If Anthony Davis Says He'll Only Sign with the Lakers, Will Danny Ainge Still Trade For Him?

Anthony Davis played his first card early Monday morning, informing the Pelicans he has decided he will not sign a contract extension this summer. The real question is what happens when he uses his next card in what appears to be his quest to get to the Los Angeles Lakers.

While five teams can pose legitimate trades for Davis, it appears there are really only three teams in the mix for Davis – the Lakers, Boston Celtics and New York Knicks – and currently, one of them cannot trade for Davis until July. The Celtics are handcuffed by the “Rose Rule” unless they trade Kyrie Irving for Anthony Davis, and nobody with a pulse thinks that is happening.

Which leaves the Lakers and Knicks, but New York’s best trades chip are a 23-year old unicorn who has been injured throughout his first four years in the NBA and a top four pick in the 2019 NBA draft. Kristaps Porzingis, when healthy, projects as a 22-point, 7-rebound, 3-block machine who one day could shoot 40 percent on 3-pointers.

On the surface it appears the Pelicans have all the leverage. They can dictate what they want from the Lakers, and force LA to take back undesirable contracts (say, Solomon Hill’s deal, which pays the forward $13.2 million next year). If the Pelicans don’t like it, they can kick the trade can down to July, when those draft picks become realized.

I ask this because if the Lakers balk at giving up all their good young players, the second card Davis can play is that his agent, Rich Paul, can tell teams that the center who averages 29.3 points, 13.3 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game will only sign with the Lakers.

Yes, we’ve heard this before. Paul George said this. Then he got traded to OKC and stayed.

But there’s a difference: Davis is represented by Rich Paul, who also represents LeBron. This is a relatively new development – Davis just signed with him in September. You can see the writing on the wall – Davis wants to be in LA, and knows Paul has the juice to get him there.

And what happens when Davis says he’ll only sign with the Lakers? Does Danny Ainge still blow up his Celtics, and give away those future draft picks to rent Davis for a year? Boston appears to be in a great spot, but this will be Ainge’s most difficult decision. Imagine if he gives away Jayson Tatum and multiple draft picks … and Davis still signs with the Lakers. These last three years will have been a complete waste.