NBA
Anthony Davis Parts Ways With His Agent Thad Foucher
When it comes to superstars in the NBA, they do their work early to make a possible big move. On Saturday, New Orleans Pelicans star forward Anthony Davis did just that. Davis fired his agent, Thad Foucher, which shouldn’t be a total shock to anyone. In the past few seasons alone, we’ve seen stars like Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, DeAndre Jordan, and Jimmy Butler hire new agents.
Why Anthony Davis Firing His Agent Is Bad News For The Pelicans
The move Davis made is indeed a power mode and his way of preparing himself for a possible departure from the Pelicans. So why is this news bad for the Pelicans? First, a player of Davis’ caliber doesn’t come around often. When healthy, he’s a top five player in the NBA. He’s also a franchise player and a guy that should win the MVP award a few times before his career ends.
The second reason is New Orleans itself. No doubt, it’s a wonderful city, but it’s a small market. Historically, it’s been tough for small markets teams to keep their stars and acquire one in free agency. The Pelicans are also in the brutal western conference, which isn’t a big time sales pitch to sell a star on in free agency. They can just go to the eastern conference, the one that’s not as brutal as the west.
The final reason is Davis might be starting to realize that he doesn’t want to follow the same path Kevin Garnett did. Garnett spent 12 seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves, but got out of the first round of the playoffs once. Davis knows his odds of winning a championship in the Big Easy aren’t good. The Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets are the two top heavyweights in the western conference as we speak. Right now, are the Pelicans built to beat them come playoff time? Highly unlikely.
The Wildcard In The Anthony Davis Development: Rich Paul
In the NBA circles, Rich Paul has made a big name for himself. Paul represents his long time friend LeBron James, who shocked everyone this summer by joining the Los Angeles Lakers. He also represents players like Ben Simmons, John Wall, and Eric Bledsoe. Markieff and Marcus Morris are also Paul’s clients. Paul is a leading contender to be Davis’ next agent, according to Brian Windhorst and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.
The Pelicans Are Now On The Clock
For the Pelicans, it’s something they have to keep their eyes on. In a perfect world, superstars would love to stay with the team that drafted them. The hunger of winning trumphs that. They must have a plan in place to keep Davis in a Pelicans uniform.
He has two-years, $52 million left on his current contract. He’s eligible to get a $230 million supermax contract next summer. Now, the question is this- Is this move Davis’ way of putting pressure on the Pelicans to make improvements or is he really starting to consider leaving? Only time will tell, but for the Pelicans, you’re officially on the clock
Photo Credit
Jenifern Sarah via Flickr
