The Anthony Davis trade soap opera is over and done with although there are some who are looking into the details and tying it with other events that went down that tumultuous week. This includes Kyrie Irving's reportedly interested in the New York Knicks.
From afar, understanding the timing on why Irving would suddenly set his sights on the Knicks seems off key. Although this was made days before the trade deadline, there are now some parties who believe that it was all a setup with the Celtics in the middle.
According to Sporting News, the Celtics felt that the story was planted by Rich Paul, the agent of Anthony Davis. Boston had asked the New Orleans Pelicans to hold off trading AD until the summer, preventing a blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Lakers.
To do so, the Celtics believe that Paul used Irving as a distraction. It was a ploy to scare the Pelicans into thinking that Boston would back off making a trade offer for the all-star center this July, Lakers Nation reported.
As things stand now, it seems to be a three-cornered fight between the Celtics, Knicks and the Lakers. Although Los Angeles had decided to clam up on talks with the Pelicans after offering almost half the team and future picks, it would not be surprising to find Magic Johnson and/or Rob Pelinka knocking at the Pelicans' door in the summer.
But as things stand now, it may no longer about where Davis will end up. Kyrie Irving is another player who could be moving out of Bean City as well. Reuniting with LeBron James in Hollywood has been suggested although another intriguing picture is to see both headed to Gotham.
The Knicks did trade away Kristaps Porzingis, Trey Burke, Courtney Lee, and Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Dallas Mavericks, creating two max-contract slots this coming NBA offseason. Aside from Davis and Irving, one player that has been widely linked to the Knicks is Kevin Durant.
The Knicks, Lakers and the Celtics are looming as big shoppers of free agents this summer, presumably targeting two legit NBA stars. But from the looks of it, the mad race is really now for Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving, a duo that would certainly be big for any of the teams mentioned.
