Stephen A. Smith: Anthony Davis Doesn't Want to Play for Pelicans Anymore

The Anthony Davis speculation cycle is already in full swing.

Appearing on ESPN's Get Up! on Thursday morning, analysts Stephen A. Smith and Jalen Rose both said they believe Davis will try to force a split from the New Orleans Pelicans in the not-so-distant future. 

"I definitely think that he wants out," Smith said. "He signed with Klutch Sports. Anthony Davis doesn't want to be in New Orleans any longer. ... Whether it's definitively the Los Angeles Lakers, I'm not so sure. I would keep Golden State and Boston in the mix because Golden State doesn't know what Kevin Durant is going to want to do. And Boston obviously has the requisite pieces to put together to make sure they can get a player the quality of Anthony Davis." 

Rose added he thinks Davis—like Chris Paul, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Jimmy Butler before him—will tell the Pelicans he wants out in an attempt to force their hand as he prepares to enter a contract year next offseason.

"I anticipate Anthony Davis, after this year, is going to do the exact same thing to try to navigate himself to be in Los Angeles with LeBron James," Rose said. 

As Smith mentioned, Davis raised eyebrows last week when he signed with Klutch Sports' Rich Paul, who also represents James. 

However, Paul told ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst that Davis' decision to hire new representation was not borne out of a desire to be moved: "A star player switching agents sometimes can create the implication that he wants to change teams. Paul, who represents more than 20 NBA players, told ESPN that is not the case and he plans to meet with Pelicans officials soon."

Davis explained further. 

"It was just for where I am right now in my career—what I’m trying to do—I thought the change was necessary," Davis said Monday, according to the Associated Press' Brett Martel. "That's all it was."

"I’m here," Davis added. "I want to focus on winning this year with the squad that we have. We have a good squad."

Davis, a five-time All-Star and three-time All-Defensive selection, is firmly entrenched as one of the NBA's premier talents. Last season, the 2012 No. 1 overall pick averaged 28.1 points, 11.1 rebounds, 1.5 steals and a league-leading 2.6 blocks per game while shooting 53.4 percent from the field. 

According to Basketball Insiders, Davis will earn $27 million next season and will be eligible to test unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2020 as long as he declines a player option worth $28.7 million for the 2020-21 campaign.