NBA insiders have done the math, and here's the result: The Boston Celtics have pole position in the race for Anthony Davis.
Chris Mannix said Wednesday on NBC Sports Boston the Celtics' chances of acquiring the Pelicans forward in a trade will soar to "90 percent" if New Orleans doesn't move him before the Feb. 7 NBA trade deadline.
Where does that leave the Los Angeles Lakers, who may be Boston's primary competition for Davis? Former NBA front office executive Bobby Marks puts the Lakers' chances of landing the Pelicans big man at "one percent."
"I say that because we know who's sitting on the sidelines until July 1: the Celtics," Marks said Thursday morning on ESPN's "SportsCenter."
"I think the only way Anthony Davis gets to Los Angeles is as a free agent in 2020, because I don't see the pieces the Lakers have right now at the deadline and in the offseason enticing the Pelicans to go out and make a deal."
Marks agrees with Mannix that the Celtics have much better trade assets than the Lakers, which he believes is the most important factor in the Davis sweepstakes.
"I think Boston has all the power right now," Marks said. "... Boston has the assets, the players to go out and get a deal done with draft picks. The only holding point is that they're going to have to wait until July 1 to get a deal done."
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That's because of the Rose Rule, which prevents the Celtics from having Kyrie Irving and Davis on the same roster this season.
But the C's will possess a wealth of assets by July 1. They could have up to four first-round picks in the 2019 NBA Draft in addition to young, talented players like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
And while Boston will be on the sidelines until the summer, Marks noted Ainge still can do his due diligence by touching base with Pelicans general manager Dell Demps.
"Danny Ainge can call Dell Demps and get a framework of a deal done that can happen July 1," Marks said. "There's nothing prohibiting that. And that gives New Orleans a working table to what the assets are."
Whether Ainge would be willing to include Tatum among those assets is uncertain -- as is Davis' future past the 2019-20 season, the last on his current contract.
But in the short term, Boston appears to hold the trump card if the Pelicans want to get the most out of trading their superstar.
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