New Orleans Pelicans Anthony Davis: Legacy more important than money

New Orleans Pelicans star Anthony Davis has a career defining decision to make regarding his future this upcoming summer.

After a fourth straight loss, the New Orleans Pelicans sit near the bottom of the Western Conference standings. Even more pressing than that, their superstar player Anthony Davis has been in the news regarding speculation about his future. Most pundits agree that he will end up joining forces with LeBron James in Los Angeles.

To his credit, AD has said all the right things about wanting to focus on this season and help the Pelicans to win now. But what do the Pelicans have to offer AD for the future? Most point to the supermax contract extension the Pels can offer Davis valued just shy of $240 million. Davis recently commented on what he values most.

"“I’d take legacy over money,” Davis told Yahoo Sports after Friday’s 112-104 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. “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.”"

Have the Pelicans allowed Davis to build a legacy in New Orleans so far? Davis just won his first playoff series last season and has only made the playoffs one other time besides that. The team has no young assets to build around AD as they have traded every first round draft pick in the last ten years, except for Davis himself.

They have been unable to attract any star free agents to pair with AD and the talent they have acquired through trade have ended up leaving in free agency without the Pelicans getting any compensation for them. So what should the Pelicans do?

First of all, do not trade any future draft picks away for another player this year. This team has not truly been at its full potential but for a handful of games. The Pelicans started 4-1 and were one of the hottest teams in the NBA. Give a little time for the players to heal up and see what this team at full strength looks like. They currently are just four games out of the eighth playoff spot out West.

Secondly, it’s time for Dell Demps to go. Not being able to keep young talent here and groom them to grow together has really handicapped this franchise. Contracts given out to the likes of Solomon Hill and Omer Asik handcuffed what the team could do improving the roster. Before AD gets the chance to leave, the team should bring in a new visionary to show AD how serious they are to winning in the future.

There are no easy solutions, but tough decisions must be made in order to keep their franchise player here to stay. Legacy is on the line, not only for Anthony Davis, but also for the New Orleans Pelicans.