Rumblings have existed for some time that Anthony Davis could be changing teams in the near future but, on Monday morning, breaking news sent the speculation to a new level. Multiple sources reported that Davis informed the New Orleans Pelicans that he would not be signing a contract extension and, in essence, the superstar reportedly requested a trade to greener pastures.
With that in mind, the “trade machine” is firing all over the NBA world and the gambling universe is now jumping into the party. The good people of BetOnline.ag released odds on where Davis “will play next season” and, unsurprisingly, a pair of high-profile teams lead the way. The reporting on Davis’ trade request includes a nugget that Davis would like to be dealt to a championship-caliber destination and, while the Los Angeles Lakers aren’t there just yet, it would be easy to make an argument that a tandem of Davis and LeBron James would be quite a start.
As such, the Lakers are the “favorite” to land Davis according to these odds at +125 (5/4) and that makes sense. Los Angeles might be desperate to make an in-season move to acquire the All-NBA big man and, unlike the Boston Celtics, there are new CBA-related obstacles standing in the way of a deal before the Feb. 7 trade deadline.
Boston still comes in as the No. 2 team in these odds (3/1) but, as noted in multiple places, the Celtics cannot acquire Davis during this season unless that move arrives in conjunction with a deal that would send Kyrie Irving elsewhere. The “Rose Rule” stops teams from having two players that were signed to max extensions with the designated rookie exception and, in short, Boston would have to wait to acquire Davis until after this season concludes, provided the Celtics wanted to keep Irving — the team’s best player — in the fold.
It’s definitely worth noting that the Pelicans do not have to pull the trigger during the season and, because of the presence of the Celtics and other interested teams, it might actually be a rare instance in which New Orleans could benefit by waiting and developing a larger market. Davis is the type of talent that will command a king’s ransom regardless of timing and, with a year left on his contract, a move during the summer remains a possible option.
Still, there will be plenty of attention paid to Davis and a potential deal in the next 10 days before the trade deadline. Here’s the full list of betting odds for his next landing spot.
Los Angeles Lakers +125 (5/4)
Boston Celtics +300 (3/1)
New York Knicks +550 (11/2)
Philadelphia 76ers +700 (7/1)
New Orleans Pelicans +900 (9/1)
Houston Rockets +1200 (12/1)
Toronto Raptors +1400 (14/1)
Oklahoma City Thunder +1400 (14/1)
San Antonio Spurs +1600 (16/1)
Golden State Warriors +1600 (16/1)
