The Los Angeles Lakers tried and (very publicly) failed to wrest Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans prior to the NBA trade deadline.
Might they have to wait until 2020 free agency for their next shot at the All-Star big man?
The Undefeated's Mark J. Spears suggested as much Wednesday afternoon on ESPN's "The Jump."
"I have been told that there’s no way Anthony Davis is coming here (to Los Angeles) through the Pelicans," Spears said.
Co-host Michael Wilbon then chimed in with his confirmation: "They're just not going to do it. I've heard the same thing."
The Pelicans and Lakers seemingly left trade deadline talks on acrimonious terms, with New Orleans reportedly upset L.A.'s multiple trade offers for Davis became so public and the Lakers skeptical the Pelicans gave them a fair shake in negotiations. The whole mess even led New Orleans to fire general manager Dell Demps and its head coach, Alvin Gentry, to publicly call the situation a "dumpster fire."
So, yeah. You can see why the two sides may not be willing to deal.
Boston Celtics
That would appear to open the door for the Boston Celtics, who are in fact on Davis' "list" and boast a wealth of assets to offer the Pelicans in trade talks this summer.
The caveat, of course, is that Davis can opt out of his contract after the 2019-20 season and become a free agent. Reports suggest he prefers signing in Los Angeles when that time comes -- both Spears and Wilbon didn't rule this out, simply noting Davis wouldn't go to L.A. through New Orleans -- so the Celtics' risk of dumping all their assets for one year of Davis still is very real.
Interestingly enough, Spears and Wilbon also mentioned the Clippers could be in play for Davis, with Spears noting a source told him there's "another team in Los Angeles that you've got to worry about."
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