Rich Paul: If Celtics Traded for Anthony Davis, It'd Be for One Year
The Celtics are among the teams rumored to have been considering pursuing Pelicans forward Anthony Davis over the past year. But if Boston lands the six-time All-Star, don’t expect him to call TD Garden home for very long.
Rich Paul, Davis’s agent, suggested to Sports Illustrated’s S.L. Price that if the Celtics were to acquire Davis, it would be on a rental basis.
“They can trade for him, but it’ll be for one year,” Paul told SI. “I mean: If the Celtics traded for Anthony Davis, we would go there and we would abide by our contract and we would go into free agency in 2020. I’ve stated that to them. But in the event that he decides to walk away and you (gave) away assets? Don’t blame Rich Paul.”
Davis has one more year remaining on his current contract, a five-year, $127 million deal he signed with New Orleans back in 2015. Davis requested a trade from the Pelicans last season, but was not moved ahead of the deadline by former general manager Dell Demps.
In February, Davis’s father, Anthony Sr., said that he “would never want” his son to play for the Celtics, citing displeasure with the club’s treatment of former guard Isaiah Thomas. Boston traded Thomas to the the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Kyrie Irving.
Shams Charania, now of The Athletic, reported Davis did not consider Boston "a long-term home." However, Davis later said that the Celtics—and the other 29 teams in the NBA—remained on his list of potential destinations, adding that all he wants to do is win.
