During the off-season, a long list of NBA All-Star players was linked to the Boston Celtics, which wants to bring in a star player before the start of the 2016-17 regular season. The off-season targets were reportedly Kings center DeMarcus Cousins and Chicago Bulls swingman Jimmy Butler.
The new focus of the team’s trade is New Orleans Pelicans’ power forward Anthony Davis. This is where the four-player swap is being eyed in which the Pelicans would get Celtics shipping point guard Marcus Smart, small forward Jaylen Brown and power forward Amir Johnson, according to the Inquisitr. Boston would also offer a future first-round draft choice in exchange for Davis.
Preseason Injuries Of Davis
On Wednesday, the NBA reported that Davis left the game against the Houston Rockets after only six minutes of play because of a sprained right ankle. In the pre-season matchup in Beijing, China, Davis was in three games, averaging 16 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists for 17.8 minutes per game. At the final 14 games of the 2015-16 season, however, Davis had a left knee injury that needed offseason surgery.
The injury was caused by Davis stepping on the foot of Nene, the center of the Rockets on a post move. In March, Davis underwent surgery to fix a stress reaction problem on his left knee. His last season’s torn labrum did not need surgery on the left shoulder.
Celtics Lack Firepower Despite Great Roster
The interest in Davis is because of the lack of firepower of the Celtics in spite of having a great roster to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals, but insufficient to dethrone the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, the team has young assets and coveted pick drafts who can help the Celtics get a superstar at the deadline, according to Sportsrageous.
The test of the validity of trade rumors would be NBA approving the transaction. For the speculated trade between the Pelicans and Celtics, it apparently meets all NBA trade and salary cap regulations.
