Anthony Davis traded to Lakers(page 272)

[Jiri Welsch]

The Celtics would be best served just dropping the AD/Irving charade and trying to improve in other ways.

[celticinorlando]

Boy...Rich Paul comes across as an ignorant little turd.

At this point, I do not want a repeat of last year...with the Kyrie resigning BS.

Would rather have a team I like and work hard. I have no problem drafting 3 young guys and just building. Have no problems making some of the picks and trading for a vet.

I know what Paul is doing...he is trying to scare Danny away. He knows the Laker offer is garbage. But honestly I think I prefer the Plan B route at this time.

If we are sitting here next year with no Tatum, Smart, draft picks from this draft and Memphis pick gone while AD goes to FA and pulls a Kyrie...then it will set the Celtics back years. Danny is not going to be able to fleece anyone like he did the Nets again.

[Jiri Welsch]

Boy...Rich Paul comes across as an ignorant little turd.

At this point, I do not want a repeat of last year...with the Kyrie resigning BS.

Would rather have a team I like and work hard. I have no problem drafting 3 young guys and just building. Have no problems making some of the picks and trading for a vet.

I know what Paul is doing...he is trying to scare Danny away. He knows the Laker offer is garbage. But honestly I think I prefer the Plan B route at this time.

Same here. TP.

[Kuberski33]

Celtics must be getting close to closing the Davis trade as it sure seems like Rich Paul is in panic mode with these media warnings.

I am convinced Rich Paul is pushing LeBron's agenda with these warnings. I am not convinced if you sat down with Davis he would be making definitive statements or decisions about where he will be in 2020-21.

I agree with the first statement though I don't think it's panic mode. He's using whatever tools are at his disposal trying to influence what happens.  NO holds the cards but Paul/Davis still have some leverage - a lot more than the Celtics.

[jpotter33]

For those people doubting that this is mainly coming from Paul and not Davis, see that in the article that Paul admitted to being the one who leaked the trade demand to go public rather than keep it in-house. Dude does not have Davis’ best interests in mind but rather Klutch Sports and Lebron James.

its both.   you act as if AD would be in a bad spot if he went to LA or NY.

AD would be in a bad spot if he was limited to either LA or NY, which is the scenario Paul is trying to perpetuate.

Much better for the client to have more options, including going to one location next year and then signing in free agency with whatever team he wants the year after. It seems critical to Paul that AD lands in LA (or NY) this year. This is more about Lebron and Paul than about AD. As far as AD's interests, he can go into free agency without threatening whichever team he is on next year.

the thing is, if he really does want the Lakers or Knicks there is a very good chance neither will have cap space available to sign Davis.  In addition, he would get an extra year and more money per year if he was traded to that location and then re-signed with them as opposed to just signing there in free agency.

Rich Paul represents Anthony Davis.  It isn't the other way around.  Rich Paul is doing this because his client wants him to.  That is how agency relationships work.

First part - agreed. They have clear motives to say this right now, because they are his preferred destinations and there’s a good chance that they’re not available to him as options next summer. And that’s why this kind of threat is ultimately shallow, especially given recent history with players like PG.

Second part - give me a break. Rich Paul has long been known as a Lebron shill because that’s who ultimately made him. If you don’t think there’s ulterior motives at play here (at least in part) then you’re blind. They’ve been pushing LAL for the entire time because Lebron is there. NY is only a second option because it’s also a big market and they’re likely not really a threat to trade for AD given that NOLA has made it clear to them that they alone don’t have the type of assets thry want.

[celticinorlando]

I want to see what the Lakers are offering besides the #4 pick. My guess is Kuzma, Ball have to be included. Do not see how those 2 are a better option than Tatum and Smart, the #14 pick and the Memphis pick

[ETNCeltics]

This is exactly my point that you said didn't make sense.

No, it makes no sense that all of this is coming from Paul, not Paul and AD. AD could turn the spigot off in an instant, and he hasn't. Given how things went down in NO, you have to assume they're operating lock step.

[ETNCeltics]

I want to see what the Lakers are offering besides the #4 pick. My guess is Kuzma, Ball have to be included. Do not see how those 2 are a better option than Tatum and Smart, the #14 pick and the Memphis pick

It's not better. Nothing they can offer can match that. Which is exactly why Ainge would be a fool to offer it.

[jpotter33]

This "warning" is all about getting AD to the Lakers THIS YEAR. If AD doesn't get to the Lakers by next season, Paul knows that it might not happen. If he already thinks AD doesn't end up on the Lakers if it doesn't happen this offseason, that kind of tells you how much to worry about this "threat" of going into free agency. Paul knows AD might actually re-sign with the team trading for him and that's why he wants the only option to be the Lakers.

Otherwise it doesn't make sense.

Your post is what doesn't make sense. Rich Paul isn't an independent or a journalist, running around out there shouting his opinions. He works for Anthony Davis. lol at the trade-at-any-cost folks who act like Paul is driving all this and not Davis.

When did all of this start?

Months ago.

It's been going on for months. Paul is just more vocal about it right now. I'd suspect because the LAL aren't making the offer NO wants.

If AD wanted to come to Boston, he'd tell Paul to shut his mouth. End of story. It's not as if AD was forced to hire him and has no say in what's transpiring. It would be idiocy to throw Tatum away in this environment.

AD hired Rich Paul in September. Prior to that Davis always said he wanted to win in New Orleans. 4 months later the circus started. You think AD was just waiting for Rich Paul?

