Gamble paid off
Anthony Davis was most definitely taking a risk when he asked the Pelicans to deal him in the middle of the 201819 season. The request, made public at the turn of the year through agent Rich Paul, played out more like a demand; he also said he wasn’t going to sign a contract extension. Naturally, the disclosure shocked the Pelicans, whose colors he had been wearing since being drafted first overall in 2012. They figured, and rightly, that they were being forced to make a decision they didn’t want. Which, in hindsight, could very well have prompted them to dig in their heels. Meanwhile, he was making off like a heel, with his willingness to stake his reputation underscoring his resolve to see his plans through.
The immediate aftermath wasn’t pretty. All and sundry took a hit. The Pelicans were dead in the water; heck, they didn’t even seem to have a choice of trade partners. Davis looked like a mercenary; his scorched-earth approach was fast dismantling his hitherto favorable reputation as a quiet superstar. Paul was compelled to bear the image of a modern-day Rasputin. Fellow Klutch Sports client LeBron James appeared too eager to throw current teammates under the bus in anticipation of his arrival. The Lakers, for whom he wished to ply his trade, subsequently had to cope with internal strife and wound up crashing out of the playoffs yet again.
Looking back, it’s easy to argue that fortune favored Davis’ boldness. He got what he wanted in the ensuing year. He packed his bags for the Lakers, got to play alongside James, saw his star shine even brighter, and finished the 2019-20 campaign with the Larry O’Brien Trophy in his hands. Yet, so many things had to go his way en route. If the Pelicans didn’t land the number one draft pick that turned into generational talent Zion Williamson, if head of hoops operations David Griffin didn’t already have a working relationship with Paul, if the Lakers didn’t break the bank for him, if the most bizarre and most trying season in National Basketball Association annals didn’t resume in a bubble, he would have been left to rue his choice to go all in.
History is, to be sure, written by the winners, and Davis is thus given the right to enjoy his spoils. He is certain to opt out of his contract, but, his coyness notwithstanding, he is also certain to re-up with the Lakers. If nothing else, they possess institutional knowledge in taking care of names on the marquee — where his will be for some time to come. And all because he dared to put all his chips on the table. His gamble paid off. Now, few remember that he once flipped a fan the bird, that he wore a “That’s all Folks” shirt on what would be his last day with the Pelicans, that he was anything but an ambassador for the sport. At 27, he’s just about to enter his prime while already one of the top players in the league. The stage is set, the stage is his.
ANTHONY L. CUAYCONG has been writing Courtside since Business World introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.