The Boston Celtics will have to wait to do their bidding for Anthony Davis, as the New Orleans Pelicans star is out of reach due to the “Rose Rule” which disallows two players on contracts worth 30 percent of the salary cap to be in the same team. Yet ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski expects the Celtics to call the Pels soon to tell them they'd be willing to give them their asking price if they are just willing to wait.
“Boston will call them soon, if they haven't already,” said Wojnarowski, according to Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports. “They are going to let them know they will be aggressive and give the Pelicans everything they want for Anthony Davis. Just hold off until after the trade deadline.”
The Celtics have the best group of assets to deploy for Anthony Davis in any trade offer, a large reason why the Pelicans are expected to make his swap under their own deadline and not conform to the pressure of the looming Feb. 7 cutout date.
Article Continues BelowPresident Danny Ainge has great young talent at his disposal like Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Terry Rozier, while other capable pieces like Al Horford and Marcus Smart could help complete the deal as far as matching salaries.
The Pelicans will want a blockbuster return for their talisman player, but knowing Ainge, he will drive a hard bargain when it comes down to negotiations — though the first step is ensuring the Pelicans are willing to wait until then.
New Orleans is in no position to contend for the playoffs under current circumstances and have not much to lose by waiting on the Celtics to up the ante and force other teams to step up their offers in hopes to garner Davis' services.