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3 reasons the Boston Celtics-Los Angeles Lakers rivalry is back

By Andrew Hughes

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 23: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics looks to pass the ball during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on February 23, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 23: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics looks to pass the ball during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on February 23, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) /
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Boston Celtics (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
Boston Celtics (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) /

The Anthony Davis trade saga

For years, Anthony Davis was pegged as a potential trade target for the Boston Celtics when his time in New Orleans was done. The thinking went as such: Danny Ainge owned significant draft capital from the Brooklyn Nets deal that sent away Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry.

Well, those picks turned into Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, two top three picks in 2016 and 2017. As the pair developed–particularly during the 2018 playoff run–they looked like perfect trade pieces to acquire Davis, long known as a franchise-altering talent worth giving up future talent for.

Well, ultimately Ainge relented on a deal, even during the 2019 trade deadline. At that point in time, Tatum was taking a backseat in the starting lineup to Kyrie Irving–who wanted to team up with Davis according to rumors–and Brown had lost his starting position to Marcus Smart in a season that had flat-lined.

Even with Davis begging for a way out of New Orleans, Ainge was more interested in his own guys and the “Brow” eventually landed in Los Angeles beside James to form the league’s most deadly duo.

Knowing that Davis could have been wearing green and white but now wears purple and gold adds to the current rivalry, but seeing Tatum and Brown continue to ascend in his stead adds even more juice.

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