Anthony Davis trade suitor power rankings: Who are realistic threats to acquire him before trade deadline?

Anthony Davis wants to be traded and the Celtics are going to offer up the farm for him (or close to it) when they get the chance to acquire him. They are going to have to wait to do that until this summer though, due to the Rose Rule. Trading Kyrie Irving in order to get Davis is not a great idea when Ainge is trying to build a contender and Irving has committed (at least verbally) to staying long-term.

So Ainge and company will now have to watch and wait, with the hope that their well-publicized assets will be enough to cause the Pelicans to wait until this summer to deal their All-Star. You can bet that Ainge will float some hypothetical offers in the meantime so Pelicans general manager Dell Demps and ownership know what could be waiting for them in July. Whether they offer enough to make them wait is another question.

In the meantime, the Celtics will be watching nervously, counting down the days until the trade deadline passes in hopes that other teams doesn’t swoop in and land Davis before they even get a chance to make an official offer. The Lakers are obviously the most talked about name on this front, but it’s safe to say 29 teams around the league will at least be making a call on Davis. Most of those won’t have any realistic shot at keeping Davis over the long term, given his desire to compete for a contender. However, there are a number of squads with plenty of draft assets, young pieces or star power that will have the ear of the Pelicans. Which teams are the ones the Celtics should be worrying about in the next week and a half and have the potential to make an offer the Pelicans couldn't say no to? Let’s go through all the possibilities in the Anthony Davis trade contender power rankings

Not serious contenders for Davis

Knicks/Bulls/other lottery teams: There has been a lot of chatter about bad big market teams getting into the mix for Davis by offering up a top pick and young players. Thanks to new lottery odds, no team has more than a 13 percent chance at landing the No. 1 pick in Zion Williamson for the time being. One of these squads could eventually get into the bidding after the draft lottery, but no one will have that type of a trump card until May, making them non-contenders for now in the bidding.

Bucks: It’s a fun idea to team up Giannis and AD, but all of the Bucks’ other best assets (Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe, Malcolm Brogdon) are on expiring deals. With no young promising building blocks to deal, that’s not going to get the job done.

Pacers: This may have been an interesting team to consider before Victor Oladipo got hurt. They have Myles Turner signed to a reasonable long-term extension ($18 million for next four years) and they could have thrown in Domantas Sabonis, Aaron Holiday and multiple first-round picks as well as expiring contracts. However, even that package wouldn’t have been enough to get it done in all likelihood with no emerging All-Star in it and their chances of contending with an upgrade are gone with Oladipo done for the season anyway.

Nets: Would Brooklyn have considered rolling the dice on trading for AD now and then signing a max free agent to pair with him this summer? Injuries may have ruined their best chance to do it already as Caris LaVert remains sidelined with a broken leg. He may be back this year but his trade stock is way down due to it. A combination of LaVert, Jarrett Allen, Joe Harris and a bunch of future first round picks would have been worth considering for the Pelicans but that’s not enough to push the needle now. They can try again in summer anyway if Davis hasn’t been dealt by then, so making a push before the deadline isn’t big for them.

Other East playoff teams (Heat/Hornets/Pistons/Wizards): No contenders here given the price these teams would have to pay in the AD deal. Not enough young talent on these squads to get the deal done.

Worth considering, but probably not happening in next 10 days

Warriors: A combination of Klay Thompson and Draymond Green would get the Pelicans attention but Thompson can walk after the season as a free agent, while it’s hard to see the Warriors blowing up this core in the midst of a request for a three-peat.

Blazers: If the Pelicans are looking for a star to replace Davis now down there, they have a pair of them under contract through 2021 in Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. It’s hard to see the Pelicans wanting to go that route though, even if Portland adds first-round picks to sweeten the deal. A pair of Davis and Lillard/McCollum is a good Western Conference team but still not a contender with the supporting cast in place.

