In what resembled a sales pitch to an available free agent, the New Orleans Pelicans met with Anthony Davis on Wednesday in the hope of convincing him to embrace in the direction the franchise is now headed.
ESPN reported that Davis met with executive vice president David Griffin in Los Angeles on Wednesday morning and that a vision of the team’s future was presented to the team’s power forward.
Griffin, who was hired in April, is in possession of the No. 1 selection in the NBA draft for the Pelicans, where Duke’s Zion Williamson is expected to be selected.
Davis requested a trade in January, and the Los Angeles Lakers were widely speculated as his destination, but the February trade deadline came and went without a deal. Davis, a six-time All Star, played only sparingly after the deadline and didn’t appear at all over the final seven games.
The No. 1 overall selection in the 2012 NBA Draft out of Kentucky can become a free agent after next season. If he decides to stay, he can sign a five-year, $235.5 million extension on July 1.
Crediting a source, the ESPN report indicated that Davis and Griffin intend to continue a dialog into this offseason.
Davis has averaged 23.7 points and 10.5 rebounds over his first seven seasons with the New Orleans franchise. He produced averages of 25.9 points and 12 rebounds in 56 games this season, the lowest number of games played in his career.