The decision comes just days after the NBA trade deadline, which saw the Los Angeles Lakers offering a bounty of picks and young players for Anthony Davis.
In the end, the deal fell through, and many assumed that the Lakers quest to land Davis was in trouble. Magic Johnson accused the Pelicans of not acting in good faith and Demps did not interested in dealing with the Lakers. Davis' move would now have to wait until the offseason when rival teams specifically the Boston Celtics would be able to put together offers that might be more appealing to the Pelicans. The Celtics were barred from dealing for Davis at the deadline due to an obscure rule in the NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement.
But the latest front office shuffle in New Orleans might be the best evidence Lakers fan have gotten yet that their team could still bring Davis to Los Angeles.
The Pelicans decision to fire Demps gives a reason for Lakers fans to hope, as it implies that New Orleans' ownership has been unhappy with how Davis' looming trade has been dealt with, and possibly that the Pelicans front office would have preferred for the deadline deal to go through.
That said, Demps firing could have also been a long time coming. According to Dan Woike at the Los Angeles Times, Demps future being up in the air was also a factor in the team's decision to wait until the summer to move Davis.
Regardless of the reasoning behind the decision, the Pelicans are clearly on the cusp of a new chapter and will bring in a new general manager to steer the ship through the transition.
Starting from scratch is no easy feat for any incoming GM, but because the Pelicans still have one of the best players in the league to deal away in exchange for future assets, it's still a rather appealing job.
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