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The Anthony Davis trade that sent him to the LA Lakers resulted in immediate success, with LA winning the NBA title in 2020. But like many player departures, it was incredibly acrimonius.
Davis was drafted by the Pelicans (then Hornets) in 2012, and at the time, he was widely considered to be the greatest draft prospect since LeBron James in 2003.
The Pelicans lucked out in that draft after the Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets) finished with the worst record in league history, at 7-59, and still missed out on the first pick.
Davis has always been a star player. In his one year in Kentucky, Davis set some unreal records besides his statline of 14.2 points per game, 10.4 rebounds per game and 4.7 blocks per game and winning the 2011-12 national title for the Wildcats.
Davis set records for blocks in a single season in the Southeastern Conference (186), blocks in a single NCAA game, highest field-goal percentage (62.3%) for a freshman and single-season blocks per game (4.65), among others.
AD was viewed as New Orleans' savior after Chris Paul had left for the LA Clippers. Davis is a six-foot-10 center/power forward with the ability to guard multiple positions and put the ball on the floor like a guard. This fits well in the stretch-four era of lanky, shooting fours and fives.
However, his time in New Orleans was marred by injuries. The most Davis has ever played in the regular season in his career is 75 games. The list of Davis' injuries is long, and quite repetitive at times, so we won't detail that in this article.
Brendan Heffernan of Dunk Or Three has, however, compiled a complete list of Davis' injuries over his career.
The Anthony Davis trade followed a similar theme as those who have done it before him. A superstar player with Hall of Fame potential is held back by a team that either hardly ever gets out of the first/second round or doesn't make the playoffs at all.
In fact the official statement put out by Rich Paul outlining the Davis trade request said just this:
"Anthony wants to be traded to a team that allows him a chance to win consistently and compete for a championship." (via) ESPN
For what it's worth, Davis was fined $50,000 for putting out this statement.
Davis forewent his $240 million supermax extension in 2019 and departed for Los Angeles. He wore a "That's All Folks" T-shirt while sitting on the bench for his final game at the Smoothie King Center.
Anthony Davis trade, player empowerment and backlash
The Anthony Davis trade that took him to the LA Lakers came at a strange time. Kawhi Leonard, who himself had forced his way out of San Antonio in the previous year, had just won an NBA title with the Toronto Raptors.
Likewise, Davis, too, won an NBA title right after leaving.
Player empowerment has always been a divisive issue. LeBron James' move to Miami was perhaps where this started, and many Cleveland fans burned his jersey in protest.
If a player has done everything for a franchise, is he now supposed to stick around despite the organization not doing its best to surround said player with enough competent pieces?
The case of Davis, Durant and James are all along these lines. The player does everything in his power, but the organization doesn't.
If the All-Star duo of Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins along with Jrue Holiday didn't get the Pelicans over the hump, despite AD averaging 26.3 points per game, 11.1 rebounds per game and 2.4 blocks per game with an average DRTG of 103, a change of scenery doesn't seem like outlandish thinking.
Players who came before the player empowerment era have never taken well to such decisions. Davis' approach to forcing his way out was fairly public, which started a conversation around just how ethical player empowerment really is.
Davis would sit out of games, sit on the bench dressed and the optics of it all just didn't sit well with NOLA. In fact, the general manager of the Pelicans was fired after Davis left the arena after leaving midway through a game to get an MRI.
NBA legends such as Rick Barry, David Robinson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar all chipped in with their two cents on the Anthony Davis trade request. "If you have an issue, go in and talk to the people," said Barry. "He just shouldn't do it in public," was Abdul-Jabbar's opinion. David Robinson talked of fighting the good fight.
However, the league is significantly more talented than it has ever been before. One and sometimes even two superstars are hardly enough to see a team through to the promised land.
Some notable examples of this are those of KD and Westbrook (OKC Thunder) and James Harden and Chris Paul (Houston Rockets).
In hindsight, the Anthony Davis trade was perhaps slightly more beneficial for the Pelicans, seeing as the Lakers have been a dumpster fire since winning the championship in 2020.
The Pels have recouped and reformed their organization, and are among the top teams in the West.
