Celtics fear a Knicks super-team forming in Anthony Davis sweepstakes - New York Post

Pelicans general manager Dell Demps is finally returning Lakers phone calls, ESPN reported, and the Anthony Davis sweepstakes are off.

And the Knicks may somehow have more at stake than previously thought.

If Los Angeles and New Orleans cannot strike a deal by the deadline, the Celtics have long been viewed as the summertime favorites to land the stud center. But they appear to be wary of the Knicks, according to ESPN.

As it stands, the Celtics may have the most attractive assets to send to New Orleans for Davis — including Gordon Hayward, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier, multiple first-round picks and even Jayson Tatum, if need be — though they can’t make that deal until the summer because of cap rules. But by then, they could fizzle out in the playoffs and the Knicks could own the No. 1 pick for a clear shot at Zion Williamson, the one wild card that could top Tatum, ESPN reported. The No. 1 pick, packaged with the likes of Kevin Knox, could swing the Davis sweepstakes in the Knicks’ favor.

That opens the door for the Celtics to not only miss out on Davis, but to lose Kyrie Irving to the Knicks as well. Boston believes that acquiring Davis and convincing him to stay long term could secure Irving’s future in green and white, the report said. Irving, who has an opt-out on July 1, said before the season he wants to stay with the Celtics, but that decision is still up in the air.

“I talk to Kyrie all the time. My feelings have not changed. I feel like Kyrie likes it in Boston,” Ainge told “Toucher and Rich” on Thursday on 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston. “But we won’t know anything until July.”

The Knicks are “unlikely” to send Kristaps Porzingis out as part of any deal for Davis after the trade deadline, ESPN reported, because he will be a restricted free agent this summer and may not commit to a sign-and-trade. Porzingis may have complicated any plans Thursday, when he reportedly met with Knicks management and said he was unsure of the team’s future prospects.

The Davis drama hangs above all of this, and the Lakers hang above the Davis drama. The Pelicans reportedly have no desire to send Davis to Los Angeles with a year-plus left on his contract. And if they trade him elsewhere, ESPN is reporting that Davis plans to still be Lakers-bound when he becomes a free agent in 2020.

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