Anthony Davis was not traded Thursday, which is nothing but good news for the Boston Celtics.
It appears the Celtics have had their eye on the New Orleans Pelicans big man for quite some time, but they were unable to trade for him this season due to the “Rose Rule.”
But with the Pels essentially toying with the Los Angeles Lakers in their negotiations, the trade deadline passed without Davis being moved. That means the Celtics now will have a chance this offseason to try and unload a heap of assets to try and get the 25-year-old in Boston.
Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix spoke with Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge on Thursday about where things stand between the Celtics and Pelicans.
The fact that Ainge indicated (although he obviously could be bluffing) there was no specific deal in place is interesting. It seems Jayson Tatum most likely would have to be involved in a deal for Davis, and anyone except Kyrie Irving, providing he re-signs in Boston, reportedly is available. So the fact that there isn’t a specific deal or promise in place is a little compelling, although not overly surprising.
Though talks won’t pick up steam for a while, it’s pretty clear that we’re going to be hearing about Davis and the Celtics quite a bit over the coming months.
