Following his trade demand, Anthony Davis may have played his last game for the New Orleans Pelicans.
According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, Davis -- who hasn't played since Jan. 18 due to a left index finger strain -- might not play another game for New Orleans.
It has not been definitively decided that Anthony Davis has played his last game for the Pelicans, according to one source close to the situation. But the source said it is a scenario under consideration in the event New Orleans does not move Davis before next Thursday's deadline."
"If no trade materializes between now and the Feb. 7 buzzer, with the playoffs essentially out of reach, New Orleans has much more incentive to keep Anthony Davis shelved in the name of protecting its prized trade asset rather than playing him. As does Davis himself ...
As Stein notes, this appears to be a mutual feeling as both sides want to ensure that Davis remains healthy and doesn't risk permanent injury that will hinder a potential trade deal from getting done down the road.
With that said, Davis does plan on playing again this season. In fact, he plans on playing as soon as before the trade deadline, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
"Davis does plan to play for the Pelicans again before trade deadline in a week, league sources said. Davis wants to play in the NBA All-Star Game in mid-February."
Davis requested a trade on early Monday through his agent Rich Paul, who released a statement announcing Davis' intention to leave New Orleans, saying the All-Star would refuse to sign a contract extension. As a result of violating league rules for publicly announcing his declaration to leave the Pelicans, the NBA fined Davis $50,000 on Tuesday.
The 25-year-old Davis was in the midst of having his best individual statistical season. The 6-foot-11 big is averaging 29.3 points, 13.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.7 steals per game -- all career-highs.
However, the Pelicans, back in action on Saturday against the Spurs (8:30 p.m. ET -- watch on fuboTV), continue to illustrate that they're not true playoff contenders as they're 23-29 and 13th in the Western Conference.
It's clear that Davis realizes he's entering the prime of his career and that he doesn't want to waste those years playing on a non-playoff team such as the Pelicans.
Considering Davis won't lose trade value if he sits out the rest of the season, maybe sitting the All-Star big man the rest of the season is the best course of action for both sides.
