Pelicans' Anthony Davis Fined $50K for Agent Rich Paul Publicly Requesting Trade

It turns out Anthony Davis broke the rules when he turned the NBA world upside down with his trade request.

Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype shared the announcement from the league stipulating Davis was fined $50,000 "for violating a collectively-bargained rule prohibiting players or their representatives from making public trade demands. The fine is for statements that were made by Davis' agent, Rich Paul, in an intentional effort to undermine the contractual relationship between Davis and the Pelicans."

On Monday, Paul told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski that he had informed the New Orleans Pelicans his client was not interested in signing a contract extension and wanted to be traded.

This comes after the Pelicans released a statement saying they would do any trade "on our timeline." They also asked the NBA to "strictly enforce the tampering rules associated with this transaction."

It should be noted Paul is also the agent of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, and the Purple and Gold are widely considered to be one of Davis' primary suitors.

Wojnarowski cited multiple sources who said the expectation is Paul will soon make it publicly known Davis prefers to play on the Lakers and won't sign a long-term extension with another trade partner. The five-time All-Star can become a free agent following the 2019-20 season, so another team would run the risk of forfeiting significant assets for a rental player in a trade.

Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported the Lakers front office held a meeting Monday and was preparing to make a trade offer for Davis. He noted any offer "would almost have to include Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma along with other sweeteners and salary-cap fillers."

While Davis may ultimately get the opportunity to play with James and compete for championships on the Lakers after winning just one playoff series during his time with the Pelicans, his wallet will be $50,000 lighter following his efforts to get traded by New Orleans.