The odd timing of an Anthony Davis trade request; only two weeks before the Feb. 7 deadline, is acting as a huge head start for the Los Angeles Lakers to vie for his services.

The declaration of Davis' intentions to part ways with the Los Angeles Lakers was made on Friday, but his agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, went public with it on Monday morning — fanning the flames in what was already considered the biggest question mark in the market.

According to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, there was no reason for Paul to go public with this other than to give the Lakers, the team that boasts his longtime friend and business partner LeBron James, a huge leg up in competition.

“There’s really only one reason for AD’s agent to go public with a trade demand this early — to give the Lakers a head start on trade talks before Boston can get into the mix this summer,” said Mannix in a tweet. “Why else risk AD spending the next few months as the villain?”

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The Lakers' biggest rival for Davis, the Boston Celtics, are mired in a “Rose Rule” deadlock, which would keep them from dealing for Davis until July 1, as Kyrie Irving was obtained via trade in August 2017.

Under the Rose Rule, a team cannot have two players that were signed to 30 percent of the salary cap as an extension of their rookie contract (a feat both Irving and Davis achieved by mustering two All-NBA selections before signing their extensions).

While the Celtics can agree to a trade “in good faith” to be processed in July 1, it is highly unlikely the Pelicans would take that chance, given the fragility of NBA economics and the long time they would be forced to wait with a player who no longer wants to take part in the organization.

The Celtics have the legitimate advantage of offering better assets for Davis, including a war chest of draft picks and attractive young pieces to boot — but the Lakers have time in their favor, only after Paul decided to go public with this intention, putting every other NBA franchise on notice.