Four thoughts on the Celtics' potential trade pursuit of Anthony Davis

The New Orleans Pelicans are actually having a decent season (15-15) this year, but that didn’t stop plenty of Anthony Davis trade talk from surfacing Tuesday in the wake of Adrian Wojnarowski’s latest feature on the All-Star big man on ESPN.com.

There were a few interesting nuggets in the piece, including a not-so-surprising confirmation that the Celtics called about Davis last year, and will remain “vigilant” if the Pelicans ever make him available. The 24-year-old also praised the winning culture of franchises like the Celtics, Warriors and Cavs, given their success despite recent injuries. He also wondered aloud about the Pelicans long-term plans and his desire to win after seeing other stars around the league get dealt this offseason.

“You see how organizations treat players," Davis told Wojnarowski. "Isaiah Thomas. DeMarcus (Cousins) told me that (the Kings) told him that he wasn't going to get traded, but they traded him. Isaiah took his team to the Eastern Conference finals, and they traded him. It makes you wonder: Does this organization really have my back? I've been loyal to this organization. I love it here. I love this team. I think we're moving in the right direction. DeMarcus, (Rajon) Rondo, some other players that are helping us, but people get judged on winning. And I want to win. It's not about the money. It's not about having fans. The most important thing to me: winning. That's what I want to do. And I want to do it here."

So what should Celtics fans make of these comments and the dream of a Davis deal down the line? A few thoughts in the wake of the piece:

1. Don’t bother firing up the trade machine this season for Davis trades: The Pelicans are pot-committed for the 2017-18 season with Davis, Cousins and a roster stocked with veterans. The earliest I could see things getting interesting as far as Davis’ potential availability is this summer. If the perfect storm comes together (i.e. the Pelicans miss the playoffs and Cousins leave town as a free agent without compensation), New Orleans will be left with no salary cap room (beyond the mid-level exception) and a lottery roster around Davis. A franchise is never going to willingly trade a superstar in his prime in a smaller market like New Orleans if he’s content, but the scenario I described could plant the seeds for a dismayed Davis who clearly wants to win above all else. The only way I see Davis ever leaving New Orleans during this contract is if he’s disgruntled (sending signals he won't re-sign) and an ugly summer for the team in 2018 could lead to the start of that scenario.

2. The current Davis contract actually runs through 2019-20 for trade purposes: The big man has an early termination option for the 2020-21 season, and he’ll exercise it then (barring injury) in order to get a bigger payday in his next contract (since he’ll be eligible for 30 percent of a max contract). It’s also important to note Davis could be eligible for a supermax contract in the summer of 2019 from the Pelicans (if he meets the criteria), but he would only be able to get that hefty payday from the team that originally drafted him (the Pelicans). That potential lost money (tens of millions) from a trade could factor into him wanting to stay put down the line.

3. The development of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown make a Celtics trade for Davis in 2018 or 2019 a far more feasible scenario, but it’s going to be hard to make the math work. Davis will earn $25.4 million next year and $27.1 million during 2019-20. Outside of their own three All-Stars, the Celtics don’t have anyone on the books next year making more than $6.7 million (Tatum) currently, but they'll have to match the money since they're over the cap. So while the Celtics certainly have the ammo to create a noteworthy offer of players and picks (likely two of these options: Tatum, Brown, Memphis pick, LA/Sac pick) if Davis ever becomes available, it’s going to be hard for them to find enough money to match salaries in any potential deal, unless 1) Al Horford is included, or 2) Marcus Smart is used as a sign-and-trade salary matching piece in a deal next summer.

There are plenty of potential negative optics of dealing Horford (bad sign to locker room, how much better do you get by dumping him for Davis, etc.) while it’s hard to see the Pelicans wanting to pay Smart big money in his next deal (even if he comes with plenty of other assets) since they already have Jrue Holiday signed through 2021. Despite these obstacles, the Celtics have enough assets to jump to a top suitor, if they want to (which is far from a sure thing, given the potential asking price). Boston’s ability to make a Godfather offer wasn’t clear a few months ago, but the growth of Tatum and Brown has changed that.

4. How are the Celtics looked at by stars around the league after trading Isaiah Thomas? It’s a question I wondered about back in the summer when Thomas was floated in trade rumors initially, and it’s interesting that Davis brought it up in this interview. It doesn’t seem like he necessarily holds anything against the Celtics for it (he compliments their team building in the interview), so it seems like it was more of a wakeup call for Davis that perhaps that no one is safe in trade talks. Whether that has any impact on his future in New Orleans remains to be seen, but the rumblings I’ve heard around the league in the past few months is that Kyrie Irving is a guy that players, and particularly stars want to play with. He’s respected and he’s got the postseason track record that few others have. The Celtics had already become an appealing destination by landing Horford and Hayward in the past two summers, but the acquisition of Irving has taken it to another level.