Despite being bumped off first place in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics could prove to win the war after the battle was been fought, with enough upside to dethrone the reigning conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers.

President Danny Ainge has done well to collect a regalia of draft picks, and one that can prove too hard to resist for teams looking to start over and trade their star players prior to the offseason of 2019.

The likes of Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson, and Anthony Davis make for some of the top names available to become free agents in the summer of 2019 — an opportunity Boston could easily pounce on, according to Jason Lloyd of The Athletic.

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“Someone like Anthony Davis. It’s all conjecture and speculation at this point, but that’s what All-Star weekend is all about,” wrote Lloyd. “And A.D. on a team that includes Kyrie Irving and the slew of talent Boston is assembling could realistically be enough to topple the Cavs’ empire within the next year or two — even if James stays.”

Davis has remained committed to New Orleans, and so has Thompson to Golden State, but the San Antonio Spurs are still waiting on Leonard's impending recovery from a quad injury, and that could prove a little more patience than they can stomach, if this takes much longer.

The Celtics have kept The Brow as their top target, able to play the power forward and center positions with spectacular flexibility, and providing ideal spacing for point guard Kyrie Irving and forward Gordon Hayward under Brad Stevens' system.