Despite the growing belief that Kyrie Irving is going to sign with the Brooklyn Nets, Anthony Davis is not completely sold on Brooklyn yet.
The Brooklyn Nets have the pieces to trade for Anthony Davis if they are willing to invest heavily in the disgruntled star. However, without a long-term commitment, it’s a risky proposition.
Even the addition of Kyrie Irving to Brooklyn might not be enough to sway Davis according to Michael Scotto of The Athletic. Recent reports suggest that Irving is preparing to sign with the Nets.
“And while the Nets have been heavily linked to Kyrie Irving in free agency, The Athletic has learned that Brooklyn potentially signing the six-time All-Star guard wouldn’t presently change Davis’ stance on not re-signing long-term with the team if they acquire him this summer,” wrote Scotto.
A combination of Irving and Davis would make for a formidable squad, especially in the Eastern Conference. That being said, acquiring Davis would require a huge chunk of their young core. It could be difficult for general manager Sean Marks to add enough to make that a championship team in 2019-20.
It’s not worth the investment (young players and draft capital) or the risk if there is no long-term commitment from Davis. In a best-case scenario, he ends up on the free agent market in 2020 and the Nets have the flexibility to make a run at the All-NBA big man.
The Nets are slowly building themselves into a sustainable winner. Eventually, they’re going to need to take a major risk to win a championship (see: the Toronto Raptors and Kawhi Leonard). Figuring out whether or not Davis is the right risk to take is up to Marks.