The trade deadline is up, and Anthony Davis hasn't been traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. With that said, the Boston Celtics will now have a shot at acquiring him from the New Orleans Pelicans this summer.
The Celtics were one of the teams who reportedly convinced the Pelicans not to trade Anthony Davis to the Lakers, and now that their master plan has worked, Boston will now make moves in preparation for their negotiations with New Orleans come July.
Everybody knows that the Celtics have plenty of assets to offer the Pelicans, from young assets like Jayson Tatum, Terry Rozier, Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown to a handful of draft picks. Boston is well equipped to make a monster deal with New Orleans, and they are going to make another move to strengthen their chances of landing Davis.
Sources: Despite dealing Jabari Bird, the Boston Celtics will not avoid the luxury tax this season. Boston is now likely to use their MLE to sign a player to a big two-year deal, with the idea of having the second season as part of salary matching in a trade for Anthony Davis.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) February 7, 2019
The Celtics will be looking at the best available players in free agency, and even in the buyout market over the next couple of days. If they intend to sign a player that can help sweeten the deal for New Orleans, they will need to make sure that whoever that is will be someone that can help the Pelicans next season.
Guys like Wes Matthews, Wayne Ellington and Trevor Ariza are all interesting choices for the Celtics, and they have all the time in the world to decide on this, because there's no longer the pressure of competing against the Lakers in a bidding war for Davis.
Of course, the Lakers are still expected to negotiate with New Orleans this summer, but they will be facing a stiff competition once the Celtics join the trade discussions.
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