Anthony Davis has been in the news for a move away from the Pelicans, a move that was supposed to happen in 2021, but according to the recent reports, Davis could actually move away this season itself, with Los Angeles emerging as the top destination.
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Now, while all the initial reports had stated that Davis would either move to Lakers or the Celtics, a move to Celtics is not possible because of the ‘Rose Rule'(unless Kyrie Irving is part of the trade deal. which of course won’t happen as Kyrie wants to stay at Celtics).
According to the ‘Rose Rule, a player finishing up his rookie contract can sign for for a higher percentage of the team’s total salary cap than normal if he satisfied any of the following conditions; winning MVP, two-time All-NBA Team selection or voted-on as an All-Star starter.
Davis can be signed up by a team under the ‘Rose Rule’, but a team can sign up only player on their roster through this rule.
And guess what, Celtics already have someone that they have signed through this rule and it is, of course, Kyrie Irving.
Thus, if Celtics want to secure the services of Anthony Davis, they will need to trade Kyrie Irving, something that isn’t going to happen as Kyrie has pledged his allegiance to the franchise and does not want to be traded away.
So, Davis will not move to Celtics before this season’s trade deadline but could move to Celtics next season, if Kyrie Irving, who will be a free agent next season, decides to re-sign with the Celtics.
Irving will not be signing an extension as of now, as it will not allow him to earn as much as he can when he resigns for the Celtics during the next off season.
Thus, all the reports stating that a Davis to Celtics deal is on are wrong.
So, Celtics is off the table for this season, and thus Lakers emerge as the best possible destination for Davis before this season’s trade deadline.
Davis has reportedly made up his mind that he would assess the Pelicans’ situation going into the final week of the trade deadline to take a decision.
Davis could be the final piece in the Lakers jigsaw, one which LeBron would love to fix and complete.
If Davis in fact does decide to jump ship before the trade deadline and move to the Lakers, a Davis-LeBron show could light up the playoffs.
What do you think Anthony Davis would do before the trade deadline?
