The Celtics have remained interested in Anthony Davis, and he knows it

I know what you're thinking: "Great, another click-bait article about a potential trade that in reality has no traction at all." So let me reiterate what the title says: Boston is still very vigilant on the possibility of acquiring Anthony Davis, but that doesn't mean anything whatsoever is in the works.

Woj talked about how Davis is still the NBA's great big trade obsession for ESPN. In it, there was a lot of talk about trade rumors, whether his team was committed to him, and past interest shown from Danny Ainge and the Celtics.

It's hardly even surprsing to hear that several teams are extremely interested in trading for Anthony Davis. The dude is a 6'10" 24-year-old who can do it all. Nonetheless, Woj discussed how many teams, including the Celtics, are absolutely obsessed:

Davis remains an obsession of several NBA teams full of the necessary trade assets to unfasten him from New Orleans, should the Pelicans ever consider a rebuild --- or should Davis ever request a trade. Boston has remained vigilant on the possibility of acquiring Davis, and Davis knows it. However, the Pelicans have no intention of trading an all-world talent under contract through 2021, no matter the return.

The good news is that Boston remains as interested as ever in the four-time All-Star. The bad news, as you can see, is that the Pelicans are instantly hanging up the phone if any team brings up Davis in trade talks. Or so they say, at least. In this case, the only way the Brow would be on the move before he hits free agency in four years is if he requests a change of scenery.

Throughout the Woj piece, Davis continuously talks about the desire to win. To him, the money, stats, and fan following don't matter. In Davis' mind, he's irrelevant unless he wins:

"Winning. That's it. That's how you're judged," he said. "You can score, you can dominate. You can do whatever. But they calculate everything off winning. You know that. I know that. Everybody in the league knows that. I hear it all the time: 'Anthony is a good player, but he hasn't won anything. He's not a winner. He hasn't been to the playoffs in two years.'"

"It bothers me. You know you're doing everything in your power to try and win. Playing through injuries, playing a ton of minutes, diving on the floor, but you just can't come up with enough wins to go to the playoffs. And it isn't enough just going to the playoffs. You want to make noise. You want to be a threat.

You can sense from this quote that perhaps Davis is getting a little frustrated in New Orleans. If he truly values winning that heavily and the Pelicans continue to be an under .500 team, would that be enough to make him ask for a trade?

New Orleans currently sit as the seventh seed in the West with a 15-15 record. They've been inconsistent this season, having convincing wins and disappointing losses very sporadically. They haven't been to the playoffs since 2015 - Davis' first and only playoff appearance - where they got swept in the first round.

Davis understands the star power needed to make (and win in) the playoffs. Here's what the Pelicans superstar said about some of the top teams in the league right now, and what it takes to be successful in today's NBA:

"You look at the Warriors, Cleveland, Boston," he said. "They lose Gordon [Hayward], they're still playing well. KD-Steph-Draymond-Klay. They play so well with each other. They move the basketball. They don't care who scores. Steph and Draymond are out, and they still won. KD is out. They still win.

"That's the way the league is now. I don't see anyone winning without three or four All-Stars. ... I was in the [MVP] conversation in my third year, and we didn't win. We went to the playoffs, got swept, and I dropped out of all that so fast. It's about winning. You can have all the numbers in the world, but you better win. That's what it is. This whole league, everything is about winning. Every award. Everything. It's all about winning."

Clearly, if there were to ever be an AD trade, he would surely demand it to be to a winning franchise. Davis talked about last season's trade rumors surrounding him and the Celtics, as well as his growing skepticism of NBA front offices:

Before the Cousins trade a year ago, though, Davis kept hearing talk of the Celtics trying to trade for him. He walked into GM Dell Demps' office and asked about it.

"He told me that [Boston] was calling, but nothing was going to happen," Davis said. "At the same time, though, you see how organizations treat players. Isaiah Thomas. DeMarcus [Cousins] told me that the [Kings] told him that he wasn't going to get traded, but they traded him. Isaiah took his team to the Eastern Conference finals, and they traded him.

"It makes you wonder: Does this organization really have my back? I've been loyal to this organization. I love it here. I love this team. I think we're moving in the right direction. DeMarcus, Rondo, some other players that are helping us, but people get judged on winning. And I want to win.

Yes, AD, it does make you wonder. It makes us fans wonder a lot of things, too. For now, all we know is that the Celtics remain interested in Davis and that he may be starting to get sick of losing so many games. Who Ainge would even offer in a potential deal for Davis at this point is a whole other story...


Follow Erik Johnson on Twitter: @erikjohnson32

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