The Boston Celtics could have acquired Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans. However, they refused to involve Jayson Tatum in the trade talks.
According to Marc Stein of New York Times, the Celtics refusal to include Tatum in the discussions for AD put the Los Angeles Lakers in prime position to make the trade — which they did.
The Boston Celtics refused to make Jayson Tatum available in trade talks with New Orleans, league sources say, putting the Lakers in prime position to strike the deal that teams Anthony Davis with LeBron James
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 15, 2019
The Celtics front office would've had no problems trading Tatum a few months ago. But since Kyrie Irving is likely going to leave the team this summer, they didn't want to part ways with some of their valuable assets. By not giving up Tatum, Boston basically conceded to LA in the tug-of-war for AD.
Still, Celtic fans should not be upset that they were not able to get AD. Tatum has already led them to the Eastern Conference Finals a couple of years ago — as a rookie. If Boston will be focused on developing him along with some of the team's young players, they might be able to replicate their success back in the 2018 playoffs.
After Tatum's phenomenal rookie year, he had to take a back seat last season so that the Celtics can accommodate the return of Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. Obviously, it hurt his production and it may have stunted his growth as well. However, if he can bounce back next season, Boston will be in a good position.
The Celtics may have lost the opportunity to pair AD with Kyrie, but they are still a well-managed franchise. Do not be surprised if they will be able to pull off something in their sleeve that will make them instant title contenders this season or in the forseeable future.
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