Gentry: Davis' trade request created 'toxic' fallout for both Pelicans, Lakers

New Orleans Pelicans bench boss Alvin Gentry has seen plenty in his coaching career, but nothing quite like what transpired in the wake of Anthony Davis' attempt to skip town ahead of this season's trade deadline.

"(I haven't seen a situation) this toxic, no. Not that affected two teams. And two guys. One lost his job and the other one resigned from his job," Gentry said Tuesday, according to ESPN's Nick Friedell, referring to ex-Pelicans general manager Dell Demps and now-former Los Angeles Lakers president Magic Johnson.

"So no, in 31 years I hadn't had anything that would equal this kind of fallout. No, I haven't."

Davis' trade request in January was largely interpreted as a means of navigating his way to Los Angeles, a strong favorite to land the big man due to the team's history of acquiring stars and the fact Davis shares an agent with LeBron.

Initially, Davis and Klutch Sports' Rich Paul were expected to tell potential suitors he intended to sign with Los Angeles as a free agent in 2020 regardless of which team acquired him. However, Davis ultimately remained with the organization he publicly attempted to spurn.

He eventually backpedaled from early indications and said he was open to being traded to "all 29 other teams" in pursuit of winning.

With Davis still under contract with the Pelicans through at least the end of the 2019-20 season, the end of the 2018-19 campaign proved to be a delicate balance between both the team and player's long-term goals.

"I think he's a great kid," Gentry said of Davis. "I think he's a very good kid. I think he's a solid guy ... I think he got some bad advice. You know me to just tell the truth."