The trade winds have officially come in, as Anthony Davis news swirled around on Wednesday afternoon. Here's what we know so far:
Celtics and Lakers have touched base with Pelicans
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news first that the Celtics and Lakers have begun trade talks with the Pelicans for Davis. The Lakers have long been the favorite to land AD, while the Celtics seem desperate to land him in hopes of keeping PG Kyrie Irving in Boston.
Pelicans EVP of player operations David Griffin is looking to make a three-team deal, and has reportedly laid down the framework to get a deal done. However, no reports have surfaced with which third team could be involved in a potential trade.
What the Lakers have to offer
The New York Times' Marc Stein has the Lakers offering Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and the No. 4 pick in this year's Draft as assets available for the Pelicans in a potential trade. That, though, definitely won't get the deal done as the Pelicans were reportedly looking for an established All-Star, young players that could develop into All-Stars and draft stock.
Stein adds that if the Pelicans believe the No. 4 overall pick could get them an enticing player, then both teams would agree in principle to a trade. However, LA Times' Tania Ganguli is hearing Kyle Kuzma could be the player that makes or breaks a deal.
Kuzma is an intriguing prospect that has showcased his natural scoring ability, and most importantly, All-Star potential for the future. The Lakers, then, don't want to include him in a trade package, but Ganguil says the Pelicans want him.
Rich Paul isn't scaring Celtics away
In a Sports Illustrated feature, Davis' agent, Rich Paul, was straight up when he said if his client goes to Boston, it would likely be a rental. Davis is a free agent after next season, and Paul thinks he'll be a one-year rental with the Celtics before testing the market.
But that hasn't deterred the Celtics from pursuing Davis, per Woj. As noted before, the Celtics still want to keep Irving in Boston on a new deal, and believe AD would help that front.
The Celtics, though, can't make a deal until after July 1 due to the Designated Rookie Extension Rule. The Lakers have the same ordeal, but are further out at July 6 being the date they can sign Davis.
Where the Knicks fall in all of this
It's only preliminary, but the Knicks seem to be waiting in the weeds to strike at Davis -- if that happens at all. SNY's Ian Begley has been reporting that Knicks brass doesn't want to give up too many assets for Davis, and with Griffin's demands at the moment, they don't see much appeal in aggressively pursuing AD.
The Carmelo Anthony trade is one they are using as an example. The Knicks gave up too much for Anthony looking back at it, and they weren't rewarded with a championship in the end. This isn't to say Davis would be any different, but the Knicks won't be putting all their eggs in one basket, having many other avenues to explore this summer.