Anthony Davis has officially informed the New Orleans Pelicans that he will not be signing a contract extension, and now the race is on to see who can come up with the best package for the All Star center.
Among the teams in the Anthony Davis sweepstakes are the New York Knicks. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Knicks "will be aggressive" in trade talks.
ESPN's Brian Windhorst believes the Knicks are "in the game" for Davis prior to the February 7 trade deadline if they're willing to include their first round pick in a package.
"If I am the New York Knicks, I am convening a meeting this morning," Windhorst said during an appearance on ESPN's "Get Up!" (H/T Business Insider). "Anthony Davis has some interest in playing for the Knicks. It's not Lakers or bust."
"The New York Knicks need to decide whether they would be willing to make their No. 1 pick unprotected this year available," Windhorst said. "If they would, I believe they could put together a competitive offer that would help the Pelicans do a rebuild, and they could get their hands on Anthony Davis in the next 10 days."
The Boston Celtics, with all of their young talent and plethora of draft picks, can likely present the best return for New Orleans but the Pelicans will have to wait until July to make a deal with Boston.
Per ESPN:
"Davis' declaration on wanting out now gives teams other than the Boston Celtics a head start in pursuing trades for him. Restricted by the Rose Rule, Boston cannot trade for Davis until July 1 because league rules wouldn't allow Kyrie Irving's and Davis' contracts under the provision on the roster together. The designated rookie exception allows players coming off their rookie-scale contracts to earn 30 percent of the salary cap rather than 25 percent if they meet certain criteria."
Of course, the Los Angeles Lakers are another potential suitor and one of the favorite to land Davis.
According to reports, the Lakers' offer for AD would have to start with Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Ivica Zubac and a first-round pick.