The Celtics have been floated as a trade partner for the Pelican's Anthony Davis for a long time now due to an outstanding young core and they want to add another superstar. In fact, outside of the Lakers, they've arguably generated the most talk. Forward Jayson Tatum -- who broke out during last year's postseason when Kyrie Irving was injured -- is one of the names most commonly brought up.
Tatum is well aware of the talk, as is his father, Justin. Justin told Cedric Maxwell of "The Sports Hub" that "I probably would trade [Tatum] too, if he wasn't my son" to get Davis.
When Tatum was told that his dad had said that, his response was simple: "Yeah, I'd trade me too for Anthony Davis," he told Maxwell. The response drew some laughs.
Is that... Tampering?
Davis will be offered a supermax contract this offseason by the Pelicans, and if he turns that down it's open season for trade talk on the 25-year-old superstar. Davis has talked this year about how he has to be "almost perfect" to keep the Pelicans in games, one of the few times he's openly shown frustration. The Pelicans are 19-22 on the year and 12th in the West (although they are just three games out of a playoff spot), but they can improve upon those numbers on Wednesday night when they face the Cavaliers (8 p.m. ET -- Watch on FuboTV with NBA League Pass extension).
The Celtics can't offer the Pelicans a trade until the offseason due to Davis and Irving both being on contracts that fall under the Rose rule, which teams can only have one of at a time.
The Pelicans will likely wait until the offseason to weigh their options, but if Davis indicates that he wants out before the deadline, it may force their hand.
Tatum is clearly understanding of the situation. It would take a king's ransom to get Davis, but any package would likely have to include him.
