Anthony Davis’ final days in New Orleans could have looked drastically different, and it all hinged on the Pelicans passing on Zion Williamson for another future superstar. Ja Morant, a Murray State prospect back then, was emerging as the popular first-choice option for NOLA. His electrifying playmaking and scoring drives would have perfectly complemented AD’s backcourt dominance and Julius Randle’s explosiveness. But it wasn’t to be, and the Pelicans opted to bring in Zion Williamson.
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The Duke phenomenon impressed with his seismic athleticism and power forward frame mirroring AD’s own position. But on the latest episode of The Draymond Green Show, Davis opened up on his conversation with Pels GM David Griffin, where he pleaded with him to draft Morant over Williamson.
“If you can get Ja Morant at one, then we’ve got a real conversation going on,” Davis said on his latest podcast appearance. “I know how it’s going to help our team with Jrue, right? If Jrue got to handle the ball, like Jrue loves to get people involved, but like Jrue, ‘go score.’ We got somebody else who can do that now who can play.”
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Anthony Davis reveals he told David Griffin who was brought in as Pelicans GM that he wanted Ja Morant in the 2019 draft at pick 1 because he knew Jrue Holiday needed a PG next to him. Griffin told AD he had to take Zion and the rest is history 😳
{via @DraymondShow} pic.twitter.com/cM6W5mCWHE
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“When we give you the ball, we need you to go be Jrue, and that’s when he’s at his best. You know, and he (David Griffin) was like, he can’t, he got to take Zion, and I just didn’t see at the time where like me and Zion will work. Like we were playing the same position, like at this time I was only playing the four. I was never the five. Yeah. I’ve never played the five. And so it was like, well, is Zion going to play the three? You know, but at the time we had Solomon Hill, Dante Cunningham….”I just didn’t see how to fit at the time, and ultimately it worked out like for me, winning the chip.”
New Orleans held the number one and four picks ahead of the 2019 Draft. The Pelicans aggressively offered packages, including the number four pick, to Memphis for the number two selection, aiming to draft both Williamson and Morant to form a dynamic duo. But ultimately, the Grizzlies held their own and picked Morant as the second overall pick, ruining NOLA’s dynasty plans.
Anthony Davis recalls NOLA exit, Closes doors on potential return
Anthony Davis was eventually traded to the Los Angeles Lakers on July 6, 2019, in exchange for Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and three first-round picks (including the number four pick in 2019). He formed a formidable partnership with LeBron James, spending six seasons in the City of Angels and leading the yellow and purple to the NBA Championship in 2020.
While he threw shade at that ‘bubble’ ring during his podcast appearance, he still showed love to his former teammates. But one team that AD won’t be signing for in the near future is his former employers, the Pelicans.
“When I went back, I did not get a tribute, and that was the final straw. Never got a tribute. I didn’t get a tribute going back to New Orleans, which pissed me off,” Davis further said on the show.
“I told [Pelicans owner] Gayle Benson right before the deadline when I was asking for a trade… I told her, ‘This might not be the end, though. Later on in my career, who knows if I was to come back and we try to do something special as I’m older. … I left that door open, and when I went back that first game and got no tribute, I said ‘Oh, that door is closed.’”
After a short and rather forgetful stint with the Dallas Mavericks, Davis is now in the national capital with the Washington Wizards. But Davis and February trade deadline arrival, Trae Young, are both expected to miss the rest of the season due to injury concerns.
AD averages 25.5 points and 11.8 rebounds when healthy. Pairing his interior dominance with Young’s playmaking is a vision for a potent duo, that is, if both manage to stay healthy. Following their streak of just one win in 24 games since the All-Star break, Washington no longer owes the Knicks a first-round pick. They cannot end up with a pick lower than seventh, offering AD and Trae the chance to form a triple-threat if they manage to bring in someone like AJ Dybantsa or Cameron Boozer.
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Snigdhaa Jaiswal