Anthony Davis remaining with the New Orleans Pelicans past the NBA trade deadline was the best possible news for the Boston Celtics. Thanks to a rule in the CBA regarding players with Davis and Kyrie Irving’s contracts, the Celtics were unable to dive into their sizable war chest of assets to pull off a move for the Pelicans star while Irving was still in town. That issue goes away this summer should Irving agree to a new contract (or, in a worst-case scenario, go elsewhere), meaning Boston can become a major player in the Davis sweepstakes.
While there are some concerns about Davis’ willingness to stay in Beantown long-term, getting him on-board would make Boston a title contender. Of course, the asking price for a player of that caliber is going to be insanely high, but the Celtics seem prepared to push many of their chips to the center of the table.
According to Shams Charnia of The Athletic, the Celtics let it be known that a deal can certainly be worked out with anyone on their roster.
Jayson Tatum has been thrust into the spotlight for these Celtics, both in terms of on-the-court expectations now and a potentially uncertain roster this summer. The Celtics are playing to win it all — but they are also focusing on winning in June and July, too. Around the NBA’s Feb. 7th trade deadline, Boston made their intentions clear to the New Orleans Pelicans surrounding their pursuit of All-NBA star Anthony Davis after the season, league sources told The Athletic: Everyone can be available.
Naturally Tatum’s name is the one that gets tied to all this stuff. He’s Boston’s best young player, looks like a potential superstar, and showed during the 2018 postseason that he can be a No. 1 option on the offensive end of the floor. While the Celtics would certainly be content to keep him around, he’s the kind of player that is coveted by teams that move a superstar.
What’s unclear, of course, is whether “everyone can be available” means that including Tatum would come at the expense of some other stuff, like fewer picks or players. By the sounds of it, we’re a few months away from finding out if that’s the case.
