METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Anthony Davis wore a dark blue Pelicans hoodie with the sleeves cut off and "New Orleans" printed in red letters across the chest.What he said after Friday's practice, however, left no doubt that his heart was somewhere else."I gave the city, organization, fans everything I feel like I could," said Davis, who is in his seventh NBA season and turns 26 on March 11. "I don't know how long I'm going to play this game. People's careers are short and I feel like it's my time to move on."The All-Star forward and center, who recently informed New Orleans he would like to be traded, said his intention remains to play for the Pelicans as long as he is healthy and under contract with them.Whether that happens remains in doubt.Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry declined to be pinned down on the matter."We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Gentry said.Davis has missed six games since spraining his left index finger at Portland on Jan. 18."Obviously, it's a tough situation, but... [More]

METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Anthony Davis wore a blue Pelicans practice jersey with the word "New Orleans," printed in red letters across the chest.What he said after Friday's practice, however, left no doubt that his heart was somewhere else."I gave the city, organization, fans everything I feel like I could," said Davis, who is in his seventh NBA season and turns 26 on March 11. "I don't know how long I'm going to play this game. People's careers are short and I feel like it's my time to move on."The All-Star forward and center, who recently informed New Orleans he would like to be traded, said his intention remains to play for the Pelicans as long as he is healthy and under contract with them.Whether that happens remains in doubt.Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry declined to be pinned down on the matter."We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Gentry said.Davis has missed six games since spraining his left index finger at Portland on Jan. 18."Obviously, it's a tough situation, but my intention... [More]

METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Anthony Davis feels like he's given the New Orleans Pelicans all he can and that his time to move on has come."I don't know how long I'm going to play this game," said Davis, who turns 26 on March 11. "People's careers are short and I feel like it's my time to move on."The All-Star forward and center, who recently informed New Orleans he would like to be traded, said Friday that his intention remains to play for New Orleans as long as he is healthy and under contract with the Pelicans."Obviously, it's a tough situation, but my intention is to still play and when I'm able to play I'm going to suit up," said Davis, who has missed six games with a sprained left index finger since his injury occurred at Portland on Jan. 18.While Davis and Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James share an agent, Davis said he has never provided New Orleans a list of preferred destinations and added that where he winds up is "on the Pelicans.""I never gave them a timetable, never gave them a... [More]

METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Anthony Davis says he feels like it's his time now, that he's given all he can to the Pelicans and that he is ready to move on.The All-Star has informed New Orleans he would like to be traded but said Friday that his intention is to play as long as he is a member of the Pelicans organization.Davis, who has been sidelined with a sprained left index finger, says "obviously it's a tough situation but my intention is to still play and when I'm able to play I'm going to suit up."The Pelicans are mulling over what to do with six-time All-Star and several other prominent players as the NBA's trade deadline approaches.Davis, forward Julius Randle, forward Nikola Mirotic, guard E'Twaun Moore and guard Elfrid Payton have not played since Davis's agent made public on Monday his client's desire to be traded.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBAbasketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Anthony Davis had just compiled a night the NBA hadn't seen in 45 years, though he wasn't interested in the box score.The numbers that matter to him are in the standings.That's where he sees his New Orleans Pelicans sitting above only one team in the Western Conference, and he was asked Wednesday night if he is getting frustrated."The frustration is just that we're a better team than our record shows," Davis said.He had 34 points and a career-high 26 rebounds in Brooklyn, but the Pelicans never gave themselves a chance by playing a defenseless first half in which they surrendered 73 points. They played much better in the second half, but ended up losing 126-121.In Davis' return from a one-game absence because of an illness, the Pelicans wasted what they said was the first game with at least 34 points, 26 rebounds and three blocks since Elvin Hayes on Dec. 2, 1973."Him having 32 or 34 points and 26 rebounds, that's not unusual for us," coach Alvin Gentry said. "Maybe the... [More]

