When it comes to a deal involving Anthony Davis, the Boston Celtics are believed to be the team that can offer the best trade package to the New Orleans Pelicans. The Celtics have a plethora of young and talented players like Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Terry Rozier and multiple future first-round picks that could help the Pelicans speed up the rebuilding process in the post-Davis era.
Unfortunately, now that Anthony Davis has officially demanded a trade from the Pelicans, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported that the Celtics are not one of his favorite landing spots. Being Davis’ preferred trade destination is very important, especially knowing the fact that the All-Star big man has a player option on his contract that will enable him to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2020. Aside from that, Haynes opened up the possibility that Kyrie Irving may reconsider his decision to re-sign with the Celtics next summer.
“Regarding team preferences, Boston is not a top target for Davis, sources said. There’s a growing belief of uncertainty that Kyrie Irving will re-sign with Boston, sources said, even though he vowed to do so at the beginning of the season.”
Kyrie Irving may already have expressed his desire to ink a new contract with the Celtics next summer, but as the 2018-19 NBA season goes deeper, he may have started to realize that Boston is not where he wants to stay long term. Haynes didn’t elaborate if there is a connection between Anthony Davis not considering Boston as his preferred landing spot and Irving’s plan to leave the Celtics, but if there is, something big could happen in Los Angeles next summer.
Kyrie is going to star in a movie about the notorious Skirvin Hotel in OKC, where countless guests — including NBA stars — have sworn they’ve encountered paranormal activity ? https://t.co/Lologvt2i3
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) January 28, 2019
Weeks before Anthony Davis demanded a trade, rumors and speculations started to circulate that Kyrie Irving could reunite with LeBron James in Los Angeles. The Lakers purposely filled their roster with one-year contracts to have enough salary cap flexibility to chase the likes of Irving in the 2019 NBA free agency. It’s definitely not a coincidence that the Lakers are currently emerging as the top team expected to land Davis before the February NBA trade deadline.
Losing Kyrie Irving to their mortal rivals, the Lakers, is undeniably a hard pill to swallow for the Celtics. As of now, they must be hoping that the Pelicans will be waiting for the 2018 NBA offseason to deal Davis. If they fail to re-sign Irving in free agency and acquire Davis via trade, the Celtics could be forced to entrust their future to the young players, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Terry Rozier, they are planning to offer to the Pelicans.
