Anthony Davis Trade Rumors: Celtics, Knicks Favorite, Where Do Spurs, Wizards Stand?

Anthony Davis will be on the shortlist of every team that can put together a trade package in the summer after New Orleans Pelicans held off from trading him before the deadline in February. The power forward also did not rule out a move to any of the 29 teams, but the final decision will be with his current employers, who will accept the deal that best benefits them.

The Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks are said to be among the front runners for Davis’ signature in the summer as they can make the best offer to the Pelicans in terms of players and draft picks.

The Celtics have a roster packed with young talent namely Jayson Tatum, a certain future All-Star and Jaylen Brown. But they can also offer 2017 All-Star Gordon Hayward and utility player Marcus Smart as part of the deal along with two 2019 first round draft picks.

The Knicks could also offer young talent in the form of Kevin Knox and Dennis Smith Jr but their main attraction could be the No.1 pick in the 2019 Draft which they could land owing to them being the worst team in the NBA this season. If the Pelicans take it, they could potentially draft Zion Williamson or Ja Morant, who are among the top prospects in the country at the moment.

While the Celtics and Knicks are front runners, there are a number of teams that could make the Pelicans think with tempting offers. One among them is the San Antonio Spurs, who according to Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley could offer shooting guard DeMar DeRozan, Lonnie Walker and a first-round pick in the 2019 draft.

The Spurs are looking to rebuild after all their championship winning players like Tim Duncan, Many Ginobili and Tony Parker either retired or left the team in recent years. And signing a player like Anthony Davis will give veteran coach Gregg Popovich a genuine talent to build the team around.

DeRozan came to the Spurs last summer as part of a trade that saw All-Star Kawhi Leonard move the other way to Toronto Raptors. The shooting guard has impressed with the Spurs this season averaging 21.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists and he could help the Pelicans going forward by becoming a focal point of their offense.

Apart from the Spurs, Buckley has named a few other teams in a list that could tempt the Pelicans in the event they do not want to trade Davis to Celtics or the Knicks. The Washington Wizards could offer Bradley Beal, one of the highly rated young shooting guards, in the NBA.

Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers are also high on the list of potential destinations for the power forward with the former already having offered five players and future draft picks before the trade deadline in February. They were turned down as the Pelicans were keen to see all the options on the table in the summer before making a decision.