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Boston Celtics: Do not Get Sucked into Anthony Davis Trade Talk

By Joshua Bateman

BOSTON, MA - JANUARY 7: Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans shoots the ball during the game against the Boston Celtics on January 7, 2017 at TD Garden in Boston, Masschusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and condition of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: 2017 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - JANUARY 7: Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans shoots the ball during the game against the Boston Celtics on January 7, 2017 at TD Garden in Boston, Masschusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and condition of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: 2017 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Even if the Boston Celtics are interested in Anthony Davis, there is no reason to think an actual trade is even a remote possibility

When Adrian Wojnarowski talks, everyone listens. So when he releases an in depth look on the ever looming talks of the Boston Celtics being interested in Anthony Davis, everyone is going to fire up the trade machines and try to find some sort of deal that will work.

First of all, obviously the Celtics have a constant interest in Davis, because we are talking about maybe one of the greatest talents this league has ever seen. Any team that does not want him on their side is absolutely insane. It just so happens that Danny Ainge is tied to more rumors than any other GM in the league, so everyone will jump to Boston. It would not surprise me if Ainge is calling every team on every night for a particular player, but that is not a sign that there is a serious possibility at this point.

The reality of the situation is that it makes next to no sense for either of these teams to even discuss a trade. For the New Orleans Pelicans, we are talking about the kind of talent that they may never get again in the history of their franchise. There may not be a single asking price available that could make them even pick up the phone, even if the Celtics can offer the best package.

The Celtics have all kinds of assets, but we are talking about one of the most untouchable players in the league who has been untouchable since his rookie season. If the Pelicans wanted to blow things up, it would be to rebuild around him, rather then sending him out and praying that one of the many draft picks or prospects gets even close to the player that Davis already is.

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For the Celtics, I understand Ainge has the reputation of being an active trader, but he also has the reputation of being the stingiest trader. Davis is not a player you can get even by being generous, so thinking a stingy GM has any shot is foolish.

The Celtics would have to gut their current core, their future core, and give away the rest of their draft picks. If the Celtics did this trade, they would essentially be swapping situations with the Pelicans, just with a different coach. That is not going to happen. Celtics fans may have irrational love for Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, but they are not going to be packaged with established players and draft picks to bring in one guy.

On both sides, this makes absolutely no sense, and for all the fun there is in speculating about making a trade work, this is just about the most impossible trade to conceive of in sports. It is impossible to not be happy with your franchise in the hands of Davis, and the Celtics are completing one of the most successful rebuilds in the history of sports.

There is no reason for either of these teams to even consider this kind of trade. Ainge already made that blockbuster move to get Kyrie Irving, and he did it without threatening the long term future of this team.

The Celtics have an absurd balance of win now and win in the future, and it really is not crazy to say the Celtics should not blow that up for one player, especially one who has trouble staying on the court.

You better believe that this is not going to be the end of the Davis trade talk, and the more the Pelicans struggle the more it will be brought up. The reality is that Davis is not a player you trade away without getting every bit of his value, and the Celtics are not going to sacrifice everything they have built for any one player in the entire league.

The Celtics have built this from the ground up, and have allowed Brad Stevens to get and develop the players he needs to fit the image of what he wants the culmination of this team to be.

There is never going to be a perfect trade that would work for both of these teams, and the you need perfect circumstances to orchestrate that kind of trade. This is not Irving making it clear he wants out, or Paul George promising to leave as a free agent.

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This is the most untouchable player in the league, and the most promising future in the league. The risk taken in doing this kind of trade is no where near worth it for either side, so even if the Celtics will forever want to have Davis on their team, we are just about at a point where we can say it is impossible to get done.

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