The New Orleans Pelicans can give superstar center Anthony Davis more money and term than any team in NBA free agency by offering him a five-year super-max contract worth more than $200 million in July.
How much will money matter to Davis when he decides his future in New Orleans? Winning, above all else, sounds like the driving force in his career right now.
"Winning. Winning. Made the playoffs twice. Both times we were there, it was some of the most fun I’ve had playing basketball," Davis told The Athletic's Joe Vardon when asked what he wants from his career now. "The atmosphere, going on the road and trying to get wins. Being able to get a playoff win. All the preparation. Every game on TV, it’s just, you know, it’s just different and it’s fun. So my main goal is just to win."
Vardon specifically asked Davis about the supermax and how money factors into everything. Again, winning is a priority for Davis.
"I never said money wasn’t important," Davis said. "Somebody (Chris Haynes, of Yahoo Sports) asked me about money or your legacy. In that case, your legacy lasts forever. Your money comes and goes, but for me I want to build a legacy. In that case, if you have to choose between money or legacy, I think legacy wins every time, in my opinion."
If Davis, who can become an unrestricted free agent in 2020, turns down the Pelicans' supermax offer in July, they'll have no choice but to trade him. You cannot risk him leaving as a free agent and not receive anything of value in return. The two teams most often rumored to be interested in Davis via trade are the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. If building a legacy really is important to Davis, the Celtics and Lakers are the two best franchises to accomplish that goal.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported in December the Celtics have been "hawking Anthony Davis for years." Complicating matters for the Celtics, though, is Davis being represented by Klutch Sports, which has ties to Lakers superstar LeBron James (the agency is run by one of James' friends).
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The Celtics, per league rules, cannot trade for Davis before the summer unless Kyrie Irving is part of the deal. So, it would make sense for the Pelicans to wait on any Davis trade (assuming that's the path they go down) until the summer when Boston can enter the bidding.
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