Anthony Davis’ trade rumors have been off the charts in the last few days, especially after his agent revealed that the player had indeed put in a trade request in New Orleans.
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For long now, it was believed that Davis would play out this season in New Orleans and maybe look for a trade later.
But with the way the Pelicans have been playing and faring in the Western conference, Davis had had enough.
With the trade request going up, Lakers have obviously been the most active franchise of the lot, as Celtics can’t really trade Davis because of the ‘rose rule’.
New: Per sources, the Pelicans have reached out to the Celtics seeking promises on specific AD packages. The Cs have been reluctant to do that 5 months early, but have made it clear no one is off limits and that it’ll be worth the wait. The latest: https://t.co/FYdcR1VIpj
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) February 6, 2019
“They are not giving Anthony Davis to the Lakers by tomorrow. First, this doesn’t make basketball sense. Why would I do this trade before Boston can get involved? New York? … I know New Orleans likes Jayson Tatum better than anyone on the Lakers roster.” — @Chris_Broussard pic.twitter.com/UACfIWwM0R
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) February 6, 2019
Lakers have been giving out offers to the Pelicans, but the Pelicans want 4 first and second round picks along with all the players that the Lakers are ready to offer for Davis. A
According to reports, Lakers feel that the Pelicans are asking for a little too much for Anthony Davis and want to wait and see if they would want to cut down on their demands.
While, the Pelicans make the Lakers wait, they are reportedly already in talks with Celtics over a potential trade that could involve Jayson Tatum and Anthony Davis.
In the Lakers trade, the Pelicans do get a lot of young player options, but none as talented as Jayson Tatum, who has all the ingredients to be as good as AD.
According to Sam Amick of The Atheltic, Celtics and Pelicans have discussed about such a possibility and the talks could go into overdrive in June.
“A source with knowledge of the talks said the potential centerpiece in a Pelicans package, 20-year-old Celtics small forward Jayson Tatum, has been discussed extensively by the two teams and is expected to be a major part of the talks when June rolls around,” Sam Amick reported.
Perhaps Jayson Tatum isn’t untouchable.
The Celtics and Pelicans reportedly have “discussed” the 20-year-old being the “centerpiece” of a deal for Anthony Davis. https://t.co/9fhTkAyjFs pic.twitter.com/FWGONc8rJy
— NESN (@NESN) February 6, 2019
The Pelicans and Celtics have “extensively” discussed Jayson Tatum as part of a trade package for Anthony Davis, per @sam_amick pic.twitter.com/8eXagO52nj
— Bleacher Report NBA (@BR_NBA) February 6, 2019
With the Tatum offer on the table, Pelicans now have all the more reason to wait before deciding to trade Anthony Davis.
With Davis having already asked for a trade, Pelicans will need to work on how they can benefit from the situation or at least cause least damage. Tatum coming onto their roster seems like the best possible option for Pelicans at the moment and hence the Lakers could deal could be all but off the table.
The next 24 hours are certain to bring about a lot of twists and turns, but logic says that Pelicans will want to keep hold of Davis up until June.
