The Celtics just pulled in Gordon Hayward over the offseason and they were very involved in trade talks for Paul George. It's no secret that if a big name is out there then Danny Ainge and Boston are going to make a run at them in some way. Ainge's latest target could be the Pelicans' Anthony Davis.
New Orleans recently paired Davis next to DeMarcus Cousins at the All-Star break last season. They re-signed Jrue Holiday and signed Rajon Rondo. It's clear that the Pelicans are making a run at the playoffs with Davis and Cousins as the center piece, but if that doesn't work out then Boston is reportedly there to jump on Davis.
According to Yahoo! Sports, executives around the league believe Boston is going to make a run at Davis if New Orleans' plans fall through, despite the fact that the Unibrow's contract doesn't expire until 2020.
In addition, rival executives expect Boston to be keeping close tabs on New Orleans, which is entering a critical season. The Pelicans are committed to seeing if an Anthony Davis-DeMarcus Cousins frontcourt can work, but if the season goes awry, it's widely believed the Celtics will make a strong run at Davis, who is under contract through 2020.
This isn't the first time that Boston has been linked to Davis so it's clear there is an interest there on Boston's side to acquire the superstar big man. However, New Orleans has no reason to make a trade with the Celtics any time soon. Davis is one of the NBA's best young players and even if the pairing with Cousins doesn't work out that doesn't mean they're going to just cut bait with him. Davis would either have to demand a trade or everything would have to fall apart in spectacular fashion to force New Orleans to push reset when they have a player like him on the roster.
