Teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA) are searching for a stretch four and New Orleans Pelicans forward Ryan Anderson seems to be the favorite being heavily involved in trade rumors. But head coach Alvin Gentry said Anderson is unlikely to be part of any deal.
"Everyone knows that Ryan's name is going to be out there," Gentry said according to The Times-Picayune.
"We have made not one call about trading Ryan, nor will we. So those are the kind of things that's going to happen that people are going to inquire about. Once you've been in the league for a couple of years, everyone knows that's part of it," Gentry added.
In the past few weeks since the NBA trade period began, which started last month, Anderson was always part of trade talks and speculations, especially with the Pelicans struggling this season.
However, no significant move has materialized and with Gentry confirming they are not likely to trade Anderson, the veteran will stay with the New Orleans team.
Anderson is performing very well this season for the hapless Pelicans averaging 16.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 31.1 minutes played per game. The 27-year-old is the second-leading scorer and rebounder for the Pelicans behind franchise star Anthony Davis.
Despite the hardships the Pelicans are facing this season, the team is not aiming to explore trade options immediately. Gentry also mentioned that any potential move must have mutual consent with general manager Dell Demps.
"We've talked about a few things, people have talked to us about a few things," Gentry stated.
"But nothing that we felt was beneficial to our team. We like the guys we have here," he followed.
The Pelicans are currently second to the last in the Western Conference standings with an 11-23 record, just above the Los Angeles Lakers who fell to 8-29 following a close 118-115 defeat to the Sacramento Kings Thursday.
