Pelicans Allow Anthony Davis To Return

Gayle Benson came out of the Anthony Davis saga looking like the smartest person in the room. With a football background after running the New Orleans Saints for years, she didn’t fret when Davis requested a trade. She didn’t give into Rich Paul, LeBron James, or Klutch Sports and ship out her star player to Los Angeles for a frankly unappealing Lakers young core and some picks. Instead, she thought back to when Mike Ditka traded eight of her picks to get Ricky Williams and decided that she wanted a haul similar to that. So when the Lakers wouldn’t budge, she had no issue. Davis is in fact under contract for another year and a half.

After staying put at the trade deadline and only increasing Davis’s trade value by waiting and including in the Boston Celtics as bidders, the New Orleans Pelicans will allow Davis to return to the lineup. Following the deadline, coach Alvin Gentry met with the front office to discuss bringing Davis back into the fold. It doesn’t really make much sense to do as a team but league offices are concerned about a healthy star being forced to sit out.

General manager Dell Demps discussed the situation, saying, “A number of factors contributed to this decision. Ultimately, Anthony made it clear to us that he wants to play, and he gives our team the best opportunity to win games. Moreover, the Pelicans want to preserve the integrity of the game and align our organization with NBA policies. We believe Anthony playing upholds the values that are in the best interest of the NBA and its fans. We look forward to seeing Anthony in a Pelicans uniform again soon.”

Davis has said he wants to return to the lineup. Previously, he missed nine games with a finger injury but has been cleared to practice this week.