Anthony Davis Trade Rumors: Celtics Not 'Preferred' Long-Term Destination

If the Boston Celtics are thinking about trading for Anthony Davis, they may not be able to count on him being a long-term asset. 

Per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Davis would view the Celtics as a "rental option" since they aren't his "preferred" long-term destination. 

Per ESPN.com's Adrian Wojnarowski, Davis and his agent, Rich Paul, will "soon deliver word" to teams around the NBA that the five-time All-Star prefers to play for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe reported Thursday that New Orleans Pelicans general manager Dell Demps had "substantive" talks with Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka about Davis, but the Pelicans aren't in a rush to deal their franchise player before Thursday's trade deadline.

That bodes well for the Celtics since the earliest they could hope to acquire Davis is this summer when Kyrie Irving can become a free agent due to the Rose Rule that prevents teams from adding two players at a certain contract level.

Davis can opt out of his contract after the 2019-20 season. The 25-year-old figures to be one of the most sought-after players, either in trade or free-agent talks. He's averaging a career-high 29.3 points and 13.3 rebounds in 41 games for the Pelicans this season.