Anthony Davis to Rest vs. LeBron James, Lakers Following Trade Rumors

New Orleans Pelicans star Anthony Davis will not play in Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. Charania reported Davis will instead be resting.

Saturday's contest marks the back end of a back-to-back for New Orleans, with Davis logging 20 minutes against the Indiana Pacers on Friday. He had left the Pelicans' previous game back on Feb. 14 with a shoulder contusion.

New Orleans is proceeding with caution with the face of its franchise after he made it clear late last month that he would not re-sign with the team and would prefer to be traded. Los Angeles was the team most frequently linked to the All-Star prior to the Feb. 7 trade deadline.

No agreement on a deal was reached.

With the franchise wanting to protect a potential trade asset, Marc Stein of the New York Times reported that the Pelicans were considering holding Davis out the remainder of the season if he was still on the roster past the deadline. However, ESPN's Brian Windhorst later reported the league threatened to fine New Orleans $100,000 for every game Davis was a healthy scratch.

Davis missed nine games starting in late January due to a sprained left index finger. Then, he suffered a shoulder injury just four games into his return.

As a result, Stein reported the Pelicans were circling back around to the league in order to gain permission to sit the big man for the remainder of the season.

Despite all of the noise surrounding him, Davis has put together one of his finest seasons to date. The 25-year-old is averaging 27.8 points and 2.5 blocks per game while posting career highs in rebounding (12.8 RPG), assists (4.2 APG) and steals (1.6 SPG).

Davis' big season has not translated into team success, though. New Orleans currently owns the third-worst record in the Western Conference at 26-34.

The Pelicans will be at a major disadvantage going up against LeBron James and the Lakers without their best player. But given the team is well outside of the playoff picture, keeping Davis healthy down the stretch will be the top priority in New Orleans—not to mention the fact that having Davis on the same floor as James could ultimately become a distraction.