Bucks, Knicks, Lakers or Clippers? Ranking likelihood of Anthony Davis landing with each team on his list

Jordan Heck

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Bucks, Knicks, Lakers or Clippers? Ranking likelihood of Anthony Davis landing with each team on his list image

The NBA trade deadline is on Thursday, Feb. 7, which means everyone is on Anthony Davis watch over the next few days.

We were hit with a number of reports from The Athletic's Shams Charania and ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Monday discussing Davis, but this is the key takeaway:

TRADE RUMORS: Lakers, Pelicans moving closer to Davis deal

It's worth noting the absence of the Celtics from that list. The "Rose Rule" prevents Boston from making a trade for Davis with Kyrie Irving on the roster until July 1 when Irving can become a free agent. (More details on why Boston is limited before the trade deadline can be found here.)

Charania and Wojnarowski claimed the list came from Davis' agent, Rich Paul, who initially leaked the information that Davis requested a trade. According to Wojnarowski, this list "appears to be an effort [by Paul] to facilitate a deal prior to Thursday's 3 p.m. ET deadline, and spare a prolonged stay into the offseason for Davis with the franchise."

But are any of those teams a legit contender to land Davis by the trade deadline? Let's examine each team's chances at facilitating a trade.

4. Milwaukee Bucks

Pairing AD with Giannis Antetokounmpo would be incredible to see, but it seems highly unlikely Milwaukee can pull this off. Thon Maker, Khris Middleton, Tony Snell and some draft picks would be about the best Milwaukee can do, and that doesn't seem like enough for New Orleans.

And before Bucks fans start photoshopping Davis in a team jersey, it appears the team isn't even really interested in making a deal for the star forward.

While it doesn't seem like a trade would work, it is interesting that Milwaukee made the final cut. Davis' list involves two big-market teams (Los Angeles, New York) and then Milwaukee. Management should be proud of the fact that Davis wants to play there, but it just can't offer enough to make a deal work.

3. New York Knicks

As Woj points out, the Knicks are basically in the same boat as the Bucks — they just don't have enough to make a worthy deal happen with Kristaps Porzingis gone. New York has to wait until the draft lottery before it has something worth consideration.

But if Woj's reporting is right and Paul wants a trade completed before the deadline, then waiting until the draft lottery is just entirely too late.

2. Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers do have some intriguing assets, but the question then becomes: is it worth it? You'd be giving up a lot of depth in order to gain one star, with the hope of potentially bringing in Kawhi Leonard this summer.

According to Wojnarowski, the Clippers "are another team holding onto cap space and assets for summer free agency," and added, "so far, Clippers haven't made an offer on Davis." 

But now that the Clippers know Davis is interested, they might be ready to engage. Yahoo reporter Chris Haynes recently said the Clippers were "monitoring the Anthony Davis situation."

1. Los Angeles Lakers

Davis' list may as well have been "The Lakers and three other teams that can't make a deal." The Lakers are really the only team that makes sense. They have the most assets, and they are one of the few franchises that can pull this off.

And Paul's plan just might have worked, as Woj says talks between the Pelicans and Lakers have increased.

It probably doesn't hurt that the Lakers are willing to give up anything to acquire Davis. And we mean anything.

While Bucks, Knicks and Clippers fans might be excitied by the idea of a trade list, the Lakers are really the winner here. No deal is complete yet, obviously, but it would be a surprise to see something happen by Thursday's deadline.

Jordan Heck

Jordan Heck Photo

Jordan Heck is a Social Media Producer at Sporting News. Before working here, he was a Digital Content Producer at The Indianapolis Star. He graduated with a degree from Indiana University.