Charles Barkley on Anthony Davis' Trade Request: 'He Handled That Situation Wrong'
Charles Barkley does not believe that All-Star center Anthony Davis manage his situation well by requesting the Pelicans to trade him shortly ahead of the NBA's trade deadline.
During a 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend, Barkley spoke with Open Floor podcast hosts Andrew Sharp and Ben Golliver about Davis's situation in New Orleans:
"Well, don't ruin your reputation as a great player, one of the nicest guys in the world. Remember your agent works for you. You don't work for him. He handled that situation wrong, it's going to come back to bite him in the ass. It's unfortunate because, like I said before the season, I thought he was the second-best player in the world.
"He's a great person. But anybody that works for me, I make sure they know we don't work together, they work for me. They're going to do whatever I f---in' say or they're going to get fired. Because you know what? I can get somebody to do what they do. They can't get somebody to do what I do. I said last week and it's gotten worse already.
"This is a bad situation, it's bad look for the NBA because that kid can't go out there and give it 100% because he's worried about getting hurt. The Pelicans ain't trying to win. And you see already he's had less than three points in the last few weeks. That's ridiculous... I hear all these clowns on TV saying it's great that players are getting all this power. Let me tell you guys something, workers are never going to have power over their ownership ever. It might work for a couple guys, but in the history of the world no workers have ever overtaken people who own a business. And when these guys are sitting at home locked out in a couple of years, I want y'all to remember I told y'all that."
Davis did not have his trade request honored by the in-season deadline, but he said he does not intend to hold out.
The Pelicans have since revamped their front office, parting ways with general manager Dell Demps last week. Owner Gayle Benson reportedly wants an overhaul of the team and is seeking a general manager who will take command of trade talks for Davis and can help shape the team's future.
