A New Report Suggests The Celtics Are Not An Anthony Davis Destination Because Kyrie Irving Could Be Leaving
(Yahoo Sports) – Davis, who is sidelined with a fractured left index finger, is expected to make his return to the lineup as soon as Saturday, sources said.
New Orleans will not be pressured by the Feb. 7 trade deadline, sources said, but holding a disgruntled star against his will could prove to be detrimental in the locker room.
Initially, sources said, the objective was for Davis, 25, to pursue a trade during the summer.
But at 22-28, the Pelicans have the third-worst record in the Western Conference and signs of improvement are bleak. Davis has stated repeatedly that he wants to be in a winning situation that will give him a chance to compete for championships.
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.
The Knicks have valuable trade chips in Kristaps Porzingis, rookie Kevin Knox and potentially the No. 1 overall pick in 2019.
With Boston, which has the best trade assets, unable to trade for Davis until the summer because Irving and Davis each have designated player rookie extensions, the Knicks may be the premier Eastern Conference threat to pull off the blockbuster.
If the Knicks are successful, it could boost their attempts to lure Kevin Durant over the summer, and they’d still be in position to snag Irving or Charlotte’s Kemba Walker.
Honestly what the fuck is going on today? Every five seconds we have a new report that is giving me a goddamn heart attack. First it was Woj telling us that Anthony Davis wants out. Then Alvin Gentry came out and said he committed to playing out the season. Now, just a few hours later we have Chris Haynes reporting that the Celtics are not even a destination for Davis because there is legit fear that Kyrie Irving is leaving despite his earlier commitment. I’m almost at the point where I’m afraid to refresh Twitter because I have no idea what’s coming next.
So, let’s take a deep breath and dissect this one by one.
1. AD to the Knicks
OK, here’s my question. If the Knicks were to gut their roster to bring AD in, isn’t he taking the risk that they will actually land Durant and Kyrie? This is the same report that says BOS is not a destination because he’s unsure Kyrie stays with the Celtics. Now there’s always the reality that maybe they’ve all talked about this and there’s a plan in place like the MIA Big 3, but that’s still a huge if right? It was also reported that AD wanted to go to a stable franchise with the chance to win for a long time, which isn’t exactly what the Knicks are. Maybe this happens maybe it doesn’t but of all the scenarios this is definitely the one with the most “what ifs”
2. If Kyrie isn’t coming back, does Ainge have to trade him?
It’s not often that a player has Danny Ainge by the balls, but look, if he truly feels that Kyrie isn’t staying, and with more credible people floating that around, doesn’t Ainge have to do something? Yes, it’s true that not having Kyrie most likely takes you out of the AD sweepstakes anyway, but being in a situation where you have no Kyrie AND no Anthony Davis would be a goddamn disaster. The problem here is where could he possibly send him that could give you anything close to equal value that Kyrie would extend after this season? There aren’t a ton of those type of teams out there, especially when no one has any idea what Kyrie is going to do.
I know he made his public statements to the season ticket holders. I personally believe him but honestly who the fuck knows. If he does leave and joins the Lakers or the Knicks, where does that put him in terms of all time Boston villains? To say that would crumble this rebuild would be a gigantic understatement.
3. Remember who we’re dealing with here
In a sick and twisted way, hearing the Celtics are out almost makes me feel more confident. I know that makes no sense, I know it should make me feel the opposite, but listen you should know by now that Danny Ainge works in silence. He’s already 4 steps ahead of us and hell maybe he was the fucking source that leaked this to Chris Haynes. I just know that it would be a BAD sign if we heard the Celtics were the favorites because I feel like all the moves Ainge does make are ones we have no idea about or have any inclination they are coming. We didn’t see the Perk trade coming, or the Isaiah trade, or the Kyrie trade. This motherfucker moves in silence so you have to put a little stock in that simply because of their history.
4. Timing matters
This is where everyone should take a deep breath. The timing of this whole thing matters. If AD isn’t moved before the deadline, I’m pretty sure Ainge will have an answer from Kyrie one way or another before any sort of deal happens. It’s also being reported that NO execs are in no rush to make this move before Feb 7th, because honestly it’s not their problem if AD resigns in Boston or not. To them it’s still about getting the best return, that doesn’t change given this recent news. AD doesn’t have a no trade clause and it’ll just be Ainge taking that risk.
5. Are we sure the source isn’t just Rich Paul
I mean think about it. This is LeBron’s guy. LeBron wants Kyrie back, why not be the “source” that thinks Kyrie isn’t staying in Boston? That makes almost too much sense to me. That doesn’t make it true just because LeBron and his minions are trying to make it happen.
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6. Nothing said in this report is anything we haven’t heard already
Look rumors of Kyrie leaving are nothing new. Nothing about this report makes that more of a possibility than it was earlier today, or last week, or last month. We’ll know for sure in a matter of 10 days, because if Irving is on this team then Ainge knows he’s staying. He is not a man that is afraid to swing his big brass balls and make a big time splash, but to me nothing really changes just because Haynes wrote that. We all still have no idea what the hell is going to happen and anyone who suggests they do is full of it.
All I know is I am emotionally exhausted. This is NOT how I wanted to start my week and I have no idea what could be dropping next. All I wanted to do was mentally prepare to watch the Celts play BKN tonight and now I’m sitting here unable to eat because my stomach is in knots. This whole thing is a disaster but also why the NBA rules. You just never know what the hell is coming at any given second.