ATLANTA — If the New Orleans Pelicans end up trading superstar Anthony Davis this summer, Danny Ferry could be the one pulling the trigger.
On Friday night, Ferry was reportedly tapped as interim general manager of the Pelicans, just a few hours after the franchise relieved Dell Demps of the GM duties.
Ferry had already been working with New Orleans as a consultant; but the reported promotion marks his first stint as a general manager, since being dismissed by the Atlanta Hawks in 2015.
Things initially went sideways back in June 2014, after Ferry had read a potentially racist and/offensive scouting report, verbatim, during a conference call, specifically discussing Luol Deng (then of the Miami Heat).
Michael Gearon, a Hawks co-owner at the time, immediately called for Ferry to resign from the club.
The Hawks initially opted to discipline, but not dismiss Ferry for the incident.
In June 2015, an independent investigation, according to United Press International, included "19 witness interviews and reviewed the contents of more than 24,000 emails, made clear that the offensive language was not Ferry's and none of Ferry's remarks or behavior during the call were motivated by racial or ethnic animus, or by a person's country of origin.
"To the contrary, the investigation found Ferry shared his own opinion of Deng, recommended him both personally and professionally and ultimately tried to sign him to the team."
Ferry would subsequently leave the team after the investigation results went public, agreeing to a buyout with Hawks management.
Adding to the misery, the aforementioned Davis has publicly expressed a desire to be traded this summer, after pledging that he won't re-sign with the club in July 2020.