NBA’s trade-request problem is growing
Jeff Zillgitt: Anthony Davis the latest high-profile player asking to be dealt
Nearly 18 months before Anthony Davis can become a free agent, his agent, Rich Paul, has told the Pelicans that the power forward would like to be traded.
The NBA has a trade request problem.
Following in the footsteps of Dwight Howard, Paul George, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler, Davis wants out, determining New Orleans is no longer the team for him.
“Anthony wants to be traded to a team that allows him a chance to win consistently and compete for a cham-
“Anthony wants to be traded to a team that allows him a chance to win consistently and compete for a championship.”
Rich Paul Agent for the Pelicans’ Anthony Davis to ESPN
pionship,” Paul, who also represents the Lakers’ LeBron James, told ESPN. “Anthony wanted to be honest and clear with his intentions, and that’s the reason for informing them of this decision now. That’s in the best interests of both Anthony’s and the organization’s future.”
It leaves the Pelicans in a predicament. One way or another, either
through trade or free agency in 2020, New Orleans will lose one of the game’s premier players. It’s a blow to a franchise that needs a star player and needs to remain competitive to stay relevant in the market. The Pelicans’ goal now is to find the best return, a combination of talented players and draft picks.
The ramifications run deep. The talk of the Pelicans relocating is an undercurrent from which the franchise can’t escape. Right now, the Pelicans sell enough tickets (91.7 percent of seats sold for home games, according to ESPN attendance numbers).
But what if there’s no Davis? What if the team, 22-28 with Davis, isn’t as competitive? How will that affect the team’s future?
What about the here and now? Measures are in place for incumbent teams to keep their star player. They can offer more years and more guaranteed money. The NBA developed the “supermax” contract, which allows a team to offer a player a larger percentage of the salary cap if he reaches specific milestones.
But those measures aren’t always working. The supermax isn’t the panacea the league had desired.
“We’re always trying to find the right balance in terms of right contract length, advantages of incumbent teams to keep teams in those markets and keeping players focused on playing under their contracts,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said at the start of the season. “I don’t know if there’s any scenario where these situations will go away completely.”
The Pelicans can offer Davis a fiveyear, $239.5 million supermax contract, while other teams that acquire him via trade can offer a five-year, $205.3 million contract. Playing for a winning team is worth the $34 million difference to Davis, and it also illustrates why a trade is important to Davis rather than simply hitting the free agent market.
If Davis is traded to a team he wants to play for long term, the team that acquires him retains Davis’ Bird rights and can sign him to a five-year deal. If Davis hits free agency, other teams can offer him a four-year, $152.2 million deal. That’s where money, a $50 million dif- ference, plays a role.
Now, while the Pelicans are under pressure, they do not have to move him before the Feb. 7 trade deadline. They can play out the season and see what kind of offers are presented around the draft in late June and start of free agency in July.
But Davis has a history of injuries. What if the Pelicans keep playing him and risk further injury, reducing his trade value if he sustains a significant one? It’s a predicament for New Orleans and general manager Dell Demps.
There will be no shortage of interested teams, including the Lakers and Celtics. But there is need for New Orleans to trade Davis to the team of his choice. It’s New Orleans’ job to get the best value in return, just like Indiana did when it traded Paul George to Oklahoma City and San Antonio did when it traded Leonard to Toronto.
Of course, teams interested in Davis won’t be willing to give up significant assets unless they’re reasonably sure they will re-sign him in free agency in
2020.
The trade request situation won’t go away after Davis. Giannis Antetokounmpo has shown no interest in leaving Milwaukee and his team is winning, but the rest of the league will watch his
2021 free agency date closely. “Even if I had the unilateral right to make changes in the CBA (collective bargaining agreement), which of course I don’t, I’m not sure there are any easy fixes here,” Silver said. “This is a relationship business, and that’s something that’s never going to change. Despite advances in analytics, scouting, technology, it’s still a people business. So we’ll just have to keep working at it.”
In the meantime, New Orleans is on the clock while teams try to land the kind of player who can help a squad win a championship.