Just a few seasons ago, many folks around the league had pegged Anthony Davis as the NBA’s next big thing. That was before the injuries and the losses (and ensuing frustrations) started piling up around him, but for much of this season it appeared as though things were heading in the right direction.
The organization certainly had bought themselves some time by trading for DeMarcus Cousins a year ago, but Boogie’s devastating injury has thrown a wrench into the system yet again. Cousins, who will need approximately a year to recover from a torn Achilles tendon, will be a free agent this summer, and the front office will face a tough decision about whether to offer him a max contract with the hope that he’ll be able to return to his old self.
His future, of course, is in many ways tied to Davis. If they allow Boogie to walk, they’ll face a similar decision with whether to trade Davis and embark on a full rebuild in earnest. Davis has already wondered aloud on multiple occasions whether he’s wasted too much of his prime in New Orleans, and though his most recent comments acknowledge that he’s signed through 2021, they still hint that he wants to win sooner than later.
Anthony Davis: “I’m here until 2021 and then I’ll make a decision from there. I don’t plan on leaving in the next couple of years or anything like that. I’ve always said I wanted to be here and that’s still true.”
— Scott Kushner (@ScottDKushner) February 22, 2018
Davis: "We have taken steps to be a winning franchise. We have just been hit with the injury bug every year since I've been here so we can't see our full potential. We know where we could've been if we had those guys. But we don't. We have to keep playing."
— Scott Kushner (@ScottDKushner) February 22, 2018
Davis: "You have to take it year by year. I don't go into any year saying I don't want to be here or nothing like that. Of course at some point you want to win. I feel like we are trying to get the right pieces around here."
— Scott Kushner (@ScottDKushner) February 22, 2018
AD: "I think our front office is doing a better job. The best job they can do. I feel like we're moving in the right direction. But you do have to take it year by year & see how it goes. That's how I'm approaching it. Of course Cuz is a big factor, what he is going to do or not."
— Scott Kushner (@ScottDKushner) February 22, 2018
Taken at face value, Davis appears to be saying the right things. But the franchise also has to read between the lines. Multiple teams are already lining up in case Davis becomes available this summer, and you can bet the Pelicans will at least listen to their offers, despite Alvin Gentry’s protest that he’ll demand the moon in return.
The ball is totally in their court, as Davis doesn’t have a player option on his contract until two summers from now. Both Boogie and the Brow were playing some of the best basketball of their respective careers before the injury, so it wouldn’t be crazy for the franchise to hedge their bets on that and hope that Cousins can return to form. What they do with Boogie could offer us a hint at their plans for Davis in the coming years, and if they can’t build a contender very soon they might find themselves with a decision to make.
