BREAKING; Lakers star Anthony Davis shock fans as he accept a contract of $155 million from….
Revisiting the Trade That Sent Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers
NBA_Trade Revisit Anthony Davis Pelicans Lakers
Key Takeaways
The Los Angeles Lakers desperately wanted Anthony Davis and went all in to acquire him from the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Lakers built a championship team around LeBron James, led by Davis.
The Pelicans got a solid return for Davis but didn’t end up with the future success they expected.
The
L.A. Lakers really wanted Anthony Davis . The word “desperate” would be fair to use.
In the 2018 offseason, the Lakers landed a massive slam dunk in free agency when LeBron James chose to leave the
Cleveland Cavaliers for The City of Angels.
It was one of the biggest signings in franchise history.
LeBron’s first season in Los Angeles did not quite go as planned, though. The team dealt with injuries during the regular season, which resulted in the Lakers missing the NBA Playoffs , even with James in the fold.
Before joining the Lakers, James made eight straight NBA Finals appearances in the Eastern Conference. He was there four years in a row with the
Miami Heat and then did the same with the Cavaliers.
It felt genuinely stunning at the time to have a postseason without James.
The Lakers were at a crossroads. The prevailing thought was that they would have to choose between their young core and putting a contender around LeBron.
The team toyed with the idea of an in-season trade for Davis during the 2018-19 season, but nothing came together.
However, the perfect storm was brewing.
The
New Orleans Pelicans underwent a front-office makeover, removing the personnel who were refusing to play ball with the Lakers. They also landed the first overall pick in the NBA Draft , which featured the highly-anticipated Zion Williamson .
The goal was clear: Build around Williamson.
Davis was unwilling to stay put even after the Pelicans landed the first pick, so his trade request was finally granted. Davis was sent to the Lakers.
Some of the initial overreactions compared this trade to the
Brooklyn Nets mortgaging their future for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce . It did not work out that way.
The Lakers Got Exactly What They Needed
Los Angeles went all in and it worked
Los Angeles Lakers
There are certainly many ways that people who do not like the Lakers can spin the narrative of this trade, but the fact is that Los Angeles got everything it could have asked for.
The goal of this trade for the Lakers was to build a championship team around James, which is exactly what it helped accomplish.
Anthony Davis – Stats with the Lakers
James and Davis have been a great duo, and their time together started with a bang.
Instead of acquiring a third star, the Lakers spent the rest of the 2019 offseason filling out the roster with quality starters and role players. It worked to perfection.
Then-Lakers head coach Frank Vogel decided to roll out James as a full-time point guard in the 2019-20 season, and it worked like a charm. The Lakers starting lineup of James, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope , Danny Green, Davis and JaVale McGee functioned exactly as needed.
LA had some quality role players off the bench, like Kyle Kuzma , Alex Caruso , Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo.
Some people will shy away from giving this team the credit it deserves because its run came during the 2020 bubble season, but it was indeed a well-constructed team. That fact showed when the Lakers won the 2020 NBA championship.
That one championship alone completely vindicated everything that the Lakers needed to give up for Davis. Their goal of winning with James was accomplished.
Did general manager Rob Pelinka get overzealous afterward and potentially try to fix what was not broken? That is a conversation for another day (but one that has some truth to it).
However, it does not alter the assessment of the Davis deal. The Lakers aced this trade with flying colors. Not only did they win the championship with Davis, but they did so in his first season with the team.
Pelicans Pivot to a New Era
There are mixed emotions about how the Pelicans made out
Brandon Ingram of the New Orleans Pelicans looks on during an NBA game.
On one hand, when assessing the sheer value that the Pelicans got for Davis, it is hard to be too critical of the return. However, there is an unshakable feeling of disappointment here.
There was a lot of excitement about what the Pelicans could do to build a team around Zion after the haul they received from the Lakers. The results have been lackluster.
In all fairness, it is hard to compete when Williamson has so many injury issues, but things are exacerbated when the centerpiece of the deal’s return has faced similar problems.
Brandon Ingram – Stats
Brandon Ingram has been healthier than Zion, but he, too, has struggled to stay on the court.
The team has grown frustrated enough with the pairing that Ingram is being shopped this offseason. However, they have not been able to find a willing suitor just yet.
The
Atlanta Hawks even reportedly turned down the idea of acquiring him in the Dejounte Murray trade.
The overall value of what New Orleans got in this trade is more than fine. The Pelicans also landed Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, three first-round picks and a first-round pick swap. It was a good return for a star player like Davis.
However, it does not feel like it has materialized into the incredibly bright future promised with the original excitement surrounding this deal from the Pelicans’ side.
Hindsight Actually Favors the Lakers
Both teams did fine, but Los Angeles won this deal
LeBron looking at Anthony Davis
The Lakers took a big risk when they made this trade, which clearly worked out for them. Davis had a great run as the co-star to James in the 2020 playoffs, resulting in their
Even if the argument is that the Lakers gave up their future to secure Davis, the team can still turn around and trade Davis once it is time to rebuild in Los Angeles. The value they get back will not be similar to what they gave up, but there could still be a modest return.
The Pelicans did fine, as discussed. They are certainly not losers when it comes to this trade.
However, as things currently stand, it is hard not to feel like the Lakers actually won this deal.
Perhaps as time passes and the Pelicans continue to pivot and use the pieces from the deal to truly build a contender, the two teams will be on more equal footing.
However, reducing the situation to something as simple as grades, it feels like the Pelicans walked away with a B+ while the Lakers earned themselves an A.
