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Golden State Warriors: Examining impact of possible Anthony Davis trades

By Carlos Murillo

NEW ORLEANS, LA - MAY 04: Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans reacts after scoring against the Golden State Warriors during the second half of Game Three of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs at the Smoothie King Center on May 4, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - MAY 04: Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans reacts after scoring against the Golden State Warriors during the second half of Game Three of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs at the Smoothie King Center on May 4, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /
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Boston Celtics

The race for Davis seems like it’s really just down to two teams and the Boston Celtics have the most to offer. They have more assets than any other team in the league and President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge seems ready to move them for New Orleans’ All-NBA talent.

Now, here’s where things get tricky for both teams though. Presumably, the Celtics would offer, at least, one of Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown. They could potentially throw Terry Rozier in the mix. Basically, they have options.

Unfortunately for Boston, though, they can’t have both Davis and Kyrie Irving on their roster at the same time due to the nature of their contracts. A team cannot trade for two players whose contracts fall under the Rose Rule, a type of extension following a player’s initial rookie-scale deal. They traded for Irving prior to the start of the 2017-18 season and would not be able to make a move for Davis until Irving signs a new deal or leaves this upcoming summer.

Now, if the Celtics believe that Irving won’t re-sign with them, they could move him to New Orleans. The point guard might be too unpredictable for the Pelicans’ liking so it’s probably not going to happen. The best package includes one or two of the young(er) players with the picks so that they can truly build for the future. If they trade for Irving and he leaves, that’s a series of events that would take a long time to recover from.

A lot of things can happen between now and July 1, the earliest that they could trade for Davis, who would be under contract for one more year. The value of Boston’s offer could go down. If Davis expresses interest towards a specific team, the Pelicans lose leverage and the return from the Celtics might not be as great.

If Davis gets traded to the Celtics before this year’s trade deadline, Boston would remain scary. Rozier, Brown/Tatum, Gordon Hayward, Davis, and Al Horford is a really incredible lineup that could push Golden State.

The scariest situation for the Warriors is, however, if the Pelicans wait and the Celtics can pair Irving and Davis–perhaps the two players the Warriors fear the most–with a bunch of talent. They would be the heavy favorites in the East and, depending on what Durant and Thompson do, a real threat to the Dubs if they could make it back to the Finals next year.

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