Celtics Insider Jay King Discusses Potential Anthony Davis Trade

For Boston Celtics fans feeling adventurous with the NBA trade deadline less than six weeks away, here’s a reminder that Anthony Davis is reportedly available.

Multiple reports have suggested that the Dallas Mavericks are open to trading Davis. Allegedly, Dallas wants to build around Cooper Flagg and have Kyrie Irving — not AD — be the veteran presence that guides Flagg’s Mavs into their next phase.

In response to the rumors, teams like the Toronto Raptors have expressed interest in Davis. He’s also been linked to the Detroit Pistons, and virtually any team with a heartbeat in the East could see AD pushing them into the playoffs, or in Detroit’s case, closer to a championship.

But what about the Celtics? Would an injury-prone and aging Davis (he’ll be 33 in March) really be a wise acquisition for Celtics PBO Brad Stevens?

The Mavericks are officially open to trade calls on Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson and Daniel Gafford, per @ShamsCharania.

Dallas plans to fully shift towards Cooper Flagg’s timeline by February’s deadline. pic.twitter.com/KSZHs4UrZH

— Evan Sidery (@esidery) December 18, 2025

Celtics insider Jay King (The Athletic) did a little brainstorming about the feasibility of a Davis-Celtics trade on Friday.

The first thing that King pointed out was the contract messiness that would result from a Davis trade.

“Davis is set to make about $54.1 million this season,” King wrote. “He has a player option for nearly $63 million in 2027-28. If he, Tatum and Jaylen Brown were all on the Celtics next season, they would make about $174 million between them. That would be more than 96 percent of the projected cap. Stevens would have minimal flexibility with the rest of his roster.”

While King acknowledged that a healthy Davis would help strengthen Boston’s biggest weakness (its frontcourt depth), he ultimately leaned in the direction of staying away from AD and all the risk that the 10-time All-Star represents.

“Tatum is still rehabbing from a torn Achilles tendon, and Davis has not been the most available star throughout his career,” King pointed out. “As enticing as it would be to add Davis, it would be a huge risk given his age and injury history. The Celtics have stated a goal of sustainable success. Placing such a big bet on a wobbly foundation would seem to go against that.”

Davis has only appeared in 12 games so far this season for the Mavs. His production when available has remained solid: 19.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.8 blocks per game.

King also mentioned Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac as an alternative target to Davis, if the Celtics are still going to target a starting-level big man before the February 5 deadline.