Anthony Davis Staying a Pelican. For Now

At least according to GM Dell Demps.

Anthony Davis has been continuously developing and improving into one of the NBA's best big men since being drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans as the top pick, 5 years ago. Since then, he has stayed with New Orleans through and thin. He recently signed a record-setting contract extension which is a 5-year deal that started last season and will run until Davis reaches the age of 28. So technically speaking, Anthony Davis will remain in New Orleans until the end of the 2022-2023 season

However, that didn't stop the trade rumors involving Davis to continuously make some nagging noise throughout the ongoing 2017-2018 season. And they are not just small rumors. Rumor has it that there are 8 teams who are trying and still trying to land Davis via a blockbuster trade with the trade deadline 2018 only a few days away.What are the teams that are apparently interested in acquiring Anthony Davis? Some of these teams are the Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs and the Chicago Bulls. Here's the bad news: Anthony Davis is unlikely to be traded this year- that is according to none other than Pelicans General Manager Dell Demps.

Here's the tricky part: a rival NBA general manager said that the future of Anthony Davis and the Pelicans will depend on if Dell Demps is still the general manager of the Pelicans once Davis reaches the age of 28. Why? According to the GM, if Demps stays until then, he would find ways to keep building a better team around Davis and might want to make sure that DeMarcus Cousins who is out for the season due to an injury, stays, too. However, If Dell Demps is no longer at the helm of the front office, 4 or 5 teams will scramble at it.

Anthony Davis is 24 years old so assuming that he stays on as a Pelican until the end of 2022-2023 season, he'll definitely become the hottest free agent. So that's another difficult decision which GM Demps and company need to make as soon as possible: let Davis walk away by July 2023 or, trade him and get a relatively equal talent and possibly, some picks.

Conclusion 

Anthony Davis is averaging 27 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks per game this season. With Cousins out, he'll have to carry a heavier load and he has been there before. So there's no surprise that despite the denials of the Pelicans' front office, several teams are still attempting to offer trade deals in exchange for Davis. The ball is now in the hands of GM Dell Demps.