David Grffin was hired as the president of basketball operations for the New Orleans Pelicans last month, and his top priority this offseason will be trying to convince Anthony Davis to stick around. At the very least, it sounds like Griffin will get an opportunity to make his pitch to the big man.
Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald reports that Griffin is expected to meet with Davis at some point over the next week, at which point he will pitch Davis on remaining with the franchise. Davis said last season that he wants the Pelicans to trade him and has no intention of signing an extension in 2020, so one of Griffin’s big tasks will be deciding whether to keep Davis in hopes that he changes his mind or trade him before next February’s deadline to get something in return.
The Pelicans were fortunate enough to score the top overall pick in the NBA Draft Lottery earlier this week despite having only a 6 percent shot at it, and that means they will soon have former Duke superstar Zion Williamson on their roster. Williamson is seen by many as the biggest talent in the draft since LeBron James. One line of thinking is that Davis will be more open to staying in New Orleans now to play with Williamson, but he reportedly still wants out.
The Boston Celtics are among the teams interested in acquiring Davis, but he probably would not agree to sign an extension with them if Kyrie Irving leaves. If the Pelicans can’t convince Davis to stay, they are apparently starting to warm up to all options.
