Golden State Warriors: 5 blockbuster trades for Pelicans’ Anthony Davis
By Trey Flynn
The Golden State Warriors need to entice Kevin Durant to re-sign this summer. What can do that more than a trade for the superstar talent of Anthony Davis?
If you believe the future of basketball lays within the hands of the multi-faceted superstars in Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry or even James Harden, you’re just plain wrong.
The indisputable answer is the new messiah of the basketball gods, Anthony Davis.
Commonly referred to as “The Brow,” Davis is a 25-year-old superstar out of Chicago; patiently waiting for his emphatic rise in a city plagued by a horrendous front office for a franchise that is possibly the main candidate for relocation.
Because New Orleans is objectively one of the greatest hallmarks of America, they don’t necessarily deserve to have their NBA club relocated, especially with the solid team they currently possess.
However, the amount of scrutiny surrounding Anthony Davis’ name has created an overwhelming fear around the league that the Pelicans might be better off sending the five-time All-Star to either the Los Angeles Lakers or Boston Celtics very soon.
Whether it’s reputable NBA analysts like ESPN‘s Zach Lowe or Washington Post‘s Ben Golliver illustrating logical ideas of Davis forcing a trade out of New Orleans, or LeBron James naming Davis as a player that he would love to team up with, the NBA doesn’t know how to handle the Davis fiasco.
ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski illuminated the fear that the NBA has pertaining to the competition over Anthony Davis:
"“In a memo obtained by ESPN on Friday morning, league counsel seemed to be alluding to James’ scenario, saying, ’employment contracts are to be respected and conduct that interferes with contractual employment relationships is prohibited. “‘This principle is particularly important in today’s media environment, where any actions or comments relating to potential player movement receive immediate and widespread public attention. “Teams should be entitled to focus their efforts on the competition this season with the players they have under contract, without having to divert attention or resources to conduct or speculation regarding the potential destinations of those players in future seasons once their contracts expire.’ “Several small-market general managers told ESPN last week that they reached out to Pelicans GM Dell Demps to express dismay over what they perceive as the NBA’s tacit endorsement of James’ comments, made earlier this month to ESPN, that it would be ‘amazing’ and ‘incredible’ if the Lakers could somehow acquire Davis, a five-time All-Star who is currently under contract with the Pelicans through the 2019-20 season.”"
In the most glaringly politically correct fashion, the NBA has decided that teams should just keep to themselves and play basketball with the players they currently have under contract.
If the Lakers and Celtics are now on the NBA’s “Davis radar” for the near future, there is a noteworthy franchise that has had internal struggles all season long paired with recent struggles to squeeze out easy-wins.
This particular team could potentially sweep-under-the-rug and grab the two-time Defensive Player of the Year in the most “Bay Area’ fashion.”
The Golden State Warriors epitomize the “I don’t give an (expletive) of what you think about me” attitude, led by their superstars in Curry and Kevin Durant.
Can you think of a better landing spot for the talents of Anthony Davis?
And with the Warriors having their worst December record in five years (10-6) paired with the eye-popping downtrend for All-Stars Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, a potential move may benefit both organizations.
If you don’t know how thin the margin of error is within the Western Conference standings, just try to come to terms with the fact we are almost half way through the season and Golden State is only 3.5 games in front of the ninth-place San Antonio Spurs.
Even if you believe the Warriors are just coasting their way through the regular season, there are blatant problems with the current NBA champions.
Not to mention, the fact that Durant hasn’t made a sound on if he’ll return to Golden State next season — with many analysts arguing that he’s leaving, no matter what.
But even if the Warriors need Davis to entice Durant to stay or to replace Durant if he leaves, why would Davis make such a move in his young career?
Since LeBron’s quote about wanting to pair up with another superstar such as Davis and a dinner they both had together after playing one another last week, “The Brow” has made the following very clear with Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports:
"“I’d take legacy over money. I want to have a legacy. All my people that look up to me, the younger kids, I want them to know about AD’s legacy. Championships, the things I do in the community, being a good teammate, playing hard. “All that stuff matters the most to me. Don’t get me wrong, money is amazing. But I think in that sense, money or legacy, I think my legacy will win that battle every time.”"
If Anthony Davis wants a legacy, winning an NBA championship is the clearest road to obtaining that dream. And the right general manager to help Davis make that dream a reality may be the Warriors’ GM Bob Myers.
When Myers was asked how he intends to sustain success in the near future, he has stated “you need to find people who have a depth of desire.”
I have laid out five trade ideas that could potentially create a new depth of desire in both the Golden State franchise, as well as New Orleans.
That in turn, could help transform Davis into the basketball legend that the NBA intelligentsia knows he’s capable of becoming — surpassing LeBron James as the new king.