This is going to sound crazy. But I’m all set with Anthony Davis in Boston.
I’ve touched upon this before, last month, when explaining why I believe the Kyrie Irving experiment with the Celtics needs to end, for both the player and the team. I said that with a willingness to move ahead with the kids, as in Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and yes, even Terry Rozier.
Actually, it’s not just a willingness. It’s a desire, and quite possibly, a need.
I need to see what that group can do, without Irving. And now, I’m telling you that I need to see what that group can do without Davis.
Earlier this week, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that New Orleans Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin has already got the ball rolling on trade talks for Davis, who asked to be dealt midway through this past regular season.
Davis, 26, is entering the final year of his contract with New Orleans. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Davis only wants to play for either the Los Angeles Lakers or the New York Knicks.
That certainly isn’t going to help Griffin and the Pelicans, who, according to Wojnarowski’s league sources, are asking for “an All-Star player, a young player with All-Star potential, and two first-round picks.” Multiple reports also have the Celtics as one of the team’s that may be willing to gamble and trade for Davis, even if it’s just for one year, a la Toronto’s trade for Kawhi Leonard.
That would be dumb, in my opinion. And please, don’t try to compare a Davis trade to the Kevin Garnett trade. These are two different situations, whether you like it or not.
Boston and Minnesota only agreed to a Garnett trade back in 2007 because the Celtics were able to get Garnett to agree to an extension. The initial trade that was agreed upon by both the Celtics and Timberwolves was taken off the table because Garnett told the Celtics he didn’t want to play in Boston. Then, after the C’s traded for Ray Allen, they got Garnett’s full attention and made the blockbuster deal happen.
Would Davis be willing to show the same interest in an extension with the Celtics? It certainly doesn’t sound like it. But even if he does, I’m all set. And yes, I understand that sounds crazy.
But another reason why this doesn’t compare to the Garnett trade is because Garnett at least did everything he could for the organization that drafted him. He spent 12 seasons in Minnesota and led the Timberwolves to the playoffs eight years in a row. The deepest he got was the Western Conference Final in 2004. But there’s no denying that he earned the right to seek a trade to put himself in a better position to win an NBA Championship before it was too late.
Davis? He’s spent seven seasons in New Orleans and has gone to the playoffs only twice. That’s not to say he doesn’t have a “right” to ask for a trade. He has every right to do that. But it just seems as if he gave up on his team a whole year-and-a-half before his contract with that team was up. It certainly doesn’t feel like he shed the same blood, sweat, and tears that Garnett did with Minnesota.
And if you’ve been following the Celtics, it seems they’re about to lose an All-Star player in Irving who doesn’t want to be a Celtic. So why should they spend valuable energy and assets to run out and acquire another? Especially when you have a group of kids who, last year, led the C’s to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final.
Keep the kids. Pass on Davis. You might be surprised with the result.
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