Anthony Davis Rumors: NBA Star Could Be Traded Twice In 2019 If Lakers Don't Make Deadline Deal

Anthony Davis reportedly has his eyes on joining the Los Angeles Lakers, and there are rumors that his agent will make it known that his client only plans to sign with L.A. when he hits free agency after the 2019-2020 season. The NBA’s best big man, however, can’t control where the New Orleans Pelicans will trade him, and there are several teams that could realistically acquire the superstar.

One possible scenario could even see Davis get moved twice before the start of next season. Teams are considering making an offer to New Orleans before the Feb. 7 trade deadline with the idea that they could flip Davis for other assets this summer.

The Boston Celtics are expected to pursue Davis in the offseason, but NBA rules won’t let them acquire him with Kyrie Irving on the roster this season. The Lakers will surely try to land Davis within the next week, though their offer of young players and future draft picks might not be all that enticing to the Pelicans. Other teams that are trying to reach the 2019 NBA Finals could offer New Orleans a better deal than one centered around Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball.

“There are going to be contenders, and I’m already hearing from them today, who would treat Anthony like a rental,” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on “The Stephen A. Smith Show” earlier this week. “Knowing that they have him for the rest of the season, and if at the end of the year he doesn’t want to go forward with them, then they’re in a position to trade him to Boston or L.A., get them in an auction. And they could get back all the assets they traded to New Orleans to get him.

“I think this will be much wider open in terms of the offers New Orleans gets between now and the trade deadline than just L.A.”

There have already been reports of two contenders that will try to land Davis. According to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, the Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks will both make offers to New Orleans. Milwaukee and Toronto have the two best records in the Eastern Conference, making them legitimate contenders to reach the finals.

A trade between the Raptors and Pelicans would likely include Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby. The Bucks could offer Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe, both of whom are in consideration to make the All-Star team, though both players are set to become free agents.

O’Connor reported that front-office executives believe the Denver Nuggets have what it takes to get a deal done with New Orleans. The Nuggets are the No.2 seed in the West, and acquiring Davis might make them easily the biggest threat to the Golden State Warriors.

If a team like Milwaukee, Toronto or Denver trades for Davis in February and fears he will leave as a free agent in 2020, you can bet they would be able to send him to Boston or Los Angeles in exchange for whatever package the Celtics or Lakers would’ve presented to the Pelicans.

The Celtics seem confident that Davis would stay with the team for the long term if Irving is also on the roster. The New York Knicks are also expected to bid for Davis, and the All-Star would reportedly consider staying in the Big Apple.

The last few star players to be traded were ultimately sent to unlikely destinations.

Paul George made it clear in the summer of 2017 that he wanted to sign with the Lakers in a year as a free agent, but the Indiana Pacers sent him to the Oklahoma City Thunder, with whom he eventually signed a new contract. The San Antonio Spurs ignored Kawhi Leonard’s preference to be in Los Angeles when they sent him to Toronto this past offseason.