
To that end, Griffin has been working to find multi-team trade scenarios that could redirect assets for players or picks more preferable to the Pelicans, sources said.
All of the Los Angeles and NY franchises - the Lakers, Clippers, Knicks, and Nets - have inquired about Davis.
But recent news indicates that a team like the Bulls could be a factor in a potential deal involving the New Orleans Pelicans and Davis' eventual destination. NY can't offer the same quality of young talent as the Lakers or Celtics, so they make up for it in draft picks, and get Davis to help lure free agents to Madison Square Garden. The Knicks have the extremely valuable #3 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft to dangle in front of the Pelicans, but their best asset after that is rookie wing Kevin Knox, a player New Orleans isn't necessarily impressed by. That's not to say either the Bulls or the team dealing for Davis would be interested in a swap for the 7th pick. New Orleans seems determined to be creative in constructing a deal to maximize the return on Davis, one of the NBA's elite talents.
This will gives the Pelicans a chance to meet and scout draft selections before deciding on a trade. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, this also includes multi-team trade scenarios. New Orleans gets two players with All-Star potential, though, and can use their two draft picks to either make more transactions or add two more guys to build around Zion, essentially giving them a brand-new starting five, should they wish.
What Woj is reporting here, essentially, is that no one team has enough attainable and realistic assets to acquire Davis, who hasn't budged on his demand for a trade request he made back in January. This report nearly certainly means potential suitors will have to include other teams in order to meet these considerable and appropriate demands in a Davis deal. The Celtics could make a run at the big man as well, though that may be contingent upon what pending free agent Kyrie Irving decides. The Pelicans get a first-team All-NBA defender in Smart, who improved his 3-point shooting this year, and two guys with All-Star potential in Brown and Tatum.
For now, a Davis trade looms as a premium free-agent recruiting tool for those big-market teams engaged with New Orleans.