News broke early this morning that Anthony Davis does not see a future with the New Orleans Pelicans and will not sign an extension should the Pelicans present one to him. While the news sent the basketball world into a frenzy, the news should have been nothing of surprising.
Anthony Davis signed with Clutch Sports back in September, the same agency that represents LeBron James and since then the rumors began. Davis, who is enjoying the best season of his young career, is averaging career highs in points, rebounds and assists has been linked to LeBron and the Lakers since signing to Clutch Sports and Rich Paul, LeBron’s agent as well. The question now looms, will the Lakers indeed trade for Anthony Davis before February 7th, the trading deadline.
Should the Lakers trade for Anthony Davis this season?
There is no debat to wheater Anthony Davis is a top 10, top 5 to most, player in the NBA and would be a great sidekick to LeBron James. The question to me however is, do the Lakers actually need Anthony Davis this season and how much he could really help them this year.
The Pelicans want a boatload in return for Davis and rightfully so. Davis is a franchise player and generational talent and if/when they deal him they deserve to get a great return back. The similar situation happened with Paul George and the Indiana Pacers when they traded him to the Oklahoma City Thunder and receive a very good return for him. However, the Lakers should be hesitant with just how much they offer for Davis.
The initial reports state the Lakers must start the deal with Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Ivica Zubac and their 2019 first round draft pick and that is simply just a starting spot, possibly not everything. That right there is 3 starters and Brandon Ingram, their 4th starter, could be included in the deal as well. The Lakers would essentially lose all their starters minus of course, LeBron. The Lakers would certainly be going all in acquiring Davis, but at the same time possibly destroy their young core and its potential.
With the projected trade that it would take to acquire Anthony Davis, the Lakers roster for the rest of this season would be depleted. They would essentially have no chance at competing with the Golden State Warriors come playoff time and not guarantee a better, deeper roster than the Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, or Oklahoma City Thunder. Would the Lakers break up their young core to just essentially be the second best team, at best, in the Western Conference this season? The answer should be no.
Will the Lakers trade for Anthony Davis this season?
The Lakers are an eager franchise that understands winning and expects to win each season. After this past offseason and the signing of LeBron James, the front office, the players, and especially the fans expect winning and acquiring Davis would certainly help with that.
The big appeal to the Lakers to trade for Anthony Davis right now is that their biggest competitor, the Boston Celtics, are unable to make a deal with the Pelicans for Anthony Davis before the trade deadline unless they include Kyrie Irving in the deal, which is not happening. The Lakers feel as they need to jump on this golden opportunity and make the deal right now before the Celtics get the chance and the front office is working hard to make it happen.
No player on the Lakers seem untouchable, other than LeBron of course, which makes the deal more likely to get done before the deadline.
I am sure the Lakers will indeed offer something to the Pelicans before the deadline, but will the offer be enough? Well that’s the million dollar question and my guess is that it will not be enough…for now.
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