Lets say the New Orleans Pelican's finally decide to part ways with Anthony Davis. Yeah I know it's crazy, but humour me and lets just pretend they have decided to entertain offers.
AD's contract size makes things difficult for Boston because it means Danny would really have no choice but to trade one of his stars - Kyrie, Hayward or Horford. Kyrie is the new face of the team, so he's not going. Hayward has yet to play more 20 minutes as a Celtic after just signing his fresh deal, so don't see him going. That means Horford would almost certainly need to be a part of the deal.
The following trade works in the trade machine:
* Boston -> New Orleans: Al Horford, Marcus Morris, Jaylen Brown
* New Orleans -> Boston: Anthony Davis, Solomoln Hill
Question is:
1. Would you do it?
2. Would Boston do it?
3. Would New Orleans do it?
My answers to these questions are:
1. Would you do it?
Yes, I would have to. I'm not as sold on AD as some people as I'm a little put of by his team's lack of wins when he's been the leader (they've had more success with Cousins as the center of the team), and also pretty concerned about his injury history. I also really like Brown, and I've been warming up to Horford in a huge way this season. But with all that said this is a 24 year old Anthony freakin' Davis we are talking about here - and the thought of Boston moving forward with a core of Kyrie (25), Hayward (27), Tatum (19) and Davis (24) gives me all kinda of excited. That is "dynasty" potential there.
2. Would Boston do it?
Honestly, I think it's a tough call. Horford is a big part of this team, and while he's been struggling a bit lately, his early season surge was instrumental to the team's huge success. In additon to that, Danny seems to have invested a lot in Jaylen Brown, and his upside seems to be very high. On the other hand, Ainge seems to be a bit obsessed with Anthony Davis - and the Kyrie deal is a clear indication that Danny Ainge Danny would be willing to give up just about anything for the chance to add an elite 24/25 year old superstar to the team. Throw in the fact that Davis seems to fit with the team (can impact the game without the ball in his hands) and that his personality is textbook Ainge/Stevens (nice guy, highly coachable, hard worker, willing learner) and it's hard for me to envision Danny turning down this opportunity.
Like the Isaiah deal it would be difficult to part ways with Horford and Brown - but the Isaiah deal also shows that Danny is willing to make the hard deals if he thinks he's gettign the best talent in the deal, adn there's no doubt that AD is that.
3. Would the Pelicans do it?
It's hard to imagine the Pelicans being truly willing to part with Davis, but this entire 'hypothetical' is based on the assumption that they have made the decision to listen to offers. The Pelicans have struggled with Davis as their #1 guys, and Davis/Cousins really don't seem to fit together all that well either, as they have struggled a bit when both are healthy. However when AD has been out and Cousins has been 'the man', the Pelicans have been playing pretty well. So maybe Cousins and Davis are just too similar players to be able to work well together.
If this is the determination, then I think this trade could make a lot of sense for the Pelicans and it's hard to imagine them getting a better offer. Al Horford is the type of glue guy who could fit so nicely alongside Cousins because he excels when playing a complimentary role rather then as a go-to guy, and that complimentary guy is what the Pelcians really need up front right now. Secondly, Jaylen Brown (at only 21 years old) has future all-star potential at the SF position, and this happens to be probably the Pelican's weakest position. Jaylen Brown is probably an upgrade over Solomon Hill right now, and he'll likely be a far better play 1 or 2 years from now. Throw in Marcus Morris (who would give the Pelicans some MUCH needed depth) and this deal actually helps the team a lot. They might be better in the win column with Horford/Brown/Morris then they are will David/hill - now and in the future.
What do you guys think - any chance at all that this could be something both teams might consider?