The New Orleans Pelicans recently fired head coach Monty Williams, which came to the surprise of many as it was made after the team made the playoffs this season for the first time in four years.
The decision to give Williams the pink slip might eventually hurt the Pelicans down the road. According to NBA analyst Chris Sheridan, the Pelicans could lose All-Star forward Anthony Davis because of firing Williams.
"The bad news for Monty Williams was good news for the rest of the NBA," Sheridan wrote. "There is now a strong chance that Anthony Davis leaves New Orleans and becomes an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2017."
Davis has developed a strong relationship with Williams since he was selected as the first overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. Aside from their three seasons together in New Orleans, Davis and Williams was also a part of the USA Basketball Team that won the gold medal in the 2012 London Olympics and 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
To make matter worse, Pelicans executive vice president Mickey Loomis told New Orleans Times-Picayune said that they did not consult with Davis before firing Williams because they did not see any reason to do so.
"Obviously Anthony has a good relationship with Monty and this doesn't have anything to do with that," Loomis said of firing Williams without telling Davis about it before the announcement. "We don't ask our players to make decisions relative to our coaching staff. It's a management and organization decision."
Davis, who averaged 24.4 points and 10.2 rebounds to go along with 2.9 blocks and 2.2 assists this season, will be playing in the fourth year of his rookie contract next season and could become a restricted free agent in 2016.
As a restricted free agent, Davis can sign offer sheet from another team, but the Pelicans could match any offer to keep the former Kentucky standout.
The Pelicans will have control in the summer of 2016, but Davis could also decide to sign a one-year qualifying offer to delay his free agency. If he takes that route, the 22-year-old will become an unrestricted free agent in 2017, which will give him the opportunity to pick his destination without giving the Pelicans a chance to match the offer.
The scenario is familiar to New Orleans fans because it happened in 2009 when team fired then-coach Byron Scott without asking superstars Chris Paul and David West for inputs. Paul and West were reportedly disappointed of the decision and both players eventually played for another team.
Will the same scenario happen when Davis gets a chance to leave the Pelicans?
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