Davis requests trade from Pelicans, won't sign extension

Five-time All-Star Anthony Davis' camp has informed the New Orleans Pelicans that he won't sign a contract extension with the team and wants to be traded, his agent, Rich Paul, told Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN on Monday.

"Anthony wanted to be honest and clear with his intentions and that's the reason for informing them of this decision now," Paul said. "That's in the best interests of both Anthony's and the organization's future."

Paul added that Davis "wants to be traded to a team that allows him the chance to win consistently and compete for a championship."

Speculation has persisted for months that Davis would eventually force his way out of New Orleans via trade, although the formal request could be an attempt to bring that about before the NBA's Feb. 7 trade deadline. Davis reportedly doesn't view the super-max contract money that only New Orleans can offer him as a deciding factor in his future. He'd be eligible to sign that deal with the Pelicans in the coming offseason.

The club confirmed Davis' trade request on Monday.

"This past weekend, Anthony Davis' representatives informed us that Anthony does not wish to sign a contract extension with our team and subsequently has requested a trade," the Pelicans wrote in a statement on Monday. "Although we are disappointed in this decision, our organization's top priority is to bring an NBA championship to our city and build our team for long-term success."

Last month, New Orleans head coach Alvin Gentry accused Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James of tampering after James mused publicly about the idea of playing alongside Davis. Paul represents both players.

In addition to the Lakers, the Boston Celtics are expected to be interested in Davis given their stockpile of assets. However, Boston can't trade for Davis before July 1 because he's presently on the same type of "Rose Rule" contract extension that Kyrie Irving is. Teams can only have one such contract on their books at the same time.

The 25-year-old Davis is being paid $25.4 million this season and is set to make $27 million in 2019-20, after which he could opt out of his current deal and become an unrestricted free agent.