The Boston Celtics couldn't have known it.
But if they had pursued a trade they were reportedly considering, they could've stopped their historic rivals from landing Luka Doncic.
That's what new reporting from NBA insider Brett Siegel said on Friday: The Celtics considered a Davis trade before the Lakers and Mavericks landed on a deal for Doncic.
This is how Siegel explained it:
Of the teams that the Lakers spoke with when they were first putting out feelers for Davis, the Boston Celtics held a couple of calls with Los Angeles, sources said. Nothing ever progressed to where there was any actual momentum, but Los Angeles was receiving signals that Brad Stevens and his front office were receptive to the idea.
The five-word message the Lakers got back from Boston was enough to let them know they would consider such a move in the summer: “We'll keep it in mind.” It is worth noting that the Celtics were next to the Lakers in terms of pursuing Davis when he was traded from the Pelicans in 2019.
Siegel then went on to suggest that Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, who were both eventually moved over the summer, could've been involved in a deal for AD instead.
It's definitely a fascinating alternate timeline.
What would a Davis fit have looked like next to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown? Would it have somehow altered things in a way that Tatum didn't tear his Achilles in the playoffs?
And how about the Lakers? They wouldn't have gotten an in-his-prime star.
The Mavs? They might still have Luka, or they would've shipped him somewhere else.
Maybe that leads Cooper Flagg elsewhere, too.
The domino effect here is certainly wild.
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