The February 8 trade deadline may have passed with Anthony Davis still in the New Orleans Pelicans, but NBA trade rumors surrounding him are expected to surface once again in the upcoming offseason. His recent interview with ESPN ‘s Rachel Nichols heated up the speculations that Davis could demand a trade to join a legitimate title contender. After losing DeMarcus Cousins, the Pelicans’ bid to dominate the deep Western Conference became uncertain.
Like in the past seasons, Anthony Davis will be carrying all the load on his shoulders as the Pelicans’ lone superstar. Their inability to contend for the title may force Davis to re-evaluate his NBA future this summer. If he decides that it’s time for him to leave the Pelicans, several NBA teams are surely willing to give up plenty of assets just to add him to their team. One of the NBA teams frequently linked to Davis is the Boston Celtics.
After trading for Kyrie Irving in August, the Celtics still have enough trade assets to acquire another superstar. Anthony Davis will undeniably strengthen the Celtics’ chance of winning multiple NBA championship titles. The potential “Big Three” of Irving, Davis, and Gordon Hayward will be a huge problem on any opposing team on the offensive end of the floor.
According to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer , the Celtics should keep all their assets available once superstars like Anthony Davis become available on the trade market in the upcoming offseason. However, one NBA executive reportedly told O’Connor that the Pelicans trading Davis is “ nothing more than a fantasy .”
“I’ve long felt the Celtics should hold tight to their assets—from the Lakers/Kings first-round pick they received in the Tatum trade to Tatum himself—with the hopes of landing another big fish. But one executive I spoke with made a good point: The Pelicans trading Anthony Davis is nothing more than a fantasy. Even if AD, who can opt out of his current contract in 2020, was eventually made available, by that point, Boston may not even have the most to offer.”
The NBA executive suggested that the Celtics should target another superstar not named Anthony Davis. Despite losing Cousins, the Pelicans remain as a strong playoff contender in the Western Conference, thanks to Davis’ explosive performance every night. In 54 games, he’s averaging 28.2 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks on 53.8 percent shooting from the field and 34.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Shane Rhodes of Basketball Insiders believes Davis is one of the front-runners to win the Most Valuable Player award this season. In the upcoming offseason, the first thing Davis is expected to do is to convince DeMarcus Cousins to stay. Davis has strong belief that their frontcourt duo can bring the Pelicans to the NBA Finals.
