Chauncey Billups wanted the Celtics to get weird before the NBA trade deadline, and now the former All-Star guard believes Boston regrets not taking his advice.
Billups over the weekend revisited his previous suggestion that Boston should’ve traded Kyrie Irving for New Orleans Pelicans superstar Anthony Davis.
It’s unclear whether the Pelicans would’ve been interested in such a deal, and one could argue it would’ve made little sense for the Celtics, whose long-term vision always seemed to involve pairing Irving with Davis to form one of the NBA’s most talented two-headed monsters. But it’s fun to wonder whether the Celtics’ ceiling would’ve been higher this season with Davis, as Boston had no answer for Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round of the playoffs.
Davis asked the Pelicans for a trade leading up to the deadline, but the Celtics weren’t seen as serious players due to the NBA’s “Rose Rule,” which prevented Boston from acquiring Davis’ contract so long as Irving remains under his current deal.
That restriction no longer will apply this summer, when Irving can opt out of his contract and become a free agent. The question is whether Irving will re-sign with Boston after a tumultuous 2018-18 campaign and whether his decision will impact the organization’s potential pursuit of Davis.
