Anthony Davis Rumors: Lakers Unable To Match Celtics Trade Package

Anthony Davis’ future with the New Orleans Pelicans and his potential move to the Los Angeles Lakers or the Boston Celtics continues to be the most discussed topic in the NBA at the moment.

It is no secret that both the Los Angeles and Boston basketball franchises are big admirers of the power forward and are hoping to lure him from the Pelicans. Davis is contracted to his current employers until the summer of 2020 and is eligible for a supermax deal worth $235 million at the end of this season.

The speculation about his future with the Pelicans was intensified after Lakers star LeBron James made open claims about how it would be great to have Davis on his team. But there are two scenarios of how it could play out as the Lakers and the Celtics are on two different boats in terms of their ability to sign the forward.

To start off, the Lakers are allowed to trade for Davis this season before the Feb. 7 trade deadline and have a number of talented young prospects that they can offer the Pelicans – but that will lessen their cap space limiting their chances of landing a big free agent in the summer.

The Celtics, on the other hand, cannot trade for Davis until the summer as they have already traded for a designated player – Kyrie Irving – from the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017. They have to wait until the summer and once Irving re-signs they can make a trade for the power forward.

According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the Lakers have to move now if they are to have a chance of beating the Celtics for Davis’ signature with the NBA insider unsure if they can compete with the Boston team in terms of the best offer when it comes to a trade package.

And if Davis wants to be a Laker over a Celtic player then he too will have to move now as it will be difficult for the Pelicans to turn down an offer from the Celtics in the summer. Danny Ainge's team – the Celtics general manager – have four first round draft picks and a number of talented young players to offer and that, according to Windhorst, will be pretty difficult to match for any team.

The Celtics will only be hoping that Davis remains put until the summer – and at the moment it looks to be the case as the forward is unlikely to force a move before the trade deadline.

Meanwhile, Scotty Pippen, a six-time NBA champion with the Chicago Bulls is certain that the landscape of the NBA will change if Davis joins Irving and the talented Celtics next summer. He believes the era of the Golden State Warriors’ dominance – they have won three titles in the last four seasons – will be over.

“Why I think it totally shifts. You are talking about the Boston Celtics based on the roster they have right now existing,” Pippen said, as quoted on ESPN.

“If they don’t lose the star at the core of their team I think it shifts the power. I mean Golden State has held the power for a while but I think it shifts. Anthony Davis is a game changer,” he added.