Pelicans Rumors: Odds of Jayson Tatum/Anthony Davis swap increasing

Recent reports and comments from Jayson Tatum are causing more Pelicans Rumors posturing that Boston’s wing could be moved to the New Orleans Pelicans in an Anthony Davis deal.

Things are heating up on the Anthony Davis/New Orleans Pelicans rumors front once again as new information is coming out about what the Boston Celtics would be willing to offer in negotiations for AD. In short, it seems like the Celtics might be open to sending the Pelicans arguably the best possible realistic prospect of anyone, Jayson Tatum.

In an article for The Athletic (subscription required), Shams Charania reported that the Boston Celtics gave the New Orleans Pelicans assure that any player on their roster could be made available in a trade package centered around Anthony Davis.

Getting reassurance from the Celtics that literally anyone on their roster is on the table in exchange for Anthony Davis clearly made the New Orleans Pelicans feel comfortable walking away from any other trade offers before the deadline, including the widely talked about Los Angeles Lakers’ “Godfather offer.”

The Celtics are largely agreed to possess the best possible assets to send over to the Pelicans, obviously including 20 year old rising-star, Jayson Tatum. In his sophomore NBA campaign, the small forward from Duke is solidifying his claim to being one of the 10 best young guys in the league with stats pretty similar to his awesome rookie year.

The x-factor with Tatum is that he seems mature and grounded enough to be open to playing anywhere. He understands that if a team wants to go all-in on building around him, his career could skyrocket. This is contrary to a guy like Lonzo Ball, one of the players the Lakers would be willing to part with, who has already made it clear he wants no part in joining a small market team like the New Orleans Pelicans.

If the New Orleans Pelicans and their fanbase were at all uncertain about making a deal with Boston, Shams Charania’s article via The Athletic (subscription required) should put everyone’s minds at ease. Shams included a quote from Jayson Tatum that essentially claims that he is willing to play for any team in the NBA. All he wants to do is play basketball, regardless of organization.

This is exactly the type of mindset the New Orleans Pelicans need their star, cornerstone-type player to have, and reading something like this virtually proves the argument that the Celtics hold the best bargaining chips to offer for Anthony Davis.

Immediate gratification is more exciting in the moment, but the New Orleans Pelicans are on their way to proving that patience is a virtue by waiting until after the trade deadline to make an Anthony Davis trade. It could end up being a very successful summer for the Pelicans if these reports about the Celtics putting everyone on the table are true.