Pelicans star Anthony Davis fined $50,000 by NBA for trade request

Share

Programming note: Watch the pregame edition of Warriors Outsiders on Thursday at 6:00pm P.T., streaming live on the MyTeams app.

On Monday morning, Anthony Davis officially requested to be traded from the Pelicans.

His decision cost him a lot of money (relatively speaking).

On Tuesday afternoon, the NBA issued the following statement:

New Orleans Pelicans forward-center Anthony Davis has been fined $50,000 by the NBA for violating a collectively-bargained rule prohibiting players or their representatives from making public trade demands. The fine is for statements that were made by Davis’ agent, Rich Paul, in an intentional effort to undermine the contractual relationship between Davis and the Pelicans.

Davis is technically under contract through the 2020-21 season, but the final year of his deal is a player option worth about $28.8 million.

[RELATEDNBA rumors: Klay Thompson could turn attention to Lakers in one scenario]

Golden State Warriors

Find the latest Golden State Warriors news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.

Chuck backtracks on San Francisco hate with massive charity donation

Grizzlies' Jackson Jr. had hilarious Draymond phone call before draft

The reality is that he will make just over $27 million next year and then almost assuredly become a free agent in the summer of 2020.

The trade deadline is Feb. 7, but the Pelicans are under no obligation to strike a deal before then. If Davis remains with New Orleans through the remainder of the season, it will be very interesting to see how Pelicans fans treat him. 

If they boo him mercilessly, GM Dell Demps may want to try to end the saga before it heats up even more over the next five months and into July.

But as the Pelicans said in a statement on Monday:

Relative to specific talks of a trade, we will do this on our terms and our timeline. One that makes the most sense for our team and it will not be dictated by those outside of our organization. We have also requested the League to strictly enforce the tampering rules associated with this transaction.

The next question to be answered: Who is actually paying the $50,000 -- Davis or his agent?

The Warriors have one more game against the Pelicans, on April 9.

Drew Shiller is the co-host of Warriors Outsiders. Follow him on Twitter @DrewShiller

Contact Us