The NBA trade deadline is February 7. Who do the Boston Celtics happen to play that night? The Los Angeles Lakers, or maybe their primary competition in the Anthony Davis sweepstakes. The NBA schedule makers are pretty good at their jobs.
How appropriate that these two rivals will spend the day together, all while the rest of the NBA world watches to see if the New Orleans Pelicans will make a deal before the Celtics can even enter the fray.
Davis’ agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, made public his client’s desire to be dealt on Monday. Boston cannot trade for Davis until July 1, when Kyrie Irving can opt out of his current deal and eliminate the Rose Rule glitch that’s complicated matters in pairing the two this season. The Lakers, whose superstar LeBron James just so happens to be represented by Paul, would prefer the Pelicans make a deal before Boston can get in on the bidding.
All of which means the Celtics-Lakers rivalry, a bit dormant in recent years, may have just shifted from the court to the front office.
Boston is positioned with maybe the best collection of trade assets in the NBA when you consider their young talent and stash of future draft picks. The Celtics can certainly outbid anything the Lakers can whip together. Alas, the timetable of Davis’ trade demand complicates everything and gives the Lakers a bit of an edge if the Pelicans feel rushed to make a deal.
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Still, the Pelicans have to be aware that the Celtics are both interested and armed with the ability to put together the best package. Boston has high-ceiling young talent in players like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, along with glitzy draft picks like a future Grizzlies first-rounder that could grow in value should Memphis embark on its own rebuild at this deadline.
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The Pelicans would be doing their franchise a disservice to move Davis, a legitimate top 5 player, for anything less than a surefire haul of young talent and future picks. New Orleans, having failed to assemble a winner around Davis, cannot settle just because a player has made public his demands to be moved to a situation where he can better chase his championship desires. The Pelicans would doom themselves to a fate of mediocrity by fetching anything less than a king’s ransom for Davis.
The Lakers will hope that the public pressure on the Pelicans will force New Orleans to consider a package of young talent centered around the likes of Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma and Lonzo Ball. Maybe a mystery team will jump into the mix but this certainly feels like a good old-fashioned battle between Celtics and Lakers. It’s Danny Ainge vs. Magic Johnson.
All of which makes Feb. 7 a rather wild day. The Lakers will spend the afternoon in Boston while both franchises wait to see if Davis is moved, something that will directly impact both teams in their quest to build sustained title contenders.
Truth be told, both teams are still positioned well in the absence of any deal. The Lakers, with LeBron’s presence, can still lure a big-name free agent this summer. The Celtics will be perfectly fine if they simply elect to continue building around Irving and their young core, and there’s a line of thought that Tatum should be retained at all costs given his potential ceiling.
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Alas, Davis is a generational talent and the sort of player that should elevate an already talented roster to legitimate long-term title contender. Celtics fans should salivate over the idea of a Kyrie-AD two-man game. There’s a reason that Irving has made certain to go say hello to Davis after the meetings earlier this season.
But the ball is out of Boston’s hands for next 11 days. The Celtics linger in an awkward limbo, left hoping the Lakers can’t strongarm their way into a move. Boston players will have a little extra trash talk should the Lakers fail to land Davis on Feb. 7, as the balance of power in the potential trade would swing at that point.
Either way, Celtics vs. Lakers is back in the spotlight, and that’s never a bad thing for the NBA.
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