New Orleans Pelicans general manager Dell Demps is reportedly not yet ready to engage in trade talks regarding disgruntled star Anthony Davis.

According to ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin, a source said Demps is "not picking up his phone."

On Monday, Davis' agent, Rich Paul, told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski that Davis requested a trade and will not re-sign with the Pelicans.

Paul said the following regarding Davis' desire to play elsewhere:

"Anthony wants to be traded to a team that allows him a chance to win consistently and compete for a championship. Anthony wanted to be honest and clear with his intentions and that's the reason for informing them of this decision now. That's in the best interests of both Anthony's and the organization's future."

The NBA fined Davis $50,000 "for violating a collectively-bargained rule prohibiting players or their representatives from making public trade demands."

The Pelicans later acknowledged the request in a statement:

"Although we are disappointed in this decision, our organization's top priority is to bring an NBA championship to our city and build our team for long-term success. Relative to specific talks of a trade, we will do this on our timeline. One that makes sense for our team and it will not be dictated by those outside of our organization. We have also requested the League to strictly enforce the tampering rules associated with this transaction."

The statement suggested that the Pelicans don't feel any pressure to rush a trade since Davis is still under contract for next season.

Wojnarowski reported Tuesday that the Pels won't deal Davis before the Feb. 7 trade deadline unless they are offered an "overwhelming" package in exchange for him.

He also noted that the Lakers plan on making an aggressive push to trade for Davis ahead of the deadline in order to pair him with another Paul client in LeBron James.

Davis is currently on the shelf with a volar plate avulsion fracture of his left index finger, but he is one of the NBA's top players when healthy.

The 25-year-old is a legitimate MVP candidate this season with averages of 29.3 points, 13.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 2.6 blocks and 1.7 steals per game.

Given his status as perhaps the NBA's top big man, Demps and the Pelicans front office can afford to play the waiting game in order to get the best offer possible.

New Orleans could also opt to focus on first trading impending free agents like Nikola Mirotic, Darius Miller, Elfrid Payton and Julius Randle (player option for 2019-20).

Regardless of what the Pels decide to do, they appear to be in a position of power due to how highly coveted Davis is, and they have a chance to net a return that will allow them to remain competitive while also building for the future.