The NBA has fined New Orleans Pelicans big man Anthony Davis $50,000 for violating the collective bargaining agreement over his public trade demand.
The fine was issued following statements made by his agent Rich Paul's "effort to undermine the contractual relationship between Davis and the Pelicans."
Paul, who also represents Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, told ESPN that Davis has no plans on signing an extension with New Orleans and that his client wishes to be traded, saying Davis "wants to be traded to a team that allows him a chance to win consistently and compete for a championship."
Following the news of the request, the Pelicans released a statement regarding the situation, asking the league to "strictly enforce the tampering rules associated with this transaction."
"This past weekend, Anthony Davis' representatives informed us that Anthony does not wish to sign a contract extension with our team and subsequently has requested a trade. Although we are disappointed in this decision, our organization's top priority is to bring an NBA championship to our city and fans build our team for long-term success.
Relative to specific talks of a trade, we will do this on our timeline. One that make sense for our team and it will not be dictated by those outside of our organization. We have also requested the League to strictly enforce the tampering rules associated with this transaction."
The 25-year-old is eligible for a five-year, $240 million contract extension this offseason, with one-year remaining on his current deal before he becomes an unrestricted free agent in the 2020 offseason.
Davis, who is currently sidelined with a finger injury, is averaging career-highs in points per game (29.3), rebounds per game (13.3) and assists per game (4.4) this season.