Anthony Davis trade rumors: Celtics not high on All-Star's list of preferred destinations

Boston is expected to be one of the favorites to land Davis in a trade, but it's apparently not a top target for the big man

The Anthony Davis sweepstakes are officially on. 

While there have been rumors and reports swirling around the situation for months, the big man finally requested a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans, according to his agent Rich Paul. The favorites are expected to be the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, with the latter able to put together the best package for the All-Star. 

However, there are a few things going against the Celtics. For one, they can't trade for Davis ahead of this year's trade deadline. That's because both Davis and Kyrie Irving have signed "Rose Rule" extensions, and a team can't have two players on that type of deal on their roster at the same time. That issue, though, would be taken care of in the summer when Irving can re-sign with the Celtics. 

The more serious problem, though, is that the Celtics are reportedly not one of the teams that Davis wants to play for. And if that wasn't enough, there are apparently concerns that Irving may not even re-sign with the Celtics. Via Yahoo Sports:

"Regarding team preferences, Boston is not a top target for Davis, sources said. There's a growing belief of uncertainty that Kyrie Irving will not re-sign with Boston, sources said, even though he vowed to do so at the beginning of the season."

That is certainly an interesting bit of information. While the Celtics, who face the Nets on Monday (7:30 p.m. ET -- watch on fuboTV with the NBA League Pass extension), could still put together an excellent package to trade for Davis, it may not be worth it for them to do so if he makes it clear that he won't re-sign on a long-term deal once he becomes a free agent in 2020. 

If this is all true, this figures to be good news for the Lakers, who could become the front-runners to land the star they've been searching for. But, of course, rumblings like this are going to be part of the process, and there's no guarantee that Irving is leaving Boston, or that the Celtics couldn't still trade for Davis and try to convince him to stay like the Raptors are doing with Kawhi Leonard.

Regardless of what happens, it's going to be fascinating to see what paths Davis, the Lakers and the Celtics take over the next few months. There will be no shortage of drama surrounding this situation.