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Just a few days ago, Anthony Davis stood before gathered media inside the Pelicans practice facility for the first since his trade request had gone public and said that neither he nor his representation, Klutch Sports, had given the New Orleans front office a preferred trade list.
Anthony Davis said he or his representation did not give anyone a preferred destination.
— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) February 1, 2019
My how quickly things change after the Los Angeles Lakers did not move any closer of pairing Davis alongside LeBron James over the weekend.
Anthony Davis’ representatives have informed the Pelicans that he would sign long-term with the Lakers, Knicks, Bucks and Clippers if he is traded, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 4, 2019
The most interesting thing is, this list of teams appears to be deceptive in nature.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted a short while ago that the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers have yet to make any offers and the Bucks haven’t even inquired about making a deal. And when you examine the rosters of these two teams, it’s nearly impossible to find a plausible trade considering the Pelicans checklist and the composition of the Bucks and Clippers.
More Woj: "The one thing the Pelicans want back in any trade is to know they've got maybe a future first, second, third team All-NBA type of player. They've got to decide if that player is on the roster of the Lakers. Is that Brandon Ingram or Kyle Kuzma?"
— Oleh Kosel (@OlehKosel) February 4, 2019
Nah, as Mason alludes to, it’s more than likely that these two destinations were added simply for show. Anthony Davis’ camp knows the Bucks and Clippers are not in position to make a serious bid, but since they needed to change the perception around the league — Lakers or bust — they chose two teams with winning records out of thin air and are attempting to create some new, fake reality that maybe doesn’t give the appearance of being an all-out effort of getting AD out to L.A. before the deadline!
Soon after Wojnarowski fired off these tweets, he appeared on a special SportsCenter edition this afternoon and made the following statement.
Adrian Wojnarowski on ESPN Sportscenter right now: "There's still a long way to go before New Orleans and the Lakers have the possibility of a deal."
— Oleh Kosel (@OlehKosel) February 4, 2019
Doesn’t this entirely go against the idea that significant ground has been made as this tweet from Woj a little earlier seems to signal?
The Lakers have offered a new package to New Orleans that includes multiple young players, multiple draft picks and Pelicans salary cap relief for Anthony Davis, league sources tell ESPN. The offer appears to move closer to the objectives that the Pelicans are pursuing in a deal.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 4, 2019
In reality, there is no imminent deal between the Los Angeles Lakers and the New Orleans Pelicans regarding Anthony Davis. There’s not even the possibility of a deal yet.
It’s all just fluff.
Still.
(Continue to hold your ground, Dell Demps and the rest of the Pelicans franchise.)