Pelicans Exec: Anthony Davis 'Will Be Attracted' to Stay After Zion Lottery Win

The New Orleans Pelicans have officially claimed the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft, which means they have the right to draft Duke phenom Zion Williamson. However, the future of All-Star Anthony Davis still towers the franchise's priority list. 

When asked by SNY's Ian Begley whether having the No. 1 pick in his pocket changes negotiations with Anthony Davis, who publicly requested a trade from New Orleans through his agent in January, Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin responded: "Not a lot."

"We want to create an environment that players are attracted to, and we feel very strongly Anthony, in totality, will be attracted to what we can build," Griffin added.

"Anthony wants to be traded to a team that allows him a chance to win consistently and compete for a championship," Davis' agent Rich Paul told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski in January.

The six-time All-Star's mindset has not changed after the Pelicans claimed the top pick, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. However, while New Orleans isn't likely to keep Davis, the presumed addition of Williamson will do wonders to attract other players to the bayou.

The Pelicans have not owned the No. 1 overall pick since 2012, when they used it to draft Davis out of Kentucky. 

The Pelicans would be wise to learn from their mistakes with Davis should they have the privilege to rebuild the franchise around Williamson, wrote Deadspin's Lauren Theisen: 

"The Pelicans drafted Davis seven years ago, and even though he's become a top-five NBA stud in that time, they've only won one playoff series with him as their centerpiece. While DeMarcus Cousins's Achilles injury in 2018 could be partially to blame for the lack of recent success (though it's not like the Pelicans could have beaten the Warriors in the second round with a healthy Cousins anyway), the organization has completely failed to build a solid roster around a generational superstar ...

"... It's unclear if Davis will actually, finally get traded this offseason or if the Pels will try to pair the two on the court as if Zion is Cousins 2.0. But whatever GM David Griffin does, Zion better hope he learned from Dell Demps's mistakes."

Earlier Tuesday, before the results of the lottery were known, Charania reported the New York Knicks were looking to flip the No. 1 overall pick into a package to acquire Davis from the Pelicans. 

Now that the Pelicans, not the Knicks, hold that pick, Davis' future still might be tied to it should New Orleans decide pairing Davis with Williamson is the best move. The 26-year-old is signed with the Pelicans through the 2020-21 season.