The New Orleans Pelicans have not exactly had a successful season, currently heading for a spot in the NBA draft lottery–only to send their eventual pick to the Atlanta Hawks. The Pelicans surprised many by holding onto essentially their entire core roster, including Zion Williamson, at the trade deadline instead of blowing things up.
It’s been over a half decade since the team parted ways with Anthony Davis via a trade to the Los Angeles Lakers in what turned out to be an ugly breakup.
Recently, Davis stopped by The Draymond Green Show to discuss his Pelicans exit and revealed that he initially was open to the idea of one day returning to New Orleans, but that ship quickly sailed.
“When I went back, I did not get a tribute, and that was the final straw. Never got a tribute,” said Davis, per Legion Hoops on X, formerly Twitter. “…I told (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…’ When I went back that first game and got no tribute, I said ‘Oh, that door is closed.’”
It is certainly quite shocking that Davis didn’t get a tribute in his return to the Pelicans, the franchise that he singlehandedly kept on the fringes of the NBA map during his tenure there in the 2010s. While New Orleans won just one playoff series during the big man’s time there, he still produced several unbelievable moments before his trade to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Clearly, he has no plans of returning there to finish out his career.
The New Orleans Pelicans have not exactly had a successful season, currently heading for a spot in the NBA draft lottery–only to send their eventual pick to the Atlanta Hawks. The Pelicans surprised many by holding onto essentially their entire core roster, including Zion Williamson, at the trade deadline instead of blowing things up.