Anthony Davis revealed this morning he never gave New Orleans a “preferred list” of teams before the NBA trade deadline.

Davis joined NBA TV ahead of tomorrow’s All-Star game and confirmed reports the Boston Celtics and all 29 other teams are on his list.


Now, after watching the clip above, Davis does make it sound like free agency is still his goal depending on where or if the Pelicans trade him.

“Obviously, whatever team I get traded to, play for that year or whatever,” he said. “Just make the best of it, and then when free agency comes, see what happens.”

This statement really makes you wonder because several respected insiders reported Davis preferred the Lakers, Knicks, Clippers and Bucks. He still might prefer to sign long term with one of those teams, but the question becomes would Davis sign anywhere?

“I just want to win,” he said. “Big market? Small market? I don’t care. I want to win.”

Hearing Davis say that should make all fans frustrated. Granted there is no guarantee that Davis would sign long term with whoever the Pelicans traded him to, but this means Davis could have gone anywhere. Even Portland.

With the trade deadline passed, Portland can’t make a play for Davis until the offseason. However, the biggest stumbling block for a possible Davis to Rip City marriage is the Blazers lack of cap space.

To make it all more interesting, the Pelicans “parted ways” with their General Manager, Dell Demps, on Friday after he couldn’t make a Davis trade happen.

Former Cleveland and Atlanta GM Danny Ferry will be the Pelicans interim GM. Can the Blazers make a play for Davis in the offseason? Absolutely. Will they be able to keep Davis long term? It remains to be seen. However, a pairing with Damian Lillard and (most importantly) winning could be enough to convince Davis to stick around.

@1029TheGame

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