Through agent Rich Paul, Anthony Davis extended a stick toward undesirable teams considering trading for him (especially the Celtics) – threatening to leave in 2020 free agency.
Did Davis offer a carrot to persuade his desired Lakers to trade for him?
After all, the more certainty the Lakers had him in re-signing, the more they could justify sending the Pelicans. And Los Angeles sent A LOT.
Brian Windhorst on ESPN:
The Lakers, repeatedly punished for tampering, probably appreciate this answer. Though they’d likely skate for a player pledging to re-sign – what are they supposed to do about that? – it’d invite unwanted scrutiny.
Davis hasn’t said much about his impending free agency, but it’s easy to connect the dots. He wanted to join the Lakers, and they can pay him the most money. As long as Davis doesn’t sour on Los Angeles between now and the summer, he’ll almost certainly re-sign.
The Lakers could also figure that out when formulating their trade offer to New Orleans. They didn’t need Davis to make anything explicit.