The Boston Celtics arguably have the best package to offer in the league-wide sweepstakes for New Orleans Pelicans big man Anthony Davis. President Danny Ainge has a stockpile of intriguing young players and first-round draft picks that he can present to the Pelicans in exchange for their disgruntled superstar.
The most intriguing of those assets is second-year forward and budding star Jayson Tatum. However, reports from Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated indicate that Boston is currently refusing to dangle Tatum in trade talks.
As the Pelicans field offers for Anthony Davis, Boston’s message to New Orleans has been direct: Wait. Wait, and we will come to you with an offer that will make it worth it. Wait, and you can raid our stash of draft picks. The Celtics have refused to directly dangle Jayson Tatum, two sources familiar with the situation told SI.com, but the Pelicans have been left with the impression that if Davis remains on the roster past Thursday, nothing is off the table.
The Los Angeles Lakers have already made a monster offer for Davis, but the Pelicans are seeking more from the Hollywood-based squad. While other teams may emerge in the sweepstakes, the Lakers and Celtics are still the favorites to land the All-NBA big man.
Still, there are a number of factors pointing to the fact that Davis indeed wants to don the purple and gold. The timing of his trade request gave the Lakers more leverage over the Celtics, who cannot acquire Davis this season without giving up their own superstar in Kyrie Irving. To add to that, Anthony Davis Sr. said that he does not want his son to go to Boston because of the way they treated Isaiah Thomas. Moreover, Davis did not include Boston on his list of preferred destinations.
Still, this has not discouraged the Celtics from pursuing the generational talent as they reportedly told the Pelicans to wait out on their offer this summer.
Boston's ultimate trump card in all of this is Tatum, the best prospect between the Celtics and Lakers. Despite not having the expected leap many expected him to have this season, Tatum still projects to be a potential franchise player who teams can build around or pair with another franchise superstar.
It remains to be seen if the Celtics are ultimately willing to part ways with their super sophomore, who showed tremendous upside as a rookie when he emerged as a leader throughout their playoff run last season. While the Celtics haven't committed to putting Tatum on the table, the expectation is he would be made available if Davis isn't traded before the deadline.
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