Elfrid Payton joined sports radio host Scott Prather on ESPN 1420 yesterday to discuss a variety of topics. But before talking about his upcoming free agency and Aaron Nelson, the Pelicans new Vice President of Player Care and Performance, Payton touched on the bittersweet feelings about last season. One thing he immediately made clear: Anthony Davis’ trade request did not catch teammates by surprise.
“Honestly, it didn’t impact us at all in the locker room,” said Payton. “AD is a great person. Obviously, everybody has an opinion on what someone should do, but at the beginning of the season — before training camp had even started, he had told us that it was a possibility that something like that may be happening.