New Orleans with the Lakers, and that the snub ruled out any chance of him ever going back.
“You know what’s crazy? When I went back, I did not get a tribute. That was the final straw for me,” Davis said. “I told (Pelicans owner Gayle Benson), ‘Miss B, I want to get out of here, here are the reasons.’ Miss B was cool. Me and Miss B are still cool to this day. I told her, this might not be the end. Later on in my career, who knows, if I was to come back and we try to do something special as I’m older and more mature, win a couple championships. I left that door open. When I went back that first game and got no tribute, I said, oh, that door’s closed. There’s no way possible.”
Davis remains the franchise leader in points, rebounds, and blocks, but time has not healed the wounds that were opened when he demanded a trade. Pelicans fans were still booing him as recently as 2025, over six years after the deal.
On the other hand, it’s hard to see Davis returning to the franchise even if they had paid him some sort of tribute. He is just trying to stay healthy at this point, while the Pelicans have not won a playoff series since he left.
