Reminder: Why Celtics Literally Can’t Trade For Anthony Davis — Yet

Reminder: Why Celtics Literally Can’t Trade For Anthony Davis — Yet

NESN by Dakota Randall on Sat, Nov 24, 2018 at 11:31AM

We get it, Boston Celtics fans, we get it: You really want Anthony Davis.

And who could blame you? The New Orleans Pelicans forward might be the most dominant player in the NBA, and trade rumors are really fun to talk about.

But you can give up on that fantasy of seeing Davis in a Celtics jersey this season. It’s not happening. It literally cannot happen.

NBA reporter Chris Sheridan practically undressed Green Teamers on Friday when he reported (well, re-reported) that Davis has Boston on his four-team trade list. But what went unmentioned in Sheridan’s column is there’s an actual rule preventing the Celtics, in their current state, from acquiring Davis.

So, let’s talk about the “5th Year 30% Max Criteria,” otherwise known as the “Rose Rule.”

Introduced in the 2011 NBA-NBA Players’ Association collective bargaining agreement, the rule allows for players finishing their rookie contracts to sign for a higher percentage (30 percent, instead of 25 percent) of their team’s total salary cap if they hit any of three specific thresholds: MVP, two-time All-NBA Team selection or voted-on All-Star starter. The rule was named after 2010-11 NBA MVP Derrick Rose because he was the only player eligible to sign the extension when the criteria were introduced.

Essentially, the rule is meant to reward upper-echelon NBA players coming off their rookie deals without restricting them to lower salary levels.

What does this have to do with the Celtics?

Well, NBA teams aren’t allowed to trade for two players signed using the Rose Rule. Boston already has one such player on its roster, Kyrie Irving, who it traded for prior to the 2017-18 season, and who signed using the Rose Rule in 2014. So, as long as Irving is on the roster under his current deal, the Celtics can’t trade for Davis, whom the Pelicans extended using the Rose Rule in 2015.

Now, this hardly means Davis won’t soon be putting up gaudy numbers at TD Garden on a regular basis.

First of all, if the Celtics were to include Irving in a trade for the 25-year-old Davis, then everything would be just fine. But that likely won’t happen, and it’s probably not a scenario Celtics fans are interested in.

But should Irving, 26, re-sign with Boston once he hits free agency next offseason, then the Celtics would be free to trade for Davis, or any other player signed under the Rose Rule. Of course, the Celtics also could trade for “The Brow” if Irving (gasp) decides to walk in free agency.

For what it’s worth, Irving already has said he plans to re-sign with the Celtics in the offseason. The star point guard could sign an extension right now, but he would be able to sign for far more money if he waits for his current deal to expire, per very confusing NBA salary cap rules.

Ultimately, there’s one date Celtics fans should keep in mind and be counting down to: July 1, 2019. That’s the soonest Irving can hit free agency and re-sign with Boston and, consequently, the soonest the Celtics could trade for Davis.

Until that day, Celtics fans should sit back, relax and appreciate their highly talented (yet underachieving) team. Oh, and they probably should pray to the basketball gods that Davis first doesn’t get traded to LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.

112288

YOU DO THE DEAL NOW...........HE WILL BE GONE BY JULY 1, 2019!

LET IRVING TAKE LESS NOW ON A NEW CONTRACT TO MAKE THE DEAL HAPPEN. HAVE HIM SIGN A 1 -2 YEAR CONTRACT AND HIT FREE AGENCY FOR MORE MONEY THEN .............BUT GET THIS DEAL DONE!

AND IF NOT, INCLUDE IRVING IN THE TRADE........AS DAVIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THEN IRVING AND FILLS #1 KEY POSITION.

THIS IS A HUGE ....ONCE IN A DECADE OR MORE OPPORTUNITY TO GET A REAL CENTER AND SUPERSTAR.

112288

Multiple sources suggest that it isn't so much the "Derrick Rose" rule that is the limiting factor in trading for Anthony Davis this season. That allows a 5 year extension with a 30% salary bump.  Neither Davis or Irving got the 30% salary bump because they did not meet the criteria.

My guess is that this rule got tweaked in the 2107 CBA agreement. It is now called the "Designated Rookie" rule, which is actually the limiting factor. That still has a 5 year extension with a 25% salary limit.

Irving got the 5-year extension in 2014 and Davis got it in 2015, according to the above article.  That was before the revised 2017 CBA revisions.  That is somewhat confusing to me.  Some of the articles that I found the other day from 2016 discussed how Davis would missed out on the 30% bump during his current contract.

It makes me think that the 5 year/25% limit is what players sign and the 30% bump is a possible raise given to players who meet certain criteria during the contract.  Like I said, it is confusing to me and I don't think I totally understand everything about this.  Certainly not enough to get paid for it.  

gyso