Rich Paul says any potential Anthony Davis trade to Celtics would be for 'one year'

Anthony Davis' agent Rich Paul has tried to navigate his way towards a preferred destination for his All-Star client for months now. He went public with a trade demand in January when a top Davis suitor (Boston) was not legally able to trade for the superstar due to CBA rules (due to Kyrie Irving being on the roster with a similar contract). While the Celtics have never been considered a preferred destination for Davis (Lakers, Knicks, Clippers, Bucks were initially on the list), Davis had done little publicly to dissuade the Celtics from making a deal for him. However, that changed on Wednesday morning after a feature on Paul was released in SI by SL Price.

In it, a warning shot is fired at Boston amid rumors that the team still intended to make a run at Davis even without Irving on the roster.

“They can trade for him, but it’ll be for one year,” Paul told SI’s S.L. Price when asked about the Celtics. “I mean: If the Celtics traded for Anthony Davis, we would go there and we would abide by our contractual [obligations] and we would go into free agency in 2020. I’ve stated that to them. But in the event that he decides to walk away and you give away assets? Don’t blame Rich Paul.”

Davis has one year left on his deal for $27 million next year before he has an option to opt out and hit the unrestricted free agency market. Multiple reports have indicated that the Pelicans are looking to get a deal done before the draft, something that will certainly need to happen in principle if a deal occurs with the Celtics due to the expected draft picks changing hands. Paul lists the Knicks and Lakers as two preferred destinations in his piece.

BSJ Analysis

This flight risk has always been the biggest worry for the Celtics in any pursuit of Davis and it's a rather nuclear option for Paul to talk publicly like this amid an active negotiation. Just like his February trade demand, it's a calculated move to reduce the bidding

from the Celtics side and pave the way for the Pelicans to take a package from a preferred suitor like the Lakers or the Knicks. Whether or not the Celtics allow this type of posturing to influence their offer will be the bigger question: Will Ainge call Paul's bluff here, knowing that he does not want to let his friend and client LeBron James play another year in LA without a superstar next to him? Or do the Celtics become scared off by the very realistic scenario that Paul described for next summer with Davis walking away?

This clearly isn't the first time we've seen public posturing in trade negotiations. Paul George (albeit not as strongly) made his intentions to go to Los Angeles clear when he asked out of Indiana but clearly had a change of heart after a season in Oklahoma City. The future of Kawhi Leonard also remains murky in Toronto, but this season provides a window into a successful rental year while rumors swirled about Leonard preferring Los Angeles as his next destination.

While public sentiment will not influence the front office here in Boston, the Celtics have always been wary of getting up a lot for a short term rental historically. The current roster without Kyrie Irving may not be good enough to justify that type of gamble. Kevin Garnett was locked up on an extension when his trade was made and that's something that won't be the case with Davis here. The stakes were already sky high for the Celtics this offseason and Paul's latest comments will just add an extra layer of scrutiny if the C's throw caution to the wind and make the deal. Otherwise, these remarks provide an easy reason for the front office to focus more on pursuing other paths to improve and step away from the AD bidding.