The Pelicans traveled to Boston Tuesday night where a lot of the conversation between the two teams stems from off the court rumors. Anthony Davis is the poster child for the Pelicans but his team has never even won a playoff series. With the Boston Celtics at the throne of the Eastern Conference, Davis could potentially be a player that takes them to banner 18. While Davis is not hypothetically on the trade block at the moment, anxious feelings are starting to set in the Big Easy. During shootaround prior to the game, Davis deflected questions about a possible trade to Boston.
You would think a team that has two All-Star starters, the Pelicans would be better than a team that is hovering around .500. With the 6-9 seeds in the West up for grabs, New Orleans could conceivably miss the playoffs. With the February 8th trade deadline around the corner, the Pelicans will have to make a big decision on whether to trade superstar center DeMarcus Cousins that could have a ripple effect on Davis’ future.
For the Celtics, many pundits suggest a trade for Davis could push them into the finals. My question is what would a package look like? Jayson Tatum has been a revelation after being selected third overall in the 2017 NBA Draft and has to almost be considered an untouchable. After all, he’s leading the NBA in 3-point percentage (.47) as a teenager. For salary purposes, Al Horford would have to be in the trade which prompts the question of whether adding Davis would really make the Celtics better? In fact, it could make them worse. Boston does have some future draft assets they could potentially throw in the deal instead how their young core. Those picks include the Lakers 2018 selection protected from 2-5 or the 2019 Kings pick, the Clippers 2019 lottery protected pick, and the Grizzlies 2019 pick.