Nuggets: They have arguably more young talent than anyone to throw at the Pelicans (Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, Malik Beasley, Monte Morris). However, all of those guys are under team control for at least another four years. It’s hard to envision the Nuggets rolling the dice on moving them for a year and a half of Davis, given the potentially awkward fit with Nikola Jokic. They will make a call but their future is bright enough where they don’t need to make this kind of gamble.

Thunder: Would Sam Presti ever offer Russell Westbrook straight up? Probably, but I can’t imagine the Pelicans wanting to take on a 30-year-old Westbrook making an average of $43 million through 2022? They need an overhaul and starting with an old star won’t help on that front. Outside of Steven Adams, no real value elsewhere on the roster. Not happening

Jazz: Donovan Mitchell would get the Pelicans listening, but the Jazz aren’t enough of a ready-made contender to roll the dice on dumping seven years of Mitchell (due to restricted free agency rights) for just a year and a half of Davis guaranteed. Hard to see Davis even considering re-signing in Utah either.

Teams with potential incentive to make a deal now

5. Clippers

Top movable assets
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (signed through 2021-22 before becoming RFA)
Jerome Robinson (signed through 2021-22 before becoming RFA)
Montrezl Harrell (signed through 2019-20 before becoming FA)
A ton of sign-and-trade possibilities (Tobias Harris, Patrick Beverley, etc.)
Own first round picks

The skinny: They have plenty of reasons to get in the bidding now with so many expiring contracts that won’t be usable after the season ends. They also have enough cap space to sign a max free agent this summer to pair with Davis, a scenario that likely becomes easier if Davis is already in uniform. The problem for them is a lack of meaningful young assets. Harrell is a nice role piece but he’s only under contract for one more year. Gilgeous-Alexander has shown flashes but it’s unclear how high his ceiling gets. Robinson has barely been able to get off the bench. Even if the Clippers throw two or three future first-round picks in play with those three guys and expiring deals, there’s no sure future All-Star or non-lottery pick in that bunch. That’s not going to get it done when the C’s assets are waiting to be offered this summer.

Best offer: Harris, Gilgeous-Alexander, Harrell, Robinson, three first round picks and salary filler

Would they offer it? Yes.

Would Pelicans take it before the trade deadline? No.

4. Rockets:

Top movable assets:
Clint Capela (signed through 2021-22 before becoming an unrestricted FA)
Eric Gordon (signed through 2019-20 before becoming an unrestricted FA)
PJ Tucker (signed through 2020-21 before becoming an unrestricted FA)
All of their future first round picks

Overview: Daryl Morey was rumored to offer as many as four first-round picks for Jimmy Butler’s expiring contract back in November. You can bet he would do the same for a year and a half of Davis, with the hope that a core of Paul/Harden/Davis would be able to contend for another decade. The problem for Morey is that the Rockets don’t have any appealing young assets on this roster. Gordon and Tucker are not going to appeal to a Pelicans team that needs to hit the reset button as both guys are on the wrong side of 30. Capela is a nice center on a solid contract but he’s far from a franchise building block. Even if Morey offers all of his unprotected picks, there is a good chance all of them land in the 20s if Davis and Harden are playing together for the next decade. This isn’t going to get the job done.

Best offer: Anything Pelicans want beyond Paul and Harden

Will Rockets make it before the deadline? Yes.

Will Pelicans take it before the deadline? No.

3. Raptors:

Top realistic movable assets
Pascal Siakam (signed through 2019-20 before becoming RFA)
OG Anunoby (signed through 2020-21 before becoming RFA)
Fred Van Vleet (signed through 2019-20 before becoming FA)

Overview: This is a fascinating scenario for general manager Masai Ujiri. On the one hand, his team is riding high with one best two records in the NBA that is arguably a co-favorite to reach the NBA Finals in the East. On the other hand, uncertainty surrounds the team in the offseason with the future of free agent to be Kawhi Leonard hovering over July. Landing Davis now to pair with Leonard and Kyle Lowry would easily make the Raptors top contenders for this season, but would it be enough to convince Leonard to stay for the long-term? Would Davis want to stay long-term in Toronto? The short-term potential is enticing, but the long-term risks could leave the cupboard empty. Barring Leonard signaling that he’s staying now for the long haul (which seems unlikely) it’s hard to envision the Raptors giving up all their young pieces and draft picks to get the Pelicans to move Davis now. They could emerge again as a suitor in the summer, depending on how the Leonard situation plays out and even then, offering Siakam, Anunoby, Van Vleet, Norm Powell and several future first round picks is probably too much risk to swallow.

