Anthony Davis trade: Pelicans star’s father hands Lakers MAJOR boost with Celtics jibe. The big man informed the New Orleans Pelicans earlier this week that he has no intention of signing a new long-term contract via agent Rich Paul and wishes to be traded.

That’s despite the Pelicans being the only franchise able to offer the five-time All-Star a huge five-year, $240million supermax contract in the offseason.

Davis has long been tipped to join up with LeBron James for the Los Angeles Lakers and the timing of Davis’ trade request, plus subsequent reports, have indicated L.A. is his preferred destination.

The 25-year-old himself declared on Friday morning that he did not demand to the Pelicans to be traded to a particular organisation and dismissed claims that he has told them he wants out now in order to be traded before this Thursday’s trade deadline.

The Pelicans are better served waiting until the summer to make a deal, with the Celtics unable to rival the Lakers’ bids until then due to a rule which denies them from having two players on designated rookie extensions on the same roster.

Kyrie Irving is on the same contract in Boston already and can enter free agency on July 1, when he can re-sign with Boston on a new deal or join another team altogether.

Davis shares the same agency a LeBron in agent Rich Paul and representation Klutch Sports Group and their connections have seen the forward strongly linked with the Lakers.

Some reports even claimed that if Davis was sent anywhere other than the Lakers, he would simply opt out and move to southern California in 2020 when he can enter free agency.

And Davis Sr. insists he does not want his son in Boston because of owner Danny Ainge’s approach to his players having given up Isaiah Thomas in exchange for Kyrie Irving with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017.

That occurred when Thomas was mid-way through recovering from a hip injury, while Thomas had played for Celtics in the playoffs the previous year just a day after his sister died in a car accident.

And in a text to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, Davis Sr said: “Boston, I would never want my son to play for Boston after what they done to Isaiah Thomas. 

“No loyalty. Guy gives his heart and soul and they traded him… anyone can print that. 

“This is just my opinion, not Anthony’s. I’ve just seen things over the years with Boston and there’s no loyalty.”

Much has been made of LeBron and Davis’ connections, with the pair having dined together in L.A. towards the end of 2018.

In a statement released shortly after Davis’ trade request went public, the Pelicans called for the NBA to be strict with enforcing their tampering rules - with LeBron having previously declared he would love to play alongside AD.

But Paul told Paul told Sam Amick of The Athletic: “This is nothing new. Players have always communicated with each other. Players have always played pick-up in the summer. 

“The difference is [that] more players today are controlling and doing what they want to do vs. being told what to do, and that's the difference.

"Players didn't know, or weren't willing to do different things [like that], back in the day. 

“They weren't willing to say, 'You know what? I want to go over here,' whether it's [because of] rules or know-how, they weren't willing. 

“They didn't do those things, and now they are. That's the difference."

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