If the New Orleans Pelicans don’t move Anthony Davis until the 2020 trade deadline, what type of trade offer could they get in return that late in the game?
Let’s set up a hypothetical situation. David Griffin is not able to get Anthony Davis to commit long-term with the New Orleans Pelicans (likely). However, the trade offers he gets during the summer are a bit underwhelming (possible), so Griffin decides to keep AD into the 2019-2020 season and wait for more trade offers to roll in as the year progresses.
If this were to happen, Griffin would eventually reach a monumentally important crossroads; move Anthony Davis by the 2020 trade deadline in February, or lose him for nothing in the summer. Clearly, it would be in the Pelicans’ best interest for Griffin to take whatever he could get at that point so late in the game.
Waiting this long to move Anthony Davis could be an issue for several reasons. The fanbase would grow restless and impatient as a guy they know is already halfway out the door still dons their beloved colors on a nightly basis. The locker room could have season-long tension. The media attention around the situation would be a circus the entire time as well.
Still, Griffin won’t settle for a lowball offer, so he is likely prepared to draw this whole thing out as long as he needs to if he thinks it will eventually benefit the New Orleans Pelicans. But would waiting till next February kill all the leverage the Pelicans have in negotiations?
Not necessarily. At least, not completely. There are other examples of stars being traded on expiring contracts near the trade deadline, and the returned trade hauls are still sometimes very good. Take, for example, the Tobias Harris trade between the Los Angeles Clippers and Philadelphia 76ers that happened a few months ago.
The Clippers gave up the best player in this deal, to be sure. But they returned a young, promising asset and two veteran players that could jump right in and help them on their ensuing playoff run. Most importantly, LA received a whopping 4 draft picks, including two first rounders, one of which was the highly coveted unprotected 2021 pick from the Miami Heat that could end up being extremely valuable.
In this whole process, the Clippers also freed up a ton of money to be major players in free agency this summer. If they were worried Tobias Harris was going to leave them over the summer anyway, they absolutely turned lemons into lemonade with this deal, especially considering Philadelphia could lose Harris to another suitor in free agency themselves.
Still, the move made some sense for the 76ers too. They’re still alive in the postseason, so new GM of the team Elton Brand might not have been as crazy as everyone initially thought to make a move like this. The 76ers are in “win now” mode, so mortgaging future assets for star power that immediately made them better is paying dividends in the postseason.
This is the type of deal the New Orleans Pelicans can look for if they decide to keep Anthony Davis until the 2020 trade deadline. A team on the verge of title contention will still be willing to sell the farm for a superstar like AD if they think he can help them make a serious run to the NBA Finals in that same season.
Odds are, someone will offer David Griffin a trade package over the summer that’s capable of winning the Anthony Davis Sweepstakes if he stands firm in not wanting to be on the New Orleans Pelicans anymore. Still, if the right offer doesn’t materialize before next season tips, showing some patience could eventually pay off for David Griffin.