Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce believes one of his former teams or the Los Angeles Lakers could make a deal for New Orleans Pelicans All-Star big man Anthony Davis before the end of the 2018-19 campaign.

Appearing Tuesday on ESPN's The Jump (beginning at the 1:29 mark), Pierce said a poor start may lead to the Pels trading Davis:

"If things don't go well in New Orleans this year and they're hovering around .500 or not looking like a playoff team, Boston's going to make a run at him or the Lakers," Pierce said. ... "I guarantee you that. He will not be in New Orleans by the end of the year. ... If they're not playing well, he will not make it to All-Star Weekend."

Davis recently parted ways with agent Thad Foucher, and Rich Paul of Klutch Sports is reportedly a leading candidate to replace him, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst and Ramona Shelburne.

Lakers superstar LeBron James is among Paul's clients.

If Davis does join forces with Paul, Pierce thinks it could be a sign that he intends to make a move to the Lakers eventually: "What better guy to do [Davis' move to the Lakers] than Rich Paul? He pretty much controls the market. Guys are running left and right to be represented by him. This is classic. ... I think there are some things in the NBA we don't know about. Something's brewing."

Last season, Davis led the Pelicans to the second round of the playoffs after averaging 28.1 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.6 blocks per game during the regular season.

Davis was an MVP finalist, and he has been named an All-Star in five of his six NBA season.

He would potentially make the Celtics the favorites to win the NBA championship, and he would be the superstar the Lakers are looking for to pair with James and become a championship threat in the Western Conference.

Even so, New Orleans is under no pressure to make a deal since Davis has three years remaining on his contract.