Pelicans Rumors: Celtics can win Anthony Davis if they go all-in

The Boston Celtics still have the right package to land Anthony Davis, according to recent New Orleans Pelicans rumors. But will they pony up everything David Griffin is after?

YOU get New Orleans Pelicans rumors, and YOU get New Orleans Pelicans rumors! Anthony Davis should be on the move soon, and it’s starting to look like a two team race between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics, much to Rich Paul’s dismay. According to AD’s agent, his client would only be in Massachusetts for a year, tops.

Still, Boston apparently doesn’t care what Rich Paul has to say, because to this point, they’re still engaging with David Griffin and the New Orleans Pelicans on trade discussions for Anthony Davis. Boston still being in on the action creates leverage for the Pels, because now the Lakers have real competition if they’re serious about pairing AD next to LeBron James.

The Lakers have dangled Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and the #4 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, but even they know this probably isn’t enough. They seem to think they can play it cool and just add Davis in free agency next summer instead of selling the farm for him right now. On paper, that sounds great. But this exact plan backfired on them with Paul George. They can’t risk that again.

Regardless of what the Lakers do, the Celtics still have exactly what the Pelicans want. To start, Boston has Jayson Tatum, the young wing that New Orleans still seems to value over any other player that’s been rumored in AD trade packages.

As the above tweet also reports, the Pels have their eye on Marcus Smart, the fierce guard who would create the most dynamic defensive backcourt in the entire NBA alongside Jrue Holiday. Other players, like former All-Star Gordon Hayward and the ever improving Jaylen Brown could be added into the mix to really seal the deal for New Orleans.

On top of all of this, the Celtics also own a whopping 3 first round draft picks in 2019. And while only one of them is (barely) a lotto pick, it would still be a tempting idea for the Pelicans to own their #1 pick along with Boston’s #14, #20, and #22, depending on which ones they’re willing to throw in. If none of these are good enough for the Pelicans, a third team could always get involved to ship New Orleans a higher pick in exchange for one of Boston’s players.

It remains to be seen what the Celtics are actually putting on the table in the current Anthony Davis trade discussions, but they definitely have the tools to win the AD Sweepstakes if they choose to do so. To be certain, more New Orleans Pelicans rumors will break soon. We’ll keep you in the loop.