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Pelicans guard Elfrid Payton has played in only seven games this season, and his team has won six of them.The latest one came Monday night as he returned from a broken finger that caused a 22-game absence over six weeks."It felt good, man. It felt better to finish a game," Payton said after helping New Orleans turn back the Minnesota Timberwolves 123-114 by scoring nine points in 24 minutes to go with six assists, a rebound and a steal."Get a win. That's all it was about," Payton said. "Do as much to help as possible — try to bring intensity on defense."Payton, who also happens to be a New Orleans native, was acquired as a free agent this past offseason to fill the void left by Rajon Rondo's departure for the Los Angeles Lakers.New Orleans started 4-0 with him in the lineup. The Pelicans lost to Utah when he left early because of a sprained ankle that sidelined him for nine games. They won when he briefly returned against the New York Knicks on Nov. 16, only to break... [More]

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Pelicans guard Elfrid Payton has returned from a broken hand that sidelined him for about six weeks and he was in the starting lineup against Minnesota on Monday night.However, the Pelicans say leading scorer and rebounder Anthony Davis is ill and unable to play against the Timblerwolves. Jahlil Okafor started in Davis' place.Payton has missed 22 games since fracturing a finger on his left hand against the New York Knicks on Nov. 16. That was his first game back from an earlier right ankle sprain that sidelined him nine games.He has played in just six games in all, averaging 9.7 points, 5.3 assists and 5.2 rebounds.Payton was signed as a free agent this past offseason and has assumed the role vacated by Rajon Rondo when he left for the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency.Entering the game against Minnesota, the Pelicans had won five of six games in which Payton played. They'd gone 11-20 without him.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Pelicans say guard Elfrid Payton is scheduled for surgery to repair a fractured finger on his left hand and that his recovery is expected to take about six weeks.Payton was injured during last Friday night's victory over the New York Knicks, which was also his first game back in the lineup after sitting out nine contests with a sprained ankle.Payton has played in just six of the Pelicans' 16 games this season, averaging 9.7 points and 5.3 assists. He has played more than 15 minutes in only four games, scoring in double figures each time.The update on Payton's status came as the Pelicans prepared to host the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Pelicans say point guard Elfrid Payton has a fractured finger on his left hand.Payton injured his finger in the first quarter of his first game back on Friday night after he'd missed New Orleans' nine previous games with a right ankle sprain.Soon after, Payton was ruled out for the remainder of the game against the New York Knicks.Acquired as a free agent this past offseason, Payton has played in six games for New Orleans. He entered Friday night's games with averages 11.6 points and 6.4 assists through his first five games, but did not have a point or assist in eight minutes against New York before his latest injury.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Pelicans point guard Elfrid Payton is returning from a nine-game absence Friday night when New Orleans hosts the New York Knicks.Payton had been listed as questionable because of a right ankle sprain, but he was listed in the official starting lineup released before tip-off.Acquired as a free agent this past offseason, Payton has played in five games for New Orleans, averaging 11.6 points and 6.4 assists per game.New Orleans also went 4-1 in games in which he played and 3-6 in games he has missed.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

DENVER (AP) — New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis was held out for a second straight game because of a sprained right elbow.Coach Alvin Gentry said Monday night before the game against the Denver Nuggets that while Davis still experienced some pain, the injury wasn't considered "any big deal." Gentry added that it's early in the season and the team doesn't want to take any chances.Davis also sat out Saturday's loss to Utah. He's averaging 27.3 points, 13.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists for New Orleans this season.In addition, the Pelicans were without guard Elfrid Payton because of a sprained right ankle. Payton is averaging 11.6 points and 6.4 assists.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Losing All-Star DeMarcus Cousins to injury in the middle of last season helped Pelicans general manager Dell Demps decide on roster moves this summer, particularly after Cousins chose to bolt in free agency.Demps had a chance to see the Pelicans coalesce around fellow All-Star Anthony Davis and a faster-paced style as they rallied to finish sixth in the Western Conference and sweep third-seeded Portland in the first round of the playoffs."It was fun to watch as the guys were playing fast and sharing the ball and flying all over the place," Demps said. "When you feel like you've established an identity that has had success, you want to continue along those lines."We feel like we've established ourselves from a defensive standpoint and an offensive standpoint," he added. "We're going to defend. We're going to play fast. We're going to move the ball and we're going to play for each other."To help fill the void left by Cousins, Demps brought in former Lakers forward Julius... [More]

METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Anthony Davis swatted away the notion that his decision to hire new representation meant he was setting the stage for a change of scenery.With three seasons left on his contract and five All-Star nods to his name, Davis' leverage to control where he plays is growing. So when he recently left the Wasserman agency that negotiated his current contract and joined Klutch Sports, which also represents Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, it begged questions about the reasons for the switch.The move also stoked paranoia in New Orleans, the city Chris Paul left in his prime shortly after he changed agents.But Davis said the move was aimed primarily at helping him become the "the most dominant player in the league.""It was just for where I am right now in my career — what I'm trying to do — I thought the change was necessary," Davis said Monday, when the Pelicans held media day on the eve of training camp. "That's all it was."Increasingly, agencies representing athletes are... [More]

METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Whether the Pelicans are better off with Julius Randle and Elfrid Payton than they were with DeMarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo remains to be seen.All general manager Dell Demps could do on Friday, as he sat between his two new players, was offer assurances that New Orleans All-Star Anthony Davis was an ardent advocate for signing Randle and suggest that the "two-way" abilities of Payton and Randle give the Pelicans a promising opportunity to build on a formula that served them well late last season."When we finished the season last year, we felt like found a rhythm, found an identity," Demps said, alluding to the playoff push and first-round sweep of Portland that the Pelicans pulled off without Cousins, who was rehabilitating his torn left Achilles tendon."We feel like the team's improved," Demps said. "On paper, everything looks really good. But, obviously, we have to do it on the court."Before Cousins spurned New Orleans in favor of a one-year, reported $5.3 million... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — A person with knowledge of the situation says the Phoenix Suns have decided not to re-sign center Alex Len and point guard Elfrid Payton, clearing some $10 million in salary cap space as the team prepares to make a run at free agents.The person asked to remain anonymous because those intentions have not been made public. Free agency begins in the NBA on Sunday.The moves were expected.The 7-foot-1 Len, who comes from the Ukraine, was the fifth overall pick in the 2013 draft after one season at Maryland. He played in 335 games over four seasons with Phoenix, averaging 7.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, never becoming the dominant big man the Suns had hoped he would be. Last season, Len appeared in 69 games, averaging 8.5 points and 7.5 rebounds.Acquired from Orlando for a second-round pick at last season's trade deadline, Payton averaged 11.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.2 assists in 19 games with Phoenix but shot 44 percent from the field, 20 percent from 3-point range.The Suns' decision not to re-sign the players first was reported by azcentral (The Arizona Republic).

PHOENIX (AP) — The Phoenix Suns acquired point guard Elfrid Payton from the Orlando Magic on Thursday for a second-round pick this summer.Payton is averaging a career-high 13.0 points and shooting career bests of 52.0 percent from the field and 37.3 percent from 3-point range this season. He also is averaging 6.3 assists and 4.0 rebounds."We are excited to add a player of Elfrid's caliber to our young core," Suns general manager Ryan McDonough said a team release. "Elfrid is an athletic point guard who has good size, length and a feel for the game. We think he'll be a great fit with our team."Payton is in his fourth NBA season.The pick sent to Orlando was secured by the Suns along with guard Troy Daniels in a deal with the Grizzlies in September.To make room for Payton, the Suns waived injured guard Isaiah Canaan. He broke his left ankle Jan. 1 and had surgery Feb. 1."We still consider Isaiah to be a member of the Phoenix Suns family," McDonough said. "In speaking with Isaiah and his agent, we are fully committed to doing everything we can to help him with his rehab and recovery from his injury. This move is being made strictly to create a roster spot with Isaiah being out for the remainder of the season."

G Elfrid Payton recorded 19 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in Thursday's 102-89 victory over Detroit.

G Elfrid Payton tallied 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists in a loss to Miami.

G Elfrid Payton had 19 points and made eight of his 10 shots Wednesday. He also had six assists. He set the tone early by beating Oklahoma City G Russell Westbrook with a pullup jumper, then quickly stole the ball from Thunder superstar on the next possession. In his last five games, he is averaging 15.6 points on 59.6 percent shooting with 5.2 rebounds and 7.2 assists.

G Elfrid Payton did not play Saturday due to lingering effects from a left hamstring injury. He has missed nine of Orlando's last 10 games. "We're just being smart," Orlando coach Frank Vogel said. "One thing he hasn't done since he's been back is playing in a back-to-back."