The Celtics already made their Anthony Davis decision, even if nobody in Boston has said it out loud.
If the Wizards choose to move Davis, plenty of teams could talk themselves into the swing. Boston shouldn’t be one of them. The reason is simple: the Celtics already brought in Mitchell Robinson this offseason, and that changes the math.
On the latest episode of the "Third Apron Podcast," Yossi Gozlan and Sam Quinn floated Davis as a possible target, and Boston naturally entered the conversation. But the idea doesn’t hold up once Robinson and Neemias Queta are part of the picture.
Davis still carries the kind of name that makes teams pause, but the rest of the package is a harder sell. He has played a combined 29 games since the Lakers traded him to the Mavericks in January 2025 as part of the Luka Dončić deal.
Add in the extension he would be eligible for, and the appeal drops fast. If he declines his $62.8 million player option next offseason, he could sign a four-year deal worth up to $275 million.
That’s a huge commitment for a player whose availability has become the real issue.
Robinson, by contrast, came to Boston on a three-year, $47.4 million contract that looks a lot easier to live with. His injury history is a concern, but it doesn’t rise to Davis’ level. New York letting him get away in free agency ended up helping Boston in more ways than one.
And the Celtics are not looking at a player who’s just a little older and a little pricier. Davis is past his prime, even if there were moments last season with Dallas when he still looked like a two-way force.
Those came in bursts, not as a steady run of dominance. The health setbacks keep getting in the way.
That’s the part Boston would be buying into, and it’s a shaky bet. When Davis is on the floor, the talent is obvious. But with him, there’s always a catch-your-breath feeling attached to the next possession, the next landing, the next injury report.
Robinson comes with his own questions, sure. Celtics fans know that, especially after he played a combined 48 games in 2023-24 and 2024-25.
But he also just put together a season in which he appeared in 60 regular-season games. The Knicks managed his minutes to keep him in shape for the postseason, and before the NBA Finals he had hand surgery for an off-court matter that did not keep him out of any games in the series.
The comparison is uncomfortable for anyone looking at Davis’ resume and assuming the answer is obvious. Right now, Robinson can be the more effective option, and Queta can be in that conversation too, because both are more likely to stay on the floor. Neither one comes with Davis’ price tag.
That’s why Boston should stay out of Davis trade talks and stick with Robinson and Queta, with Paul George also in the mix if Davis ends up moving.
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