Five pressing questions for the Celtics surrounding a potential Anthony Davis trade

With numerous rumors swirling around the future of Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis in the last week, the trade landscape on the Davis trade market may have shifted a bit. With that in mind, let's take a look at some important questions the C's front office will be debating in the days ahead as they debate how hard to push for the All-Star big man in a blockbuster deal.  

1. Do the Celtics need to target Anthony Davis to convince Al Horford to stay? While the common refrain from Celtics fans in the past few weeks is not too overpay for an All-Star like Davis given the risk he walks in one year, the potential hesitation to make a move could cost the team more than just Irving. It’s going to be hard to convince veterans like Al Horford and Aron Baynes to stick around for a chance to contend without Irving if there is not a serious upgrade in another part of the roster. Maybe Horford likes it enough in Boston to stick around for some long-term security and the culture, but his words from months ago indicate that he’s looking for more than that. The Celtics may need to sell him on a plan to get him to stick around and they need to be sure about his feelings on the matter. The good news for them is that he probably won’t leave them in the dark like Irving about what he’s looking for to stick around. Whether or not a guy like Davis will secure Horford’s return could very well be the extra push Danny Ainge needs to secure the deal. Otherwise, the Celtics risk seeing their best two players walk away in free agency for nothing, a catastrophic scenario for the franchise.

2. Will pursuing Anthony Davis make Irving think twice about leaving the Celtics? This is a common theory but still one that should carry weight as the C’s operate in the dark in the coming weeks on Irving’s future. It’s fair to assume right now that Irving isn’t coming back as things stand. Some kind of shakeup will be needed for Irving to even consider returning after a disastrous season. We all know about how easily Irving changes his mind so he simply may not be comfortable telling the Celtics what he wants in a roster since he’s not sure if that will be enough for him to stick around anyway. He wants to keep his options open and as a free agent, he has a right to do that even though it puts the C’s in a brutal spot with their planning From that standpoint, the Celtics can put some degree of pressure on Irving by acquiring Davis here. That allows them to pitch him on a new start with a running mate in Boston and keeps one of Irving’s potential suitors from landing the big man as a way to help entice Kyrie to sign. All of this is irrelevant if the C’s think that Irving is walking away no matter what but if they still think they can get back into the running, this is the way to do it.

3. What does the Nets trade mean for the Davis bidding? The Brooklyn Nets may have cleared out more room for a second max player in free agency with their trade on Thursday but their assets in a potential Davis trade just took a hit after they dealt away two future first round picks to Atlanta. There is some intriguing young talent that could be offered up (Caris LaVert, Jarrett Allen, Joe Harris, D’Angelo Russell in a sign-and-trade) but without draft compensation, it’s hard to see Pelicans biting on a package like that unless David Griffin thought very highly of everyone on that list (it’s unlikely Brooklyn offers more than three of those players). With rumblings that the Clippers also are unwilling to part with their best young asset (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) as part of a trade package for Davis, the bidding for Davis may not be as competitive as anticipated when it comes to assets. The Celtics will need to be creative with sign-and-trades possibilities in order to keep a piece like Marcus Smart but it may be back to just the Lakers and Knicks as the top bidders for Davis, with the possibility that both those teams elect to roll the dice in free agency before sacrificing all of their chief assets for Davis.

4. What are the best alternatives to an Anthony Davis deal? Are they appealing? We’ll focus more on this topic in the coming days here at BSJ but the Celtics’ biggest problem this offseason may be a lack of meaningful players on the market outside of Davis. Bradley Beal is the obvious name that comes to mind and the two years on his deal would give the C’s more security. However, it’s unclear whether that’s going to be the type of player to raise this team to a contending level when the price for him is likely going to need to be some combination of Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, picks and salary filler. Karl Anthony-Towns is not expected to be available in Minnesota. The same goes for Devin Booker. Kevin Love doesn’t move the needle much. Chris Paul is too expensive and old. Mike Conley Jr. would be a nice fit but would require moving Gordon Hayward and assets for. Davis is the only clear-cut impact All-Star name on the market and that may increase the C’s sense of urgency when considering the age of their other pieces like Hayward and Horford.

5. Are the Celtics content with being a non-contender with no clear cut path back to the top for the next year or two? If the Celtics decline to trade for Davis while losing Irving and Horford, that’s the indication that they will be sending to the fan base. Given how championship-driven this franchise has been during Wyc Grousbeck’s tenure as owner, it’s hard to envision the team settling on this route. Building around the young core (Tatum, Brown, Smart) is a fine option but those guys aren’t going to be able to take down Milwaukee or Toronto anytime soon (assuming Kawhi Leonard sticks around). Betting on being able to keep Davis is a risky proposition but there’s also plenty of risk involved in taking a step back. There’s certainly a higher floor in that route but the ceiling is lower too, barring rapid development by Brown and Tatum in All-Stars. A one year chance of contending with Davis (with the possibility he will stay) may be the more appealing path for the front office. We'll find out in the weeks to come.