Anthony Davis’ Trade Rumors And The Ripple Effect It Plays On The Upcoming Draft

There is one thing for certain this offseason: Anthony Davis is going to be traded.

With the NBA draft looming just under a week from now, talks are going to escalate. With the Lakers as front runners, there is going to be an overhaul in the Lakers’ squad for Davis. According to ESPN, the Pelicans will let Davis go for Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and their fourth overall pick. The Lakers will try to hold on to the promising Kyle Kuzma, but could be apart of the departing group heading to New Orleans in the negotiations. As much as the Pelicans will hate to see Davis go, a squad of Ball, Ingram and Zion Williamson has an immense amount of potential. With the Pelicans receiving the fourth overall pick as well, they can build a super-team of young talent. With Ball and Ingram only 21, Williamson only 18, and the fourth pick, likely being either Darius Garland (19), Jarret Culver (20) or De’Andre Hunter (21), the Pelicans could have promising talent all over the place.

If the Lakers repeat what they did last year and fail to get Davis, the Boston Celtics could be favorites to snag the All-Star. If the C’s were to win the trade, Davis’ agent Rich Paul warns the organization that it would be a short-term deal, likely for a one-year rental to propel him into better circumstances of a long-term deal.

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It’s no question that a Davis/LeBron duo would be an out-of-this-world partnership, but it remains to be seen what talent will surround the two. With the Lakers likely losing three of four players for Davis, that leaves a wide gap in the roster for cheaper players. As we saw with the Toronto Raptors in the latest NBA Finals series, role players and bench players are important. While the Lakers would still have Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Josh Hart and potentially Kuzma, there remains a hole that Ball and Ingram would leave.