ESPN Forecast Panel Confident Celtics Will Land Anthony Davis In Trade

Will the Boston Celtics succeed in their attempt to re-sign Kyrie Irving and trade for Anthony Davis?

The ESPN Forecast panel seems to think so.

ESPN.com published an article Friday looking at the most likely destinations for several star players, including Irving, Davis, Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson. The Celtics received the most votes from the panel when it came to both Irving and Davis.

For Irving, 52.8 percent of respondents believe he’ll re-sign with Boston. The New York Knicks (30.6), Los Angeles Lakers (11.1) and Brooklyn Nets (5.6) also received votes.

For Davis, 61.1 percent of respondents believe he’ll play for the Celtics next season. The Los Angeles Lakers ranked as the second-most likely destination, with 27.8 percent of respondents predicting the New Orleans Pelicans superstar will wind up in Purple and Gold for the 2019-20 campaign. The Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks and Davis’ current team, the Pelicans, also received votes.

Starting next season with both Irving and Davis seems to be Boston’s ultimate goal. The possibility of that happening recently increased when the Pelicans opted not to deal Davis before the NBA trade deadline despite an aggressive pursuit by the Lakers.

The Celtics were unable to pursue Davis before the deadline due to the league’s “Rose Rule” — explained here — but they could build an enticing trade package this offseason, as Boston has several promising young players, including Jayson Tatum, and a bevy of draft picks with which to deal.

The C’s also need to convince Irving to re-sign, however. The All-Star point guard can opt out of his contract and become a free agent, and there’s been plenty of speculation he ultimately could take his talents elsewhere despite indicating before the season he intends to re-sign with Boston.