re: Pelicans are not expected to offer BI extension this offseason, moving in new direction

Something I have been thinking about that I haven’t seen anyone mention is what if BI demands a trade once we decline to offer him a max?

It hasn’t been brought up often but Willie benching him and choosing not to bring him back in against the Lakers in the play in was a big deal. He was absolutely terrible after that game, almost like he couldn’t recover.

I see a lot of back and forth on if CJ would accept a diminished role moving forward. I really think it is less likely that BI would accept a diminished role. If we aren’t offering the max, I don’t see any way he is still announced last in starting lineups or is the center of the big mural in the facility. At that point, I don’t see how he accepts that role. Maybe I am wrong, but I do see it as a strong possibility that he doesn’t really want to be here in a diminished role on a decreased salary.