The New Orleans Pelicans continue to do damage control after star center Anthony Davis made a public trade request Monday.
In a new statement, the Pelicans said they were “disappointed,” but would pursue a trade on their timeline and urged the NBA to strictly enforce any applicable tampering rules as they relate to Davis.
New Orleans statement to ESPN on Anthony Davis: "This past weekend, Anthony Davis' representatives informed us that Anthony does not wish to sign a contract extension with our team and subsequently has requested a trade. Although we are disappointed in this decision…"
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 28, 2019
…"our organization's top priority is to bring an NBA championship to our city and fans build our team for long-term success. Relative to specific talks of a trade, we will do this on our timeline. One that make sense for our team and it will not be dictated by those outside…" https://t.co/InAp332vtV
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 28, 2019
Pels statement continued: "…of our organization. We have also requested the League to strictly enforce the tampering rules associated with this transaction." https://t.co/kPI6HOkZrF
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 28, 2019
In other words, the Pelicans will be trading Davis at their convenience, not his, and if anyone tries to tamper, there will be trouble. That last point is important, as it comes in light of the NBA having to issue a gentle reminder to its teams in light of some controversial comments LeBron James made in December about playing with Davis.
It sounds like the Pelicans are resigned to trading Davis in due course. They’re just going to do it on their own terms and won’t be bullied into sending him somewhere in a deal that doesn’t suit them.
