The Pelicans are dragging Anthony Davis down with them.
Side by Side: The New Orleans Pelicans intro with and without Anthony Davis. pic.twitter.com/CO2Eg94MWe
— David Astramskas (@redapples) January 31, 2019
Before New Orleans’ first home game since Davis publicly requested a trade Monday, the NBA All-Star was suspiciously left out of a revised pregame introduction video that aired before the 105-99 loss to the Nuggets on Wednesday night.
The minute-plus-long video formerly introduced Davis first and prominently before other teammates, but a new version showed no signs of Davis during the entire clip.
New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry said he hadn’t seen the video prior to the game. A source told ESPN that the decision to leave Davis out was intentional to “prevent negativity” and discourage booing.
The 25-year-old remains out with a fractured finger, but was in attendance for Wednesday’s game.
It’s certainly a petty move by the Pelicans and comes shortly after a report claiming general manager Dell Demps is “not picking up the phone” on trade calls for Davis, according to ESPN.
Translation: The Pelicans are fine with keeping Davis after the Feb. 7 trade deadline in order to maximize a mega return in the summer.
New Orleans’ patience would give them clarity on draft picks they are getting offered after the lottery and allow the Celtics to enter the picture, who have players and picks at their disposal.
The Celtics are not able to trade for Davis this season because he and Kyrie Irving are signed to designated rookie extensions. Boston is ineligible to trade for him this year, but with Irving likely opting out of his current contract, the trade restriction would disappear and allow Irving to sign an extension with the Celtics while recruiting Davis to join him.
That bodes as bad news for the Lakers, who were pegged as the front-runners for Davis. ESPN’s Bobby Marks said on “Get Up!” Thursday morning that he gave Los Angeles just a 1 percent chance of trading for the five-time NBA All-Star.
