The Anthony Davis-to-Boston Celtics trade rumors have continued to swirl as the season slowly reaches its midway point. The Celtics still top the East with a 30-10 record while the New Orleans Pelicans are holding on in the West with an 18-18 slate.
Davis, 24, has been linked to the Celtics since the early months of the 2016-2017 season. Despite getting Al Horford via free-agency that summer, Boston was reportedly still looking for a superstar center that would take the franchise to championship contention, per NBC Sports Boston .
Davis was in the rumor mill at that time with the Pelicans advancing to the playoffs only once in his then four-year NBA career, all in New Orleans.
Things began cooling off when the Pelicans managed to snag DeMarcus Cousins via an infamous trade with the Sacramento Kings in February of last year, which was completed one day after the 2017 All-Star Game.
Davis and Cousins are both putting up huge numbers for the Pelicans this season, averaging more than 20 points and 10 rebounds per game each. However, the team still has not established itself as one of the powers in the West.
With that, along with the fact that Cousins is going to be an unrestricted free agent in the summer, rumors have recently emerged that Boogie is not intending to stay in New Orleans. This has triggered a lot of speculations online that the Davis-Cousins partnership will soon come to an end.
Just recently, Metro USA’ s Matt Burke said that the Celtics continue to be the “ only team in the NBA with enough assets to trade” for Davis. The reporter noted that any trade may “have to wait until at least this summer,” but if New Orleans deal Cousins before the February trade deadline then it might come sooner.
Burke suggested a trade scenario that would send Horford, rookie Jayson Tatum, and the Lakers/Kings future draft pick (via Philadelphia) to the Pelicans in exchange for Davis and veteran wingman Tony Allen.
The setup was said to be a “go-big-or-go-home” move for the Celtics as Horford is considered to be perfect for head coach Brad Stevens’ system. However, getting a star of Davis’ magnitude, and the possibility of pairing him with Kyrie Irving, would be too hard to pass up for Boston.
