NBA Rumors: Pelicans Want Four First-round Draft Picks for Anthony Davis

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The Pelicans hold the leverage over the Lakers right now, and they're taking advantage.

Although Los Angeles reportedly has increased its trade offer to New Orleans for Anthony Davis, the Pelicans either want more or simply don't want to deal The Brow to the Lakers.

As ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Monday night:

Magic Johnson must overcome a significant desire within the Pelicans organization to let Thursday's deadline expire with Davis remaining on the roster, league sources told ESPN.

The Pelicans haven't countered the Lakers' offers but do have expectations that Johnson will overwhelm them with young players and a historic haul of draft picks. To New Orleans, that means four first-round and second-round picks as part of a trade package, league sources told ESPN.

Smart approach.

Many in the basketball world believe the Pelicans should wait to trade Davis until free agency opens July 1. This way, New Orleans can see how the draft shakes out and potentially get other teams involved in the bidding.

Which brings us to the Celtics. They aren't on Davis' wish list, but as Woj writes:

The Celtics remain determined to acquire Davis after the season, and Celtics GM Danny Ainge has directly urged Demps to wait until the offseason, when the Celtics have promised to be aggressive with their wealth of draft and player assets to try to acquire Davis, league sources said. Ainge is eager to trade for Davis and pair him with Irving, sources said.

Ah, yes. Kyrie Irving.

Yahoo's Chris Haynes was the first to report there is a "growing belief of uncertainty" about Kyrie's long-term future in Boston. The man who hit the game-winning shot in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals didn't exactly help the Celtics' cause with his comments last Friday in New York.

Ainge is betting on the Celtics making a deep run in the playoffs and Kyrie choosing to re-sign in Boston. At that point, he can send New Orleans a bounty in exchange for Davis. But that plan would be ruined if the Lakers end up with Davis in the coming days.

Nobody knows how this saga will end, but it's certainly fun to follow. And as Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after practice Monday, anxiety about the trade deadline is "everybody else's problem."

Drew Shiller is the co-host of Warriors Outsiders. Follow him on Twitter @DrewShiller

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