Waiting for the NBA trade deadline to pass

The NBA trade deadline is February 7 at 3:00 PM EST. That’s 9 days and 6 and a half hours away (from this posting). That’s the time that will have Danny Ainge and all Celtics fans sweating.

Let’s back up and remember a few things when considering the Anthony Davis situation.

The Pelicans could very well trade Davis to the Lakers before the deadline. If Davis comes out and indicates that the ONLY team he’s willing to sign with after next season, that would give Los Angeles a huge advantage.

On the other hand, the Celtics have what most league experts agree is the best package of trade assets to offer the Pelicans. Some would argue that they have the best to offer even without offering up Jayson Tatum in the deal.

Another team could still pounce on the opportunity to trade for Davis, gambling on the chance of convincing him to sign long term (like Oklahoma City did with Paul George). That is a risky strategy that could have franchise altering impacts if it doesn’t work out, but it might be a risk worth taking for a guy like Davis.

So the Celtics have to wait and see how this plays out. For the moment this situation is out of their control. Even if the buzzer sounds and Davis is still in New Orleans, there’s no guarantee that the Celtics will have won the sweepstakes. They still need to negotiate a deal in the summer.

At this point it is worth noting one other thing to keep in mind. The backup plan to not getting Anthony Davis is not that bad. The Celtics still expect to re-sign Kyrie Irving and can develop a long-term contender around him and Jayson Tatum. They’ll still have veterans and draft picks and a great coach and GM and ownership group to build with.

Of course, it would be a lot more fun if we had Anthony Davis. So we wait and hope nothing big happens at the deadline.