Glen Davis has been one of more dependable Boston Celtics over his career, save for an unfortunate punching incident that led to a broken hand in 2009. Teams always need frontcourt depth, and Big Baby has played behind All-Star Kevin Garnett as the C's have assaulted to top of the East since 2007-08.
But Davis is hitting unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career now at age 25, and could be looking to spread his wings beyond what Boston is willing to offer.
Big Baby is wrapping a two-year, $6.3 million deal, one he played up to for Boston. The Celtics will be restricted to the mini mid-level exception for non-incumbent free agents regardless of what happens with Davis, so the only concern with keeping him will be maintaining flexibility going in 2012 (where Garnett and Ray Allen will come off the books) and keeping the 2011-12 luxury tax bill for Boston reasonable. The flexibility issue could be where the C's elect to let Davis play the field instead of wrapping him quickly; at 26, Baby is going to want a longer-term commitment, something Boston may be reluctant to offer.
If Davis does consider other clubs, the New Orleans Hornets have reportedly expressed interest, as they'll be losing David West and Carl Landry in free agency in all likelihood. (Of course, they have other things to worry about right now.) It's unlikely any team will look to slot or, more importantly, pay Davis as a starter. But when the free agency dice get rolling, anything is possible. Ask Drew Gooden.
For more on Boston's free agency priorities, visit CelticsBlog.