NBA Rumors: Celtics Want Anthony Davis, 'Everyone' Available For Trade

The Los Angeles Lakers will have their task cut out if they try to land Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans again in the summer after missing out prior to the Feb. 7 trade deadline, with the Boston Celtics said to be ready to offer any player on their roster to land the power forward.

Davis requested a trade earlier in the year after confirming he will not re-sign with the Pelicans and was hoping to leave the team before the deadline earlier in February. And the Lakers were desperate to sign him and made multiple offers, one of which included five players and future draft picks.

But all their efforts fell on deaf ears as the deadline passed with Davis remaining with the Pelicans at least until the end of the current campaign. Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson even accused the Pelicans of not negotiating in "good faith".

However, multiple reports suggested that the Pelicans were only looking to spoil the Lakers’ rhythm and had no intention of trading Davis midway through the campaign as they were certain the best offers for the player are likely to come in the summer, especially when the Celtics enter the race.

The Athletic’s Shams Charania shed more light on the situation with Davis’ trade and the reason the Pelicans ignored all the offers before the deadline. The Celtics reportedly got in touch with the New Orleans franchise prior to the deadline and made certain of their interest by revealing that “everyone can be available”.

“Around the NBA’s Feb. 7th trade deadline, Boston made their intentions clear to the New Orleans Pelicans surrounding their pursuit of All-NBA star Anthony Davis after the season, league sources told The Athletic: Everyone can be available,” Charania wrote.

And when the Celtics mean "everyone" that includes the likes of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown – the two brightest prospects in the Celtics roster. The duo has impressed in the last two seasons – especially during the 2017 post-season when they led the Celtics to game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals without the aid of All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward.

Tatum has already indicated that he would be willing to accept a trade and the Pelicans are almost certain to favor the Celtics young core over the Lakers’ core of Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma and Lonzo Ball, who have struggled to perform at a high level consistently this season.

Moreover, the Celtics could also be holding three draft picks by the time the summer arrives, which is certain to make the package more tempting. And the Boston franchise will also be hoping that their efforts to bring Davis to TD Garden will convince Irving to commit his long-term future to the team when he enters free agency in the summer.