Anthony Davis Rumors: Ranking The Lakers, Celtics, Knicks, 76ers In Race For Trade With Pelicans

It seems to be a near certainty that Anthony Davis will be traded at some point before the 2019-2020 NBA season, and a few teams stand out as the most likely possible destinations. The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics have been eyeing the NBA’s best big man for months, and a few other teams have the assets necessary to get a deal done.

Here’s a ranking of the top four possible destinations for Davis:

1) Boston Celtics

The Celtics can’t trade for Davis with Kyrie Irving on their roster until July 1, but that might not be a problem since the New Orleans Pelicans are in no rush to deal Davis before the Feb. 7 trade deadline. Boston will likely be able to offer New Orleans the most intriguing package. Jayson Tatum has more star potential than anyone on the Lakers, and the Celtics could own four first-round picks this year if everything breaks right.

2) Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers do have a few advantages over the Celtics. Los Angeles can start bidding for Davis now, and they’ve got room to take on other contracts that New Orleans might want to unload. Expect the Lakers to put just about their entire roster on the table for Davis, as well as multiple future draft picks. Maybe the Pelicans will be tempted to unload Davis within the next week if it means acquiring a few former No.2 overall picks and shedding tens of millions of dollars in future contracts.

3) New York Knicks

With Kristaps Porzingis, Kevin Knox and a pick that’s sure to be near the top of the 2019 draft, the Knicks can make a pre-deadline offer that compares to the Lakers’ package. The value of New York’s offer in the summer will be determined by the draft lottery. The Knicks currently have a 14 percent chance of getting the No.1 pick. Winning the lottery would put New York above every other suitor. Would the team even want to give up the chance to take Zion Williamson? Securing the No.2 or the No.3 pick would make the Knicks serious players for Davis.

4) Philadelphia 76ers

The 76ers are the perfect trade partner for the Pelicans, in some respects. New Orleans would be hard-pressed to turn down a Ben Simmons-for-Anthony Davis swap. The fit hasn’t been perfect with Simmons, Joel Embiid and Jimmy Butler, and replacing the point guard with the Pelicans’ big man might put Philadelphia over the top in the East. Simmons and Davis share the same agent, making a deal unlikely, and Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes has reported that the 76ers aren’t considering a trade at the moment.