Boston Celtics Rumors: Anthony Davis eerily similar to Kevin Garnett saga

New Orleans Pelicans All-Star big man Anthony Davis gave Boston Celtics fans some good news this weekend stating that Boston is on his list of places to place.

And so are all 29 teams. Before Boston Celtics Nation gets too excited, Anthony Davis did make it clear that he really hasn’t crossed any team off his list.

Hypothetically, that number should be down to 28 teams since the one he is currently playing for he requested a trade from and stating his intentions not to sign a long-term deal.

Perhaps, this is why Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge remained encouraged about the long-term chances of Davis even after Anthony Davis Sr. made is publicly known that he didn’t want his son suited up in green. There was also a list leaked of teams that Davis would sign a long-term deal for.

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The Celtics weren’t on that list, which added fuel to the fire that “The Brow” did not want to play for Boston.

But, what about Davis?

"“They are on my list, I never said Boston wasn’t on my list,” Davis said when asked about his potential future landing spot."

That is the question and answer that has been fueling Ainge’s encouragement about this situation all along. In his mind, get the player here and the championship nature and feel of the city of Boston would attract him to play longer. Davis has to know the appeal of playing for an organization with a rich history of winning and a team that has the pieces to win in the present and future with him on it.

So, while the Los Angeles Lakers appeared to be the front-runners prior to the NBA Trade Deadline, the Boston Celtics now have all the appetizers in place to land the main course. Fans now have to feel encouraged by these words actually coming out of the big man’s mouth:

"“It’s a great franchise. Playing in, obviously, the Garden, the city. But Milwaukee was on that list too. It doesn’t matter about big market, small market. It’s about winning for me.”"

By going on to state that he has no “preferred destination,” Anthony Davis is keeping his long-term objective open and that means playing in Boston may not be the rental Celtics fans fear it could be.

light. Related Story. Anthony Davis addresses potential deal to Boston

As for Danny Ainge, he now has the ammunition to blow the New Orleans Pelicans out of the water with an offer no one could top, even if it doesn’t include Jayson Tatum.

Shades of Kevin Garnett?

Of course, Danny Ainge has been here before.

Prior to the 2008 championship season, the Boston Celtics were linked to Kevin Garnett. Like Anthony Davis, Garnett was stuck on a Minnesota Timberwolves team that was not trending towards a championship.

As trade rumors intensified, the Celtics appeared to not be a desired destination of Garnett. But, with young players led by Al Jefferson and draft picks, Ainge was able to basically fleece the Timberwolves to obtain Garnett with hopes that he would buy into the idea of playing in Boston.

Similar to the current Celtics team, Ainge has All-Star players like Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward in place like he did back then with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. He also has a bigger chip to play with in Jayson Tatum, although if he is able to land Anthony Davis and keep the young rising star, it will add to his great front office resume.

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What it all comes down to is how much Kyrie Irving is buying into the future plans of the team. The All-Star point guard is the key to landing Davis long-term. Perhaps Irving is the reason for Boston being shown a little love on NBA All-Star Weekend.

If so, there is extreme optimism for both stars leading this team into the next decade.

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