The race to land Anthony Davis took a new twist on Tuesday, with the Los Angeles Lakers reportedly cooling their interest, while the Boston Celtics forced themselves into the reckoning.
With just over a day left before the 3 p.m. trade deadline on Thursday, uncertainty continues to surround the future of the 25-year-old, who last week requested a trade via his agent, Rich Paul.
While the New Orleans Pelicans have held talks with a number of teams, they're not in a rush to accept any offers, particularly as Davis can't become a free agent before the summer of 2020.
The Pelicans suggested they could even shut Davis down for the remainder of the season and then entertain a bidding war in the summer. The Lakers, however, look to have had enough of New Orleans' posturing and have threatened to end talks.
Earlier this week, the Lakers put forward a package that included Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and two-first round picks. According to ESPN, on Monday night they added Josh Hart and Ivica Zubac to the offer but the Pelicans reportedly want four first-round and second-round picks as part of the package.
The broadcaster added that Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka, the Lakers' president basketball of operations and general manager, have reportedly grown tired of the Pelicans failing to present a concrete counter-offer and will not raise their bid.
While the Lakers are desperate to push a trade through before Thursday, the Pelicans would be happy to wait until the offseason, which would play into the Celtics' hands.
Boston can't trade for Davis until July 1 as under NBA rules it won't be allowed to have Davis' and Kyrie Irving's contracts on the roster under the designated rookie exception.
However, that has not stopped Celtics' general manager Danny Ainge from opening talks with the Pelicans.
According to The Athletic, Ainge and Pelicans' general manager Dell Demps have discussed the possibility of trading Davis for Celtics small forward Jayson Tatum.
Boston has a bigger pool of assets to put in a trade package than any of the other teams looking to sign Davis and Tatum could be the cornerstone of any offer.
Crucially, however, the Celtics did not feature in a list of teams Davis indicated he would be willing to sign a long-term deal with.
The Athletic reported on Monday that the four-team list included the Lakers, the Los Angeles Clippers, the New York Knicks and the Milwaukee Bucks.
While the Clippers and the Bucks have seemingly held their cards close to their chest, the Knicks held talks with the Pelicans before trading Kristap Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks last week.
The move was seen as an indication the Knicks will be aggressive in the summer, when they are projected to have over $70 million in salary cap space available, enough to accommodate two super-max contracts.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Dan Cancian is currently a reporter for Newsweek based in London, England. Prior to joining Newsweek in January 2018, he was a news and business reporter at International Business Times UK. Dan has also written for The Guardian and The Observer.
Newsletter
