The trade rumors surrounding the Brow seem to be getting louder and louder by the day
The New Orleans Pelicans have risen to 23-21 in the season, tied with the Los Angeles Clippers for the 7th spot in the Western Conference. That is despite their early struggles which include injury problems for Rajon Rondo among others. Now that Rondo is healthy and is playing like the “point god” he used to be during his stint with the Boston Celtics, he is throwing the ball towards DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis at any given opportunity, running Alvin Gentry’s offense to perfection.
However, despite the success of the Pelicans who recently dropped a game against the lowly Atlanta Hawks, the rumors surrounding star center, Anthony Davis who is set to start this year’s All-Star Game for the Western Conference alongside DeMarcus Cousins, have been as noisy as ever. A few weeks ago, Davis was included in the 8-player deal that would have sent him to the Los Angeles Lakers alongside Ian Clark in exchange for 6 players which include Julius Randle and Larry Nance Jr. Then, the possibility of seeing Davis play alongside Steph Curry and the rest of the Golden State Warriors came along as the defending champions are said to be willing to give up two stars in exchange for the Brow.
Now? Even his own coach, Alvin Gentry has said that they would be trading Anthony Davis to the Boston Celtics “as long as the Celtics will give New England Patriots along with the two planes that the Patriots just bought.”
Okay. For non-basketball-minded fans, let this pundit on wheels translate that phrase. What is Alvin Gentry is trying to say here is that the Pelicans are willing to trade Davis as long as the Celtics will send the same amount of talent n exchange for the Brow?
Question: Who should Boston send to New Orleans in exchange for Anthony Davis?
Ideally, a 2-for-1 swap should do the trick but since it would require Boston to send one of its starters, a one-on-one swap would d. Why? Sending two players: a starter and a bench player will cost the Pelicans too much luxury taxes on top of the limitation in the cap space.
Fortunately, the Celtics do have Al Horford who saw his career rejuvenated by the Celtics thanks to the arrival of Kyrie Irving. Al Horford has played 42 games this season and has been averaging 13 points and 8 rebounds per game. Plus, he is shooting 42% from the three-point territory, a rare shooting percentage for someone of his size and position.
Should the Celtics find the willpower to send Al Horford to the Pelicans in exchange for Anthony Davis, they would have gained additional star power to compliment Kyrie Irving and soon, Gordon Hayward who is expected to return earlier than originally expected. In addition to this, 9 wins will be added to the projected number of wins of the Celtics this season so it’s definitely a win-win deal for Boston all throughout.
Question: Will Boston’s front office pull the trigger on this one? Definitely!
Question: Will New Orleans stumble towards the bottom once Anthony Davis heads East? Possibly.
But who knows? Al Horford still has a few good years ahead of him and if he can stay healthy, then he can help the Pelicans hike for more wins and hopefully, avoid a first-round date with either the Warriors or the Houston Rockets.
