Celtics Would Be Nuts to Sacrifice Best Assets for a 1-Year Anthony Davis Rental

In an article published by "Sports Illustrated," agent Rich Paul bluntly stated that his client, Anthony Davis, would not re-sign with the Boston Celtics should a trade land him in Beantown.

The C's have long been interested in trading for the 26-year-old superstar, but this news should give them serious pause. Giving up their most valuable pieces for a single season of AD -- he's a free agent in summer 2020 -- would be a thoughtless decision.

Any trade involving AD would require Boston to pony up significant assets, likely headlined by Jayson Tatum. He had an inconsistent sophomore campaign, but many believe Tatum is destined for superstardom in the NBA. The Celtics would like his development to happen in the green and white. Entering the 2020 offseason with neither Tatum nor Davis on the roster would be a massive indignity.

The Celtics had originally intended to pair Davis with Kyrie Irving. That was until the 2018-19 season played out; the point guard seems all but certain to take his talents elsewhere in free agency this summer if the latest reporting is to be believed.

Davis would no doubt put up phenomenal numbers in Boston, but after just two playoff appearances in seven seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans, it's clear he can't function as the go-to leader of a team. Perhaps no center truly can given the way things work in today's NBA; Does Boston really want to throw away all the assets collected over the years for a one-year rental of anyone, much less Davis?

Sure, Paul George proved to be the outlier in re-signing with the Oklahoma City Thunder after originally expressing a desire to play elsewhere. But Danny Ainge and Co. can't count on this kind of lightning striking twice. It's too dangerous.

More often than not, when a player makes a statement like the one Davis has via Rich Paul, they tend to abide by it when the time comes, leaving Boston left to pick up the pieces of what would be a colossal failure in a hypothetical trade. Resist the temptation, Celtics.