Celtics’ Jayson Tatum Would Trade Himself For Pelicans’ Anthony Davis

Jayson Tatum is one of the NBA’s budding young stars, and maybe one day he’ll be among the league’s top players.

But right now, Anthony Davis actually is one of the NBA’s best, and as such, it’s little surprise the Boston Celtics reportedly have their eye on him.

Of course, if the Celtics ever wanted to acquire Davis either this year or next, it would have to be in a trade, and said trade almost certainly would need to include Tatum. Make no mistake, Tatum’s potential is through the roof, but Davis has proven to be an otherworldly talent, and if a team has the assets to get him, they absolutely should.

Even former Celtic and current team radio analyst Cedric Maxwell said he’d include Tatum in a deal for Davis. And during an appearance on CLNS Media’s “Celtics Beat” podcast, Maxwell told the story of Tatum’s dad approaching him because of that comment.

“Jayson Tatum’s dad came to me,” Maxwell told host Adam Kaufman, as transcribed by NBC Sports Boston, “… and said, ‘I’ve got a bone to pick with you. … You said you’d trade my son for Anthony Davis.’ And I said, ‘And?’ And he said, ‘Well, I probably would trade him too if he wasn’t my son.’ ”

Maxwell then relayed that story to the younger Tatum, and that elicited this quality response out of the 20-year-old.

“Yeah, I’d trade me too for Anthony Davis,” Tatum told Maxwell.

While we’re pretty sure Tatum probably wants to remain with the Celtics, you have to appreciate the self-awareness.