If you’re sick about hearing Anthony Davis at this point, imagine being on the other side and having to write about every slight update about the status of the New Orleans Pelicans star.
Anyway, Thursday brought us not one but two new stories about Davis’ future. In this space, we’re going to largely focus on a piece from ESPN.com and how it pertains to the Boston Celtics.
The Celtics, as you might have heard, have long been enamored with Davis. He’s reportedly been on the club’s radar forever, and Davis is close friends with Celtics star Kyrie Irving. Boston also has the greatest supply of assets to swing a potential trade with the Hornets should New Orleans ever deal the superstar.
Why would they trade Davis, who’s largely considered one of the top four or five best players in the world? Well, if the Pelicans can’t get assurance Davis will sign a long-term contract — he’ll be a free agent in 2020 — that would be a reason to cash in this summer when his value is sky-high.
One could reasonably wonder whether a team like the Celtics (or the Los Angeles Lakers) would give up the necessary assets to acquire a generational player like Davis without knowing whether he’d commit long-term. According to ESPN.com’s Zach Lowe, the Celtics would still be interested in making a deal even without a long-term commitment from Davis.
Lowe writes:
“That might leave only Boston and the Lakers with the combination of assets, remaining roster power, and market/historical appeal. The Celtics want their chance, and if they get it, expect them to be ultra-aggressive even without any assurances from Davis that he will re-sign. The Celtics are confident in the team and culture they have built under Brad Stevens.”
Interesting. Very interesting, indeed.
Making such a move — which Boston really can’t do until the summer — would be something of a gamble. Obviously. But Danny Ainge and the Celtics showed a willingness to brave those waters last summer when they traded for Irving who was in a similar contractual situation. We saw the power of the aforementioned “team and culture” earlier this season when Irving publicly committed to re-signing, and the hope, presumably, is that the C’s would be able to do the same thing with Davis.
