David Griffin lays out why Celtics backed off in Anthony Davis trade talks originally appeared on nbcsportsboston.com Remember all that reported acrimony between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Los Angeles Lakers over Anthony Davis trade talks at the deadline? Apparently none of it mattered. Pelicans executive president of basketball operations David Griffin, who joined New Orleans in April, traded Davis to the Lakers anyway in June, leaving other suitors like the Boston Celtics out in the cold.