If you haven’t heard, Anthony Davis has requested a trade.  I know I am late to the party for an article, but I did want to talk about the trade offers and the demands made by the New Orleans Pelicans.

First off, one of the most important things to understand about this request is that Davis intends to finish the season with the Pelicans. He isn’t so disgruntled that he needs to be off this team or pull a Le’Veon Bell and sit out the rest of the season. Second off, the Pelicans have handled the request very well in terms of what they have asked from the Los Angeles Lakers. @wojespn reported that the Pelicans were looking to get four first-round picks, along with the Lakers youth in this trade. Laker fans may not agree, but the Pelicans should look to be over compensated for their superstar. Finally, Anthony Davis is under contract till 2020, so they don’t have to trade him this season. 

Anthony Davis doesn’t need an introduction, but he is one of the most dominant big men in the game. He is one of the few players that are plug and play, which means you can plug him into nearly any system and he should thrive. He is a defensive stopper, and a offensive nightmare for any defense. He can shoot at an effective clip from the mid range or from the three point line, but he can also use brute strength to back down opponents for an easy look at the rim. His only flaw I would say, is his durability. Davis has always struggled with staying healthy. Davis has yet to play a full 82 games for the Pelicans. In the last 4 seasons, not counting the current one, he has missed a total of 49 games. About 12 games per season. But his upside is just too good to pass on for such a polarizing player.

Anthony Davis does apparently have a list of four teams he will resign with long-term. Those teams are the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers. Other than that, he will be considered a rental player for a year, till he is a free agent.

My usual plan with these trade demand is to show my trade ideas from teams, but with Anthony Davis, it could be pretty difficult to figure out what kind of trade would be done. The Los Angeles Lakers offered eight players, along with two first-round picks. Yes eight players. This wasn’t enough for the Pelicans, they wanted four first-round picks, along with the eight players. The Lakers would also take on the terrible contract from Solomon Hill. I always say this but 2016 was a helluva year for free agents. Anyways, the eight players that were said to be offered were Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart, Rajon Rondo, Michael Beasley, Ivica Zubac (before he was dealt to the Los Angeles Clippers) and Moritz Wagner. I am shocked if the Lakers actually offered this many players for Anthony Davis and Solomon Hill. This would have most likely decimated the team and rid them of their young core. Kuzma is one of the rising stars on the Lakers, Ball is a great defender, he is also slowly getting a better feel for the game, and Ingram, as of late has looked much better with his all around game. Along with quality role players being dealt, I wouldn’t see this trade working out in the end.

For this trade demand article, I will go over his fit with each of the four teams on his list along with a prediction of where he will go. We will start with the Los Angeles Lakers. First of all, let’s take a look at LeBron James track record with great power forwards or Centers. Two big names come to mind, Chris Bosh and Kevin Love. These two were dominant at their respected positions. Chris Bosh saw his points per game drop from 24 to 18.7. His rebounds per game also dropped from 10 to 8.3. These aren’t nearly as bad as Kevin Love. Love went from scoring 26.1 to 16.4 points per game. A near 10 point differential is astounding. Another bad drop for Love was his rebounding. His last season with Minnesota he averaged 12.5 rebounds a game, his first with Cleveland, he averaged 9.7 rebounds a game. This might not seem like a drastic change, but the two things that showed when they were playing with LeBron. They had become spot-up shooters and less back-to-basket, posting up big men. So long story short, I really don’t think Anthony Davis would be a great fit with LeBron James. The point is, LeBron’s presence somewhat hurts his bigs production.

The next team we will look into will be the Los Angeles Clippers. Looking at this teams roster leaves me perplexed because Davis has said he wants to play with a winner. The Clippers are a decent team, but nowhere near a winner at this state. So this move wouldn’t make sense until we see what they do in the offseason. I could see them as a much more interesting option if they do get Kawhi Leonard or a Jimmy Butler. But with Anthony Davis being traded, this could be the option for the 2020 season because he does have one more season on his contract after this season. This team will really be in the run for Davis when and if he becomes a free agent.

The third team is the Milwaukee Bucks. The Young Bucks own the best record in the Eastern Conference, along with two all-stars. The length and defense would be interesting if Davis joins them. It would also give some spacing at the power forward position. This would also allow Giannis to slide back down to small forward as well. Assuming Brook Lopez resigns back with the team, Anthony Davis would be a great compliment to him because of the rebounding and defense that Davis plays. The Bucks would be a great option for Davis and I would personally love to see him tear it up with Giannis. This team would run the East for years to come.

The final team will be the New York Knicks. Their situation is very similar to the Clippers because they are going to be a destination for Davis in the 2020 offseason. If the Pelicans keep their price of four first round picks for Davis, the Knicks won’t be trading for Davis. The Knicks are hoping to land Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant this offseason, and the next big name could be Anthony Davis if this situation really entices him.

Prediction: The Boston Celtics trade for Davis in the offseason before the draft. This trade will have to contain Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. For all I know, Marcus Smart would probably be included as well if we go off the Lakers trade. It would also contain picks, and lots of them. With a possible four first-round picks, (two nearly guaranteed) they have the draft capital that the Pelicans are looking to get for their star big man. They also own their pick for the next four drafts (including the upcoming draft). They can also make this trade and not decimate their roster. The Pelicans might also feel the trade is good enough and pull the trigger on the trade. I believe Davis and Irving could create a frightening duo in the East.