Per WDSU’s Fletcher Mackel, New Orleans Pelicans owner Gayle Benson says that the report describing an absolute unwillingness to trade Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers as “totally absurd” and “completely untrue.”
With the Boston Celtics likely hearing the prior report and taking it with a grain of salt given the nature of the rumor mill, especially in the offseason, Mackel’s report may not have made waves in their front office. Nonetheless, if the Lakers are in play for the Pelicans, then they’ll have much stiffer competition for Davis’ services.
Aside from a list of players that could include wings Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Gordon Hayward, the Celtics can offer three first-round picks this year, one in the late lottery, and a top-6 protected first-round pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. That’s an attractive trade package for any team and could be enough for Boston to swing a trade for the big man.
However, the Lakers could offer Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, the fourth overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft and future first-round picks. That’s arguably as good as the Celtics’ potential trade offer, if not better. If Celtics general manager Danny Ainge takes Tatum off the table, perhaps prompted by Kyrie Irving making it known he’s signing elsewhere, then Los Angeles’ trade package may be the one chosen by the Pelicans’ brass.
There will be plenty of dominoes to fall this offseason that will determines how the summer will play out. The question is which domino will fall first.
