Why Charles Barkley thinks “the fix is in” on Anthony Davis to Lakers

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If you ask Charles Barkley, the Boston Celtics might as well not even try to trade for Anthony Davis.

During an appearance Thursday on ESPN's "Get Up!" the Basketball Hall of Famer explained why he feels Davis is virtually guaranteed to wind up on the Los Angeles Lakers alongside LeBron James.

"When I heard that Anthony Davis had signed with Klutch Sports, I knew the fix was in," Barkley said. "That’s the first thing that came to my mind when he signed with Rich Paul, who is a fantastic agent.

"The first time I heard Anthony Davis signed with Klutch, I said ‘Anthony Davis is going to L.A.’ So I feel like the fix has been in for like over a year now -- and that’s unfortunate for the NBA."

Davis officially signed with Klutch Sports (which represents James) on Sept. 23 of this year. The New Orleans Pelicans are expected to offer the 25-year-old a supermax contract extension this summer, but if they have another disappointing season (they're currently 15-17), many believe Davis will request a trade.

Boston and L.A. are the two clubs best positioned to land Davis in a trade, but the Lakers could have an edge with James, who openly endorsed the idea of Davis coming to L.A. earlier this week.

The silver lining for Celtics fans: Boston arguably has better trade assets than L.A., so perhaps president of basketball operations Danny Ainge can make the Pelicans an offer they can't refuse.

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