Anthony Davis will be a free agent in 2020 but could leave the Pelicans earlier. In this picture, Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans looks on against the Detroit Pistons at Smoothie King Center on January 23, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Anthony Davis is contracted to the New Orleans Pelicans until the 2021 season but he can become a free agent in 2020 by declining player option for the final year of his deal. The power forward is eligible for a supermax deal worth $240 million this summer, but is expected to reject the offer and ask for a move.

The Pelicans are reluctant to lose their prized asset but will likely be forced to put him on the trade block should he reject their long-term offer in the summer as they will want to lose him for nothing in 2020.

Davis will not be short of suitors should he become available with a number of teams already on his trail. EPSN’s Stephen A Smith is certain that he will ask to leave in the summer, and while the Lakers are said to be his preferred destination, there could be other teams who offer more to the Pelicans in terms of young talent and draft picks.

“I’m concerned right now as to whether or not the Lakers will be able to attract a free agent,” Smith said on ESPN’s Stephen A Smith Show. “Because Anthony Davis will want to be traded this summer, I’m just telling you ahead of time.”

“Anthony Davis will let the Pelicans know he wants out this summer. He will publicly announce he will want to be traded, make no mistake about it.

“But the Pelicans still have to co-operate, and he can’t exactly say, ‘I want out, but only to the Lakers.’ He’s going to want to go to a contender,” he explained. “It’s a Boston situation, it’s a Lakers situation, it could potentially be a [Brooklyn] Nets situation.”

The Lakers have been constantly linked with a move for Davis with reports suggesting that they could even move before the trade deadline on Feb. 7. That is unlikely to happen after agent indicated that a potential departure will only happen after the current campaign.

However, if the Lakers wait until summer they could very well get usurped by another team, namely, the Boston Celtics. Brad Stevens’ team are long-time admirers of the forward and are said to be solely focused on signing him if he became available.

The Celtics have a number of talented young players in their roster and with the franchise likely to have four draft picks come the summer, ESPN’s NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski is certain that they will be in the front of the queue to take Davis to TD Garden. The forward’s capture is certain to make them immediate title contenders as they already possess one of the best guards in the league in Kyrie Irving.

“This Boston team are really loaded. It’s a loaded roster. They certainly want to see Gordon Hayward continue to progress. There are no trades on the horizon right now. They want to continue with this roster and try to compete and get out of the East,” Wojnarowski told ESPN.

“There’s only one trade in the mind of this organisation and that’s down the road, that’s Anthony Davis. They have draft assets, they have young players that whenever Boston gets to a point where they might want to trade Davis, Boston is going to be at the front of the line,” he added.

“They’re not making any significant roster moves between now and whenever that day may come.”