The NBA trade deadline has come and gone ... and Anthony Davis is still a member of the New Orleans Pelicans.
Now that he will no longer jeopardize his trade value by playing, the Pelicans have committed to playing the All-NBA center for the rest of the season.
The team issued a statement Thursday night from general manager Dell Demps that explained the factors involved in the decision:
"Ultimately, Anthony made it clear to us that he wants to play, and he gives our team the best opportunity to win games ... We look forward to seeing Anthony in a Pelicans uniform again soon."
Davis, who has missed the last nine games with a finger injury, requested a trade on Jan. 28 and told team officials he planned to leave as a free agent after next season. As a result, the Pelicans had at least considered sitting him for the rest of the season.
Although he's been cleared to practice, the Pelicans were reportedly concerned Davis might get hurt again — which would reduce his trade value this offseason.
The NBA discourages teams from resting healthy players, especially for long portions of the season. The league even sent out a memo in October that said any team "that rests a healthy player in circumstances that are, in the opinion of the Commissioner, prejudicial or detrimental to the NBA shall be subject to a penalty under ... the NBA Constitution."
The Pelicans initially appeared inclined to move on without Davis and focus on the players who might help them going forward. Davis’ image has been removed from promotional materials, the club’s official website and even a team hype video that plays before home games on the Smoothie King Center’s expansive scoreboard screens hanging above the court.
The Pelicans play next on Friday night at home against Minnesota, and the game is slated for national television.
There is a gray area in that the rules provide for exceptions in “unusual circumstances,” but the Pelicans elected not to force the NBA into a position of having to rule on whether Davis’ public trade request through his agent, Rich Paul, constituted an unusual circumstance in this case.
Public trade requests are also banned by NBA rules, and Davis was fined $50,000.
