The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers are two of the most frequently mentioned names when it comes to the myriad trade rumors surrounding New Orleans Pelicans big man Anthony Davis. While the bulk of reports this month have focused on the Lakers’ chances of trading for the All-Star forward/center, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski believes the Celtics might have a chance of outdoing the Lakers in trade negotiations if they’re willing to trade one of their young players.
As quoted by the Sporting News , Wojnarowski appeared on the Dan Patrick Show on Thursday, where he discussed the recent rumors which suggested the Celtics have been trying to acquire Davis for more than a year. According to “Woj,” the key to the Celtics outdoing the Lakers with a better package for Davis is including second-year small forward Jayson Tatum in trade talks, given how he has outperformed the Lakers’ Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram as a high draft pick and has a greater upside than any of Los Angeles’ young players.
“If they were willing to put Tatum in a deal, there’s nothing the Lakers could do,” Wojnarowski said.
The operative word, however, was “if,” as the longtime ESPN NBA insider added that the Celtics would still prefer to keep Tatum in the lineup even if they make another attempt to trade for Davis.
Adrian Wojnarowski: Celtics may go all in for Anthony Davis in July https://t.co/QQU8V3omjx
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 17, 2018
Although all of the four youngsters in the Lakers’ core lineup — Ball, Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, and Josh Hart — have been mentioned in various rumored trade packages, none of these players have matched Tatum’s overall performance since he entered the league as the third overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, the Sporting News opined.
As of this writing, Tatum is averaging 16.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game and shooting 46.4 percent from the field as the Celtics’ starting small forward. Boston currently sits at fifth place in the NBA’s Eastern Conference with an 18-12 win-loss record, while the Davis-led New Orleans Pelicans are tied for 12th in the Western Conference with a 15-17 record.
As previously reported by the Inquisitr , Adrian Wojnarowski was also the first to reveal this week that the Celtics have long been making attempts to trade for Anthony Davis. Discussing the matter with his ESPN colleague Zach Lowe, “Woj” said that the Celtics could potentially come up with the best trade offer for the 25-year-old first-team All-NBA big man. He added that Boston could likely make a move for Davis before the February NBA trade deadline or during the 2019 offseason, assuming everything falls into place for the team.
