On August 25, when the agreed upon Kyrie Irving trade between the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers first hit a snag with the status of Isaiah Thomas’ hip, yours truly tweeted the following, half-seriously, half-tongue-in-cheek:
somehow this is all gonna end with a report that the Celtics are thankful the deal fell through because they plan to trade for Anthony Davis
— Dan Favale (@danfavale) August 26, 2017
That trade, to be clear, has not failed. Most still expect it to go through, with slight tweaks. Zach Lowe of ESPN.com has, however, brought us another “Boston hearts Anthony Davis” tidbit:
If Anthony Davis becomes available — and the Celtics’ eyes are very much trained on him — Boston could throw together a package more compelling than just about anyone else’s. Irving would be an indirect part of that package. The NBA’s superstar class respects his ballsy showman’s game. (Ainge has long liked Irving more than most of his peers for some of the same reasons, sources say.) Beyond Davis, it’s hard to pinpoint the next star players who might become available at Irving’s age and merit a motherlode offer — another reason to target Irving now.
The Celtics are in no way the only team monitoring Davis’ situation with the New Orleans Pelicans. Pining speculation will grow to deafening roars if they missed the playoffs or lose DeMarcus Cousins to free agency. Davis cannot become a free agent until 2020, but next summer, when he’s two years out from that exploration, is when he’ll hold the most value. If things go sideways, and the Pelicans aren’t able to rebound immediately, they’ll have to at least broach the topic—unless they’re positive Davis would sign the Designated Player Extension he’s bound to qualify for.
Plus, this logic from the Celtics actually tracks. Irving is overrated in some circles, but his shot-making abilities resonate with big name players who have an appreciation for that craft. They could theoretically build a monster package for Davis—centered around that Los Angeles Lakers or Sacramento Kings pick, more selections, plus Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown—and not worry about his potential desire to leave in two years’ time.
Yet again, though, we’re getting ahead of ourselves. The Irving trade isn’t even official, and the Pelicans have at least a year before the deadline to entertain such a stark pivot.
The Celtics, then, better hope they can hold their gaze for at least that long.
