Raising an Eyebrow

By: Peyton Schultze

Could the Lakers really make a trade for Anthony Davis in the coming months?

As the Lakers head towards a massive Christmas Day matchup with the reigning champs in the Golden State Warriors, rumors have been flying about the state of the Lakers (18-13) and potential improvements they could soon make. Names such as Bradley Beal and Kemba Walker seem to have at least been on Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka’s radar in the past, yet few names seem as relevant and potentially franchise-shifting as Anthony Davis. The Pelicans’ star center (averaging 28.0 PPG, 12.3 RPG, and 4.7 APG so far this season) has not seem disgruntled in New Orleans, but the Pelicans have not been outstanding this year and have failed to meet expectations through his Pelican career. Trading the 1st Teamer may seem preposterous, but Davis will be in a contract season next year before hitting the open market in free agency. The Pelicans may have their hand forced by certain teams throughout the league, such as the Lakers and Boston Celtics, who carry valuable assets that will only lose value and interest over time. The time for the Pelicans to move Davis may be now or never, so will the University of Kentucky product somehow end up in the City of Angels to shine alongside LeBron James?

Davis is certainly a top 5 player in the NBA with potential title aspirations at some point in his career.

Since being selected 1st overall in the 2012 NBA Draft, Davis has consistently been a star in the league by putting up some gaudy stat lines with some insane highlights. Yet, since his rookie year, Davis has only been a part of 1 playoff series victory coming in last year’s playoffs in a four game sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers. Davis has certainly been the face of the franchise for the Pelicans over the past six and a half seasons, yet the time may be now for the two sides to split. This leaves potential for a huge shift in the power of the league if “AD” were to move teams. For example, look at this past offseason with Kawhi Leonard’s trade to the Toronto Raptors. With LeBron heading to Los Angeles and leaving the East, the Raptors have emerged as a huge threat in the East that can compete for a championship due to Leonard, a top player in the league, moving away from the powers of the Western Conference. Look no further than the season of the 2018-2019 San Antonio Spurs to also see how this trade has affected the league. The Spurs (17-15) have not been the same this year compared to past years during their dynastic run, lacking good perimeter shooting and being unable to keep up with quicker teams throughout the league. The league-shifting trade of Leonard to Toronto could have similar implications if New Orleans decided to ship Davis elsewhere. For a real glimpse of what Davis could provide to another team in search of a superstar, look no further than Davis’ highlights from the Pelicans’ 2018 playoff run:

Which leaves the Lakers. Executives and insiders around the league ultimately agree that the Lakers and Celtics will likely compete for the services of the All-Star center over the course of the current season or possibly into the offseason. As another chapter of the rivalry between the two teams unfolds, Johnson and Boston general manager, Danny Ainge, will likely offer New Orleans a wide variety of packages that could interest the Pelicans. In the case of the Celtics, it would almost certainly take a deal involving young players like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, both of whom Ainge has been hesitant to offer in deals in the past (such as in the Celtics’ pursuit of Kawhi Leonard over the summer). Yet the Celtics could also offer a huge package that could interest the Pelicans: trading All-Star, Kyrie Irving. Irving would present the best win-now option for the Pelicans, as a perennial All-Star with championship and playoff experiences, that could entice them to avoid a complete rebuild. It has never been reported that the Celtics would even consider moving the spectacular Irving for Davis in any trade, but a deal involving him could play into the Celtics favor.

The Lakers would likely have to part with certain players from their young core in order to send Davis to Los Angeles to play with James.

However, the Lakers do pose several key advantages that could be helpful in their possible pursuit. First, the Lakers have the best player in the world in LeBron James, which would certainly seem to attract Davis. Acquiring Davis to play with James would automatically vault the Lakers into title contenders in the West to compete alongside the Golden State Warriors, and would most likely be of interest to “The Brow”. James and Davis also share the same agent in Rich Paul from Klutch Sports, which could also be interesting in the development of this instance if the Lakers were able to swindle Davis with attractive options. In terms of players to possibly be moved, the Lakers have several assets that could appeal to New Orleans. In a young core involving players such as Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Kyle Kuzma, and Brandon Ingram, the Lakers would probably have to move at least two of the players in a trade for Davis. The Lakers would be hesitant to trade the emerging Kuzma, who has excelled playing alongside James, and would be most willing to part with Ingram, who has lots of potential but it much more of an isolation player that has struggled to play with James at times. In a deal that could possibly involve Ball, Ingram, and future draft picks in exchange for Davis, the Pelicans may be very interested to start a rebuild with two excellent young players with lots of untapped potential and upside, as they still are in the early stages of their professional careers. Johnson and Pelinka will face several challenges when trying to acquire Davis from New Orleans in terms of financial capacity and right fits for the team, but it will be interesting to see how the saga involving the Lakers and Pelicans ongoing discussions develop over the next few weeks and months.

Could LeBron and Davis actually pair up in LA?

Do the Lakers actually have a legitimate shot at getting Davis? It remains to be seen and figures in the Pelicans organization, such as head coach, Alvin Gentry, have denied that their face of the franchise will be moved at all. Yet league wide sources have stated that Davis could be on the move and the time is running out for the Pelicans to trade him while receiving the most value back. It will be fascinating to see if Davis somehow suits up in the Purple and Gold anytime soon, but there is little doubt that the Lakers might have a little bit of Magic up their sleeve over the next few months in their pursuit for the All-Star.