Anthony Davis insists he isn't looking ahead to free agency, only wants to win in New Orleans
It doesn’t sound like Anthony Davis will be sporting a New Orleans Pelicans jersey for much longer.
While the team won’t likely trade him this season, many are speculating that Davis will make a move when he hits free agency in 2020 — or even sooner if he makes his plans clear and turns down the supermax extension the Pelicans will offer him this summer.
And that move would make sense. Based on how New Orleans is set up currently, Davis likely has a better shot at winning a championship elsewhere — even if that means embracing the No. 2 role on the team.
While many teams are obviously interested in the 25-year-old, it looks like LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are in the driver’s seat when it comes to landing him if he really does want out of New Orleans.
Davis, though, doesn’t want to hear any of that speculation. He said his only focus is trying to win right now.
“That other stuff doesn’t matter to me,” Davis told The Athletic on Monday. “The only thing that matters to me is this team right here, and all I can do to help this team win and what we can do as a team to get more wins. The other stuff is for guys outside the team, and media, whoever wants to look at it. For me, it’s about this team and what we can do to win.”
Now at first glance, that sounds hard to believe — especially with how the season has gone for the Pelicans. New Orleans is currently 14th in the Western Conference standings, and has lost seven of its last 10 games. It’s going to be an uphill battle for Davis and Co. to earn a playoff berth.
Though Davis is still dominating on the court — he’s averaging a career-high 28.5 points and 13.3 rebounds per game so far this year — it’d be easy to understand him growing frustrated losing in New Orleans and then looking ahead to plan his next move.
Still, though, he insisted he’s not ready to do that. All he’s trying to do is lead the Pelicans back to the playoffs.
Any other mindset, he said, would end up hurting him.
“I don’t care what other people think. For me, it’s always about in the moment,” Davis told The Athletic. “If you try to think too far ahead, you get caught, you get lost from what is going on in the moment. For me it’s always about tonight’s game, today’s shootaround, how can I be better in the moment instead of trying to plan too far ahead or look too far ahead, because you lose sight of the moment.
“I think that’s what people get caught up in, just not being able to stay in the moment and cherish the moment and figure out what you can do right now to help your team.”
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