Anthony Davis Trade: Boston Celtics Don't Feature in All-Star's Potential Destinations

Anthony Davis might still sign with the Celtics this summer but his sojourn in Boston could be short-lived.

A host of NBA teams have been jostling for position to put themselves at the front of the queue since the six-time All-Star told the New Orleans Pelicans earlier this month he wanted to leave Louisiana.

Despite the Los Angeles Lakers being seemingly willing to trade half of their roster to land Davis before the trade deadline on February 7, the 26-year-old won't leave New Orleans until the summer.

Along with the Lakers, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Los Angeles Clippers and the New York Knicks, the Celtics are in the race to sign the number one overall pick of the 2012 draft. Boston has in fact been earmarked as the favorite to land Davis, as it has a bigger pool of assets to combine in a trade package to send towards New Orleans.

Whichever team Davis signs for this summer, next season will be spent trying to convince him to sign a long-term contract. The Illinois native can't become a free agent before the summer of 2020 and, according Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Celtics might not be on his radar in the long term.

"The Celtics, I'm told, are still not a long-term destination for him in his mind," he told Stadium on Tuesday.

"Where the Celtics stand has not changed."

Boston can't trade for Davis until July 1 as under NBA rules it won't be allowed to have Davis' and Kyrie Irving's contracts on the roster under the designated rookie exception.

Earlier this month, Yahoo! Sports suggested Irving, who has a player option this summer, was increasingly unlikely to re-sign with the Celtics this summer. The 26-year-old and Davis are close friends and it seems unlikely the latter would agree to join Boston if Irving opts to move elsewhere.

As Charania pointed out, however, ultimately Davis' destiny is in the eyes of the Pelicans.

New Orleans did not take kindly to Davis and his agent, Rich Paul, trying to force a move to the Lakers shortly before the trade deadline and will almost certainly play hardball in any negotiations with potential suitors.

"[Davis' destination] is going to depend exactly on where New Orleans wants to trade him," he added.

Davis' list of preferred destinations reportedly includes the Lakers, Clippers, Knicks and Bucks. However, that will not necessarily stop other teams from tabling offers.

The Toronto Raptors set the example in the summer, when they traded for Kawhi Leonard, despite knowing the first-round pick of the 2011 draft would become a free agent at the end of the season.

While Leonard might not commit long-term to the Raptors, the move has so far paid dividends as Toronto is second in the Eastern Conference, one game behind the Milwaukee Bucks.