No, Anthony Davis is not coming back now

When the New Orleans Pelicans won the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery despite the 94 percent probability they would not, questions immediately swirled about whether this would change the Pelicans’ mind about trading Anthony Davis this summer, or whether it would change Davis’ mind about rejecting an extension offer sight unseen.

It appears that in the immediate excitement surrounding the shocking lottery results, many forgot that Davis wore a T-shirt that read “That’s All Folks!” to the Pelicans’ home finale. Folks, he’s not coming back to New Orleans.

In fact, reports that Davis still wants out circulated quickly after the lottery. Which, duh. Davis asked out back in the winter based on his lack of interest in signing a super-max extension this summer and his lack of interest in continuing to struggle to make the playoffs with a franchise he’s led since 2012-13. The trade request (in lieu of an informational “I’m not signing the extension” declaration) was an apparent attempt by Davis and his agency to get the star to the Lakers before the trade deadline. It didn’t work.

But with that in the past, we’re at a stage in which there is no option but for the Pelicans to trade him. He’s too good an asset to just watch disappear in a year when he can become a free agent.

The lottery results do absolutely twist the complicated calculus of a Davis deal, but primarily for the other prospective teams involved. The Lakers’ best potential offer improved — LA was set to have a lower lottery pick, but ended up with No. 4. The Celtics’ cache took a hit, as they will have the Kings’ No. 14, but not the Grizzlies mid- to late-lottery selection because Memphis leaped up to No. 2. The Knicks, of course, missed out on No. 1, a pick they were purported to be interested in flipping for Davis. The Pelicans don’t have to try to pry the rights to Williamson away from another team in a Davis deal: they already have them.

Now the Pelicans can focus on putting the right team around Williamson, their new foundational star. New Orleans doesn’t have to game out how to turn Davis and the other roster pieces into a superstar. That’s done now. It’s all about avoiding a repeat of the last seven years, an era in which a generational star was essentially wasted by the Pelicans franchise.

This victory means clarity for the Pelicans. David Griffin, the team’s new front office chief, knows exactly what he has and needs to decide what the team needs now. Instead of trading Davis for bites at the superstar apple, he can, if he chooses, try to add complimentary young stars around Williamson. Instead of leaning into a multi-year tank — if that was ever even in the cards in a small market that relies on ticket sales to come close to penciling out the books — Griffin can start to build now.

That doesn’t guarantee success: Griffin’s predecessor Dell Demps was exactly in this position in 2012. He decided to go after so-called “young veterans,” trading picks and prospects for players like Jrue Holiday, Omer Asik, Trevor Ariza, and eventually DeMarcus Cousins. Mistakes were made. Misfortune abounded. It all culminated with Davis asking to be traded.

Griffin wasn’t here for any of that, but he’ll still learn from the past and forge a path he feels is right for the Pelicans. That could involve trading Davis for, say, the No. 4 pick and some young prospects from the Lakers. It could involve trading Davis for the No. 3 pick, Kevin Knox, and a future asset. It could involve looking instead at flipping Davis for a package centered on Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum (or both?), or a package centered on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Montrezl Harrell, or Wendell Carter and whoever else the Bulls would give up, or Ben Simmons. It could involve hunting for a so-called “young veteran” like Bradley Beal. It could mean deferring the decision by trading Davis for future picks, in order to first ascertain what type of player Williamson will be at the NBA level through observation in the 2019-20 season.

The key here is that the Pelicans decide where to go from here. Winning the Williamson sweepstakes makes that possible. New Orleans knows that its next great Pelicans hope will be centered around Williamson, one of the hottest prospects of the millennium. That’s clear. Now, the franchise just has to chart and execute a vision to turn that hope into reality.