N.O. PELICANS FIRE GM DELL DEMPS AMID ANTHONY DAVIS FALLOUT

The New Orleans Pelicans have decided to fire ninth-year general manager Dell Demps and start the process of finding someone to deal with the fallout of All-Star Anthony Davis' recent trade demand.

Demps' dismissal comes after Davis said in late January that he would not sign an extension with New Orleans and wants to be traded to a contending team.

"As difficult as these decisions are, my responsibility is to provide the leadership and resources necessary to deliver a winning team to our fans and community," Pelicans owner Gayle Benson said Friday in a written statement. "I take that responsibility seriously and would like to assure our fans that I am prepared to provide any, and all, resources required to compete for championships."

Davis has another season remaining on his contract after this one and this season's trade deadline has passed, meaning no trade will happen until summer under the new front office regime.

Davis, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft out of Kentucky, 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.

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.

Benson said she will hire outside consultants to help her begin the process of restructuring the Pelicans' front office, noting that the new leader of the basketball operations department will report directly to her.

Since the Benson family bought the team in 2012, Demps had been reporting to executive vice president Mickey Loomis.