Best offer they might consider now: Anunoby, Siakam, Van Vleet, Norm Powell (salary filler), multiple unprotected first round picks.

Would they make it before the deadline? Unlikely

Will Pelicans take it before the deadline? Probably not.

Teams the Celtics should be worried about

2. Lakers

Top player assets ranked in order
Brandon Ingram (signed through 2019-20 before restricted free agency)
Kyle Kuzma (signed through 2020-21 before RFA)
Lonzo Ball (signed through 2020-21 before RFA)
Josh Hart (signed through 2020-21 before RFA)
Mo Wagner (signed through 2021-22 before RFA)
Top Draft Assets: Own all future first round picks

Overview: Like Boston, some key player assets in LA have taken a step backwards in value thus far in 2018-19. Ingram’s 3-point shooting has dipped to 30 percent on the year and his stats across the board have taken hits (assists, rebounds, points per game) after the arrival of LeBron James. There’s still plenty of room for untapped potential at age 21 but the presence of James has not done much to help his game.

The same middling has been in place for Ball. The point guard is hitting just 38 percent of his shots from the field and 30 percent from 3-point range and his rebounds and assists per game averages have dipped in his sophomore season. Neither player looks like a bust, but they are both far from looking like surefire All-Stars for the future.

Kuzma (18.2 ppg) is the best offensive player of the Lakers’ bunch right now but his upside is somewhat limited at age 23 and defense is a weakness for him. Other prospects like Hart and Wagner project to be nothing more than bench players long-term.

The Lakers could try to get ultra-aggressive now, but I’m not sure the Pelicans would even bite on Kuzma/Ingram/Ball/Hart even it includes some first-round picks as well. The Celtics have the pieces to top that offer, assuming that Dell Demps like Jayson Tatum more than any of these players. With no surefire building block in that core or a lottery pick coming (even if future first-round picks are included), I can’t see Demps going for it unless he has a far higher value of Ingram or Kuzma than the rest of the league.

Best offer they might consider now: Ingram, Kuzma, Ball, Hart, salary filler, multiple first round picks

Would they offer it before the deadline? Yes

Would Pelicans accept it before the deadline? Unlikely.

1. Sixers

Top young player assets

Ben Simmons (signed through 2019-20 before RFA)
Markelle Fultz (signed through 2020-21 before RFA)
Landry Shamet (signed through 2021-22 before RFA)
Zhaire Smith (signed through 2021-22 before RFA)

Top draft assets:
2021 unprotected first round pick from Miami, own picks

Overview: Would a twin towers front line of Joel Embiid and Davis work? You can bet it’s being considered in the Sixers front office. The Sixers are better positioned here to make a move but it’s going to take putting Ben Simmons on the table right now to get serious consideration from the Pelicans. If they want to leverage their top East rival for the future, they can get ultra-aggressive now with a take it or leave it offer at the trade deadline that includes Simmons, posturing that it might not be on the table in the summer. Combining that with some young pieces and the 2021 Miami unprotected pick could be enough to get some movement. Philadelphia could then go forward with a Butler/Embiid/Davis core with the hope that it is good enough over the next two postseasons to convince Davis to remain in Philly. There are fits risks here and no guarantee that Butler stays after this year too, but Elton Brand has already shown he’s willing to get aggressive. If the Sixers get the sense from Davis’ reps that he wouldn’t mind playing with Embiid, this could be the team with the necessary ammo to get something done now if they want to get ultra-aggressive.

Best offer they might consider now: Simmons, Shamet, Smith, Miami first round pick, salary filler (Chandler/Muscala)

Would they offer it before the deadline? Unlikely

Would Pelicans accept it before the deadline? Possible.