Boston Celtics: What to make of the Anthony Davis rumors

A few day’s ago, ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski reported an interesting story about Anthony Davis. Here’s what to make of it.

Anthony Davis has been the topic of discussion in trade rumors. The way the New Orleans Pelicans have played the past couple seasons, it’s some would speculate about a potential rebuild in the future.

Last season, the Pelicans were able to swindle the Sacramento Kings by trading away a bunch of scrappy players for DeMarcus Cousins, arguably the best center in the NBA. The Pelicans were able to find a way to create the best frontcourt duo in the NBA, but so far it has not gone as well as many had thought. The team continues to be a borderline playoff team, and has not been to the playoffs since 2014-15.

Currently, the Pelicans sit in the eighth seed with a 15-16 record. It would be hard to imagine an offseason in which their aren’t several rumors or moves made if they make another first round exit, or if they find themselves out of the playoffs again. Easily the two biggest cornerstones of their team are Davis and Cousins. However, this offseason they inked their starting point guard, Jrue Holiday, to a max contract.

They currently have plenty assets to put themselves in a good position of a rebuild. For Davis and Cousins, it would be hard to see them wanting to stick around much longer if things continue to head in the wrong direction. With the whirlwinds of rumors surrounding the team, ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski shed some light on the situation.

In the article, Woj notes that Davis wants to win, which is understandable, as everyone wants to be holding that trophy at the end of the season and receive a ring.

"“Winning. That’s it. That’s how you’re judged,” he said. “You can score, you can dominate. You can do whatever. But they calculate everything off winning. You know that. I know that. Everybody in the league knows that. I hear it all the time: ‘Anthony is a good player, but he hasn’t won anything. He’s not a winner. He hasn’t been to the playoffs in two years.'”"

Clearly you can see that the biggest thing for Davis is wanting to win. Unless some sort of changes come soon, it doesn’t seem likely that the Pelicans will be able to offer that too Davis. Because the Boston Celtics have a lot of assets, and give Davis one of the best possible chances to win, it seems a potential solution for both him and the Celtics.

Wojnarowski also notes in the article that the Celtics have pursued Davis already:

"“Davis remains an obsession of several NBA teams full of the necessary trade assets to unfasten him from New Orleans, should the Pelicans ever consider a rebuild — or should Davis ever request a trade. Boston has remained vigilant on the possibility of acquiring Davis, and Davis knows it. However, the Pelicans have no intention of trading an all-world talent under contract through 2021, no matter the return.“Before the Cousins trade a year ago, though, Davis kept hearing talk of the Celtics trying to trade for him. He walked into GM Dell Demps‘ office and asked about it.“‘He told me that [Boston] was calling, but nothing was going to happen,’ Davis said.”"

Obviously the Pelicans are not going to give up Davis for nothing, or give up on their team so easily (which was covered in an article a few weeks ago). Davis signed a five-year, $127.2 million contract 2016-17 season. Because of this, he will have to be traded if any team would like to have him anytime soon, and that would require a trade demand since the Pelicans have little incentive to opt for a rebuild rather than just keep their superstar.

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Anthony Davis not going to come cheap, considering he’s one of the best players in the league who just so happens to be 24 years old. In order to get him in any trade, you’re going to have to give up a lot. If Boston would like to have him on their team, then they will likely have to give up Al Horford, a few picks, and either Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown — and possibly more.

At this point, Tatum likely has the more value than Brown does, because he is a rookie and has show flashes of greatness. I know that a lot of Boston fan’s would rather not see Tatum leave, but that is the price you’re going to have to pay if you want to get Davis. If Brown is involved in the deal, then the trade will likely involve a few more chips.

There are still a lot of what-ifs and what-could-bes to think about, but as of right now this is nothing but speculation. New Orleans is not going to be so quick to just let go of their franchise player for a rebuild. However, if Davis is knocking on the door for a trade, then the Pelicans might be forced to explore their options. He will not be moved unless they receive an offer that is too good to pass up on, or if they continue to lose games.

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Boston does have a lot of assets, and obviously would love to win another championship. With those two things in mind, it would not be surprising to see Danny Ainge continue to explore the possibility of bringing the All-Star power forward to Boston.

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