Describe the pressure of Dell Demps being the guy on the hot seat to make the best possible deal for the franchise.
David Grubb:
"Dell is under a tremendous amount of pressure, but just how much is hard to gauge because the Pelicans are a notoriously private organization. From a public standpoint, there is no confidence that Dell should be the person in charge of making any more changes to the roster. However, the organization won’t fire him during the season. The one thing that we do know is that ownership is insistent that AD will not go to Los Angeles."
Uh oh! If what David Grubb says is true, we are getting tantalizingly close to what the Minnesota Timberwolves were dealing with when Tom Thibodeau was fielding offers for Jimmy Butler after it was clear that his future with the franchise was short. Ownership took over made a deal and fired Thibodeau coincidentally after blowing out the Lakers.
I can easily see the ownership group making sure that Anthony Davis does not get traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. They were not fans of Davis’ decision to fire his agent and hire Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group. With LeBron James being Paul’s best friend and most prized client. It’s not that hard for New Orleans to put two and two together.
What David is talking about is co-signed right here via The Crossover.
"New Orleans expected this. Maybe not in late January, less than two weeks before the Feb. 7 trade deadline, but the Pelicans expected it. When Davis linked up with Paul—the agent for LeBron James, who has specialized in recent years at steering his other clients toward teams LeBron plays on—they knew Davis’s days there were numbered. It’s why last summer several people in the organization tried to steer Davis away from Paul, two sources close to the situation told The Crossover."
Now it’s about what you believe. Based on what David Grubb is saying, ownership will not deal with the Lakers. If Dell Demps wants to keep his job…
These scenarios…
Lakrs president Magic Johnson and Pelicans GM Dell Demps spoke on the phone Tuesday about to proceed with a deal regarding Anthony Davis, who has requested a trade, per sources
— Brad Turner (@BA_Turner) January 31, 2019
Lakers president Magic Johnson and the Lakers then presented five different trade scenarios to Demps on Wednesday and are waiting to hear back from Demps about which interest him the most, per sources.
— Brad Turner (@BA_Turner) January 31, 2019
Sources: Lakers let Demps know one of trade scenarios would include Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram, Ivica Zubac, No. 1 pick, per source.
— Brad Turner (@BA_Turner) January 31, 2019
Don’t matter if ownership feels betrayed.