Even if your premise is 100% correct, AD is letting Paul call the shots. AD didn't back away from Paul's comments in NO, he doubled down on them. Either way, there's very little chance of a path to AD that leads to him in Boston long term, other than the hope and prayer the teams he wants to go to run out of cap room. You can spin it any way you want, AD doesn't want to be in Boston, or the man AD is allowing to run his career for him doesn't want him in Boston.

Then why is Rich Paul so concerned with warning Boston not to trade for him? Are the Celtics now in Rich Paul's interests? He's looking out for Danny Ainge suddenly? No, he's concerned with helping Lebron this year. Otherwise he knows AD can go to Boston or wherever else and LA could keep cap space and sign him as a free agent.

Because his client wants to play for the Lakers and Knicks.  This isn't rocket science.  Anthony Davis wants to play for the Lakers and Knicks.  Davis is concerned that another team, like the Celtics, might acquire him anyway and he doesn't want that to happen.  So Davis has his agent go on the offensive to try and scare other teams away so that Davis can end up going where he wants to go.  This isn't some grand conspiracy to help Lebron, it is an agent doing exactly what his client wants him to do.

Partially, because he's going to hit FA either way in a season so he can pick where he wants to go then. The difference here is that if LA doesn't acquire him via trade this offseason, things get murky. Lebron's 34 and if they can get a FA to commit this offseason, that means there's no money for AD next season.

Don't get me wrong, I've never believed that AD is some innocent bystander. I think he fully wants to go to LA BUT Rich is absolutely pulling double duty here for Lebron.

Absolutely this. AD is complicit in this, as he clearly does RIGHT NOW want to go to LA, but Paul is the one taking this off the rails with all of these empty threats. It’s nonsensical to act like there’s not a clear conflict of interest there.

Now that’s not to say we should still give up the farm to get him. I’m pretty ready to wash my hands of both him and Kyrie abd grow the team more organically, because I’m just not willing to deal with a whole other year of this drama. However, I strongly believe these are empty threats given the context, and anything can happen in a year.

[Phantom255x]

So my Dad predicts AD is coming here in some 3-team trade and Kyrie is staying.

My dad almost 2 years ago predicted Kyrie would come to Boston when a lot (myself included) didn't think we were even an option, and then a month later it actually happened. He felt it would be a heartbreaking move but a "smart one" at the time too. He also thought Carmelo would be traded to OKC and he actually did close to the start of the 2017-2018 season. Many thought Carmelo was going Houston or somewhere else at that time. And he also thought CP3 would be in a S&T deal going to another team two years ago, and he actually was (to Houston).

I think he's pretty good at this stuff, so it'll be cool to see if he's right again or not. He did get the Kawhi drama wrong as he thought he'd get traded to the Lakers, but instead it was the Raptors. Though in fairness, I don't think ANYONE could have predicted back then it'd be the Raptors lol. He also thought George was definitely going to the Lakers. So basically his predictions regarding the Lakers are usually wrong 

For anyone curious, he thinks Beal will get traded to the Lakers for Lonzo, #4 + another asset, but they don't sign any of the top names (KD/Kawhi/Kyrie, etc).

[Fafnir]

Celtics must be getting close to closing the Davis trade as it sure seems like Rich Paul is in panic mode with these media warnings.

I am convinced Rich Paul is pushing LeBron's agenda with these warnings. I am not convinced if you sat down with Davis he would be making definitive statements or decisions about where he will be in 2020-21.

I agree with the first statement though I don't think it's panic mode. He's using whatever tools are at his disposal trying to influence what happens.  NO holds the cards but Paul/Davis still have some leverage - a lot more than the Celtics.

Celtics leverage is as great as the Pelicans desire for Tatum/Brown/Picks/etc.

I think this drags out until the C's know where Kyrie is, the Raptors know where Kawhi is, and so on.

Only the Lakers are in a position to go all in before FA dust settles.

[gift]

This is exactly my point that you said didn't make sense.

No, it makes no sense that all of this is coming from Paul, not Paul and AD. AD could turn the spigot off in an instant, and he hasn't. Given how things went down in NO, you have to assume they're operating lock step.

My entire point was that this is not entirely about AD. Sure, AD has signed off on getting to LA. But this warning is about getting AD to Lebron, not about AD's long term interests. You think a player can't agree to something that is not within his best interests? You think that's how agents (in any field) work?

[jpotter33]

Will be interesting to see what reports come out about Ainge’s interest now.

If what Paul says is true, then none of this is news to him, and if he’s continued to pursue him even knowing this, then I don’t see how this article changes his approach in any way.

But, again, I find it strange that there’s been virtually nothing come out about Ainge or the C’s either way in the last several days. Seems like they’re keeping things pretty tight at this point, which may indicate.... something.

[RMO]

Will be interesting to see what reports come out about Ainge’s interest now.

If what Paul says is true, then none of this is news to him, and if he’s continued to pursue him even knowing this, then I don’t see how this article changes his approach in any way.

But, again, I find it strange that there’s been virtually nothing come out about Ainge or the C’s either way in the last several days. Seems like they’re keeping things pretty tight at this point, which may indicate.... something.

The article was written in March.  I can't imagine Ainge is hearing any of this now for the first time.

[Fafnir]

Will be interesting to see what reports come out about Ainge’s interest now.

If what Paul says is true, then none of this is news to him, and if he’s continued to pursue him even knowing this, then I don’t see how this article changes his approach in any way.

But, again, I find it strange that there’s been virtually nothing come out about Ainge or the C’s either way in the last several days. Seems like they’re keeping things pretty tight at this point, which may indicate.... something.

Boston is pretty tight on the basketball operations side, they don't leak much. So I think they're working pretty hard on the draft, trades, and convincing Kyrie they can put a super team around him for his prime.