Anthony Davis, power forward and center for the New Orleans Pelicans, has been with the NBA since 2012 when he was drafted by the New Orleans Hornets before the team changed its name to the Pelicans.
Courtesy of Keith Allison
By Bryce Lawson
With the 2019 NBA Trade Deadline at a close and the NBA All-Star Game Feb. 17, a big topic of discussion around the league is whether players should be able to force a trade if they are unhappy in their current situation.
For some players, a small-market team can be a wasteland of opportunity, especially if you are an MVP-caliber player. Take Anthony Davis, the superstar power forward for the New Orleans Pelicans, a small-market team that rarely sees any playoff success.
In the past, players like LeBron James and Kevin Durant have faced huge amounts of criticism for leaving their small-market teams in order to build up their brand in a larger market and compete for championships.
Davis’s case has been met with fines and even accusations of tampering due to Davis being under the same agent as James, Rich Paul.
Paul, who is the head of Clutch Sports, said Davis would like to join James in the purple and gold of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The media storm even overshadowed much of the Super Bowl coverage, putting the NBA at the forefront of sports news.
If a player of Davis’ caliber is in a similar situation as him, they should have the right to ask for a trade if they so desire. They just have to go about it the right way, making it beneficial for both teams in the transaction.
The problem with the way Davis made the decision was that the Lakers tried to force the Pelicans to trade Davis, putting the organization in turmoil and resulting in the firing of Pelicans general manager Dell Demps.
It would have been smarter for Davis to request a trade in the offseason, allowing other teams to enter the bidding war and letting the Pelicans recover some assets in the trade.
The NBA needs to find a way to keep players from wanting to leave smaller market teams. This will help the NBA become more competitive without hurting the integrity of the league.
The issue of star players requesting trades is not solely in the NBA. The Pittsburgh Steelers faced similar drama this year, when star receiver Antonio Brown requested a trade after the Steelers failed to make the playoffs.
Brown’s case is different. Problems with coaches and players are the reasons why he is requesting a trade, not lack of opportunity, like in Davis’ case.
It is clear that Davis will get his wish to play on a new team, but with the Pelicans holding the cards, it might be safe to say it won’t be with the Lakers. The Lakers were willing to give up a king’s ransom of basically the entire team except for James in order to land the superstar power forward before the trade deadline.
Kawhi Leonard was in the same circumstance this past offseason, when the San Antonio Spurs refused to trade him to the Lakers and instead traded him to the Toronto Raptors, where he is basically a one-year rental.
Whether or not Davis lands in his desired destination, it’s nice to see players using their voice to take control of their careers, rather than wasting their prime years on under-achieving teams that hold them back from potential greatness.
