Anthony Davis trade notebook: Pelicans owner denies report that they won't deal with Lakers

The Pelicans were already going to be front and center this summer in the NBA world with the looming trade of Anthony Davis following the hire of a new president of basketball operations in David Griffin. The microscope on the franchise will be even greater now after landing the No. 1 overall pick on lottery night Tuesday, adding a separate layer of intrigue to the team's offseason plans under Griffin. Amid a busy week at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, the rumors have been flying around from all angles about the Pelicans plans for their superstar forward. Let's start to parse through some of the facts (and fiction) and how it could impact the Celtics' offseason planning in the weeks to come.

Pelicans owner disputes refusing to deal with Lakers

In the wake of the Lakers winning the No. 4 overall pick at the NBA Draft Lottery, there has been renewed interest in Los Angeles getting involved in the Davis derby yet again after a disastrous attempt in February. Although there is a sharp dropoff in talent after No. 3 in this year's draft, moving up from No. 11 to No. 4 in the draft order gives Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka another attractive asset to shop in an offer to New Orleans, a pitch that clearly needed a boost after the injury bug hit top Lakers young players like Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball over the last few months, stunting their development.

The common refrain from several NBA insiders including Jackie MacMullan at ESPN was that the Pelicans "wouldn't want to do business" with the Lakers after how things played out last fall. Her exact words?

“We have been told, I think, through channels — most of us have heard this same scuttlebutt — that Gayle Benson has basically told (David Griffin), ‘To the Lakers ... over my dead body.’”

However, that report was denied by owner Gayle Benson in a report from Fletcher Mackel of WDSU 6 in New Orleans. Benson called MacMullan's claim 'totally absurd' and 'completely untrue.' Publicly, Griffin plans on trying to sell Davis on the idea of staying in New Orleans alongside Zion Williamson in the next few weeks even though Davis' reps have already indicated to Shams Charania of Stadium that the All-Star does not plan on changing his tune on a trade request even with the addition of an elite prospect to the Pelicans' frontline.

BSJ Analysis

Whether or not there is bad blood between the Pelicans and Lakers leftover is not clear but this is simply good public negotiation strategy by Benson on the Davis front.

The more desperate teams are in the mix here for Davis, the higher the bidding war has the potential to go as the NBA Draft (a likely decision day) approaches. There's no question the Celtics and Knicks will be in the mix in those negotiations but the Pelicans have no incentive dissuade the Lakers from making another serious offer despite how things went down between the two sides in February. Even if the Pelicans don't plan on taking that offer or working with LA, they can still hold a Lakers offer over the heads of rival teams while demanding a greater haul. Given the tough spot all three likely suitors could be in this summer to compete, Benson was very wise to throw cold water on this rumor right away.

Downplaying the idea of Davis starting the season in New Orleans 

Let's start here: There is no question that Griffin should be trying to sell Davis on the idea of playing alongside Williamson and potentially give a long-term commitment to the Pelicans franchise following a revamp of the roster. Any smart general manager would try to turn some good lottery fortune into solving the team's biggest problem. However, there have been a number of scenarios floated in the past week that signal that Griffin should try to let Davis and Williamson play together to start the season, potentially as a way to get Davis to re-commit and prove the Pelicans can be a strong playoff team in the West.

A closer inspection of the situation makes that seem like a far fetched idea, even though it would not necessarily be a bad bluff by Griffin for negotiation purposes this summer. While there will be suitors lining up for Davis in the coming weeks, he would be in a stronger position if he could signal a willingness to walk away from the trade table altogether if the offers weren't to his satisfaction.

The fact remains that without Davis putting pen to paper with an extension, playing Davis again this year is an extreme risk for the franchise when it comes to his trade value. The All-Star has a long injury history and the odds of him getting hurt far outweigh the chances that Williamson is good enough out of the gate to turn the Pelicans into a force in a loaded Western Conference. Given all the bad blood and awkwardness that has emerged in the past few months between New Orleans and Davis, it's hard to see the two sides making amends on the long-term in the middle of the season. If Griffin can secure a commitment from Davis in the coming weeks, he will. Otherwise, this summer is the last chance for him to cash out his chips for top value. Some of the offers that will be available this summer won't be around at the trade deadline and the Pelicans will need to plan accordingly for that.

The situation has already hung over the franchise for three months and it's hard to envision the Pelicans wanting to drag it out into another season with the unlikely chance Davis has a change of heart.