Anthony Davis Wants Out of New Orleans: Bettors Hone in on Lakers Futures

New Orleans is having a very bad month when it comes to sports.  First they get robbed of a Super Bowl appearance due to a non-call.  Now they are dealt another blow as five-time All-Star Anthony Davis tells the AP he's ready to move on.

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Davis says he wants to be traded to a championship-contending team and will not sign an extension with the Pelicans, agent Rich Paul told The Associated Press on Monday.

The significance of such a trade could be huge for NBA futures bettors.

Rumors are swirling that the Celtics might land Davis.  They now have the second shortest odds of winning the 2019 NBA Championship at 8-1, tied with the Raptors at BetDSI. 

There is one small problem, however, as the Celtics cannot trade for Davis under NBA rules until July 1, unless they also trade away Kyrie Irving.  The odds of this happening are not good. Irving is a factor because of what’s known as the Rose Rule, the one that says NBA teams cannot trade for more than one player who has signed an extension.

The Celtics could sign Irving in July and then trade for Davis. But until then, unless they move Irving, Davis won’t be in Boston.

So which team can factor into the equation right now?

All things, as usual, tend to point to the Lakers.

LA is currently at 40-1 odds of winning a Championship.  Davis landing there, combined with Lebron James, would most certainly make them a contender.

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James has already made it clear he would love to play with Davis.

“Come on, guys,” James told reporters last month. “It’s not rocket science.”

Davis is having the best season of his career, averaging 29.3 points and 13.3 rebounds per game and the Pelicans organization, which controls his contract through next season, has made it clear they have no interest in letting go of their best player.

“We’re not trading him,” Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said last month, one of many times he’s addressed the topic. “I can say that to the world. We’re not going to trade him, no matter what. That’s not an option.”

The trade deadline is Feb. 7.

Scroll Down for More Including Current Odds to Win 2019 NBA Championship as of January 28

The Pelicans did not have any immediate comment. They next play Tuesday at Houston.

His telling New Orleans that he wants out is the latest power move by a star player who wants to get traded, following a path now similar to what Kawhi Leonard did when he wanted to be traded by San Antonio and what Paul George did when he decided it was time to move on from Indiana. Telling the Pelicans that he won’t re-sign with them provides a blunt message: Move me, or lose me for nothing.

A year ago at this time, the Pelicans had perhaps the most dominant frontcourt in the NBA with Davis lining up with DeMarcus Cousins. Then Cousins tore his Achilles, and wound up signing this past summer with Golden State.

Here are your current odds to win the 2019 NBA Championship:

- Tyrone Black, Gambling911.com