NBA Rumors: Kyrie Irving Recruiting Anthony Davis To Play For Boston Celtics, Per ‘The Athletic’
While most recent rumors have suggested that Anthony Davis might eventually end up with the Los Angeles Lakers now that he and LeBron James have the same agent, new reports suggest that the New Orleans Pelicans big man is being courted by the Lakers’ longtime Eastern Conference rivals, the Boston Celtics. And it looks like it’s the latter team’s superstar point guard, Kyrie Irving, who’s been making the overtures.
On Thursday evening, Jay King of The Athletic wrote that Irving had recently been in touch with Davis and had spoken to the 25-year-old forward/center about a potential move to the Celtics. CBS Sports quoted the member’s only story, which suggests that if the Pelicans decide to trade him, Davis could be playing with a talented lineup that, as of now, also includes youngsters Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Terry Rozier, Marcus Smart and veterans Gordon Hayward and Al Horford.
“Several league sources have said they believe Davis could end up either with the Celtics or Lakers if the Pelicans were to move him. If he landed with the Celtics, he’d be reunited with former Team USA teammate Irving. The two have already spoken about what it would be like to play together in Boston, according to a league source.”
The new rumors are just the latest of several to suggest that the Celtics might be interested in acquiring Davis at some point in the foreseeable future. Last month, Celtics legend Paul Pierce told ESPN’s The Jump that he guarantees Davis “will not be in New Orleans by the end of the year” if the Pelicans don’t look like a playoff team in the 2018-19 NBA season, per ClutchPoints. While Pierce suggested that Boston could be one of Davis’s top suitors, he also mentioned the Lakers as a team that could trade for the first-team All-NBA big man if he becomes unhappy in New Orleans.
Kyrie Irving has "spoken to Anthony Davis" about coming to Boston, per @ByJayKing pic.twitter.com/fBcXB0RAPn
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 5, 2018
Although Anthony Davis joining the Boston Celtics would, in theory, make the team a potential powerhouse in the Eastern Conference, it remains far from sure if he is interested in joining the 17-time NBA champions. CBS Sports pointed out that Davis has yet to inform the Pelicans that he has no plans of remaining with the team in the long term and effectively rejecting the “super-max” contract extension he will be eligible to sign in the summer of 2019. And if the Celtics want to sign Davis as a free agent, they might have to wait a while before they can do so. According to Bleacher Report, Davis will only become eligible for free agency in 2021.
Assuming the Boston Celtics end up trading for Anthony Davis, Bleacher Report suggested that the team might have to give up young, up-and-coming players such as Brown and Rozier. As Kyrie Irving recently gave a verbal commitment to re-signing with the Celtics once his contract comes up, the publication added that having Davis, Irving, Hayward, and Tatum on the roster would give the Celtics a strong chance of preventing the Golden State Warriors from winning a third straight NBA championship in the 2019 playoffs.
