Pelicans fire GM in wake of Davis trade fallout
The PelNEW ORLEANS — icans have decided to fire ninth-year general manager Dell Demps and start the process of finding someone to deal with the fallout of AllStar Anthony Davis’ recent trade demand, said a per- son familiar with the situ- ation said.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Friday because the club had not announced the decision.
Demps’ firing comes after Davis said in late January that he would not sign an extension with New Orle- ans and wants to be traded to a contending team. Davis has another season remain- ing on his contract after this one and this season’s trade deadline has passed, mean- ing no trade will happen until summer.
If hired soon enough, the new general manager also would oversee the upcoming draft and decide the future of coach Alvin Gentry, who for now is being retained.
Davis was the first pick in the 2012 NBA draft out of Kentucky and has been named an All-Star six times in his first seven seasons, so the return on a trade for him should be considerable and could set course for the Pelicans for seasons to come.
Demps received his only general manager position with New Orleans in the summer of 2010 and the Peli- cans have made the playoffs three times during his tenure, advancing to the second-round once.
The Pelicans enter this sea- son’s All-Star break at 26-33 and unlikely to make the Western Conference playoff field.
Demps’ last game in charge was Thursday, a 131-122 victory over Oklahoma City overshadowed by Davis leav- ing with a left shoulder injury at halftime. Davis could be seen leaving the arena during the second half with his agent, Rich Paul, to get an MRI exam that a person familiar with the situation says revealed he has a muscle bruise. The injury makes his availability unclear for this weekend’s All-Star game.
New Orleans hired Demps in large part because of his front office and scouting experience with San Antonio, widely seen as the model for contending in a small market.
He arrived during uncer- tain times for the franchise. Star point guard Chris Paul, a 2005 New Orleans first-round draft choice, was already determined to leave the club because of ownership uncertainty. After Demps was hired, the NBA bought the club from then-owner George Shinn, who was having cash flow problems.
When Demps tried to trade Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers, the NBA rejected the deal, and Demps ultimately settled on a trade with the Clippers that brought in Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman and Al-Farouq Aminu — none of whom remains with the club.
Saints owner Tom Benson bought the club in 2012 and later renamed it. Benson died last March, and his third wife, Gayle, inherited sole ownership of the Saints and Pelicans.