NBA Rumors: Anthony Davis To Lakers, Lonzo Ball To Suns In Proposed Three-Team Trade, Per ‘The Big Lead’
As the 2019 NBA offseason draws near, the New Orleans Pelicans have reportedly resumed listening to trade offers for All-Star center Anthony Davis. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, several NBA teams have already engaged in a trade discussion with the Pelicans, including the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers were eyeing to acquire Davis before the February NBA trade deadline, believing that pairing him with LeBron James could give them a legitimate chance of fully dominating the deep Western Conference and winning an NBA championship title.
If the Boston Celtics won’t be joining the Anthony Davis sweepstakes, the Lakers could end up being the frontrunner to acquire “The Brow” in the 2019 NBA offseason. The Lakers may not have the established All-Star to trade to the Pelicans, but they have lots of players with All-Star potential and future first-round picks. Liam McKeone of The Big Lead recently created a list of realistic Anthony Davis trade scenarios.
In the deal that would send Anthony Davis to Los Angeles, McKeone suggested that the Lakers could engage in a three-team trade with the Phoenix Suns and the Pelicans. In the proposed trade scenario, the Lakers will acquire Davis, the Suns will receive Lonzo Ball, and the Pelicans will get Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, and the No. 4 and No. 6 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. If the trade becomes a reality, it will greatly benefit the Lakers, Suns, and the Pelicans.
“The Lakers have always known that if the Pelicans will do business with them, it’ll take their three best young players. It’s simply the price to pay for getting LeBron James an elite teammate. The Suns, meanwhile, will use their pick to grease the wheels of the transaction, and grab a point guard, a position of need and what they’re reportedly trying to do with the pick.”
Rumor: New Orleans likely to trade Anthony Davis to Celtics https://t.co/mYMYC03oMe
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) June 7, 2019
Since Anthony Davis demanded a trade from the Pelicans before the February NBA trade deadline, the Lakers have already expressed their willingness to part ways with any of their young players. The price is indeed expensive, but it will definitely be worth it if it means acquiring a player of Davis’ caliber. Davis will tremendously boost the Lakers’ performance on both ends of the floor, giving them an All-Star caliber big man who can knock down shots from beyond the arc. This season, the 26-year-old center power forward averaged 25.9 points, 12.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 2.4 blocks, and 1.6 steals on 51.7 percent shooting from the field and 33.1 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
In exchange for the No. 6 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, the Suns will finally acquire a starting caliber point guard they have been looking for since the 2018 NBA offseason. Lonzo Ball perfectly fits the Suns’ timeline and his pass-first mentality makes him the ideal backcourt partner to the face of the franchise, Devin Booker. Meanwhile, trading Anthony Davis marks the start of the rebuilding process for the Pelicans. However, the Pelicans aren’t expected to stay at the bottom of the Western Conference for long, especially if the core of Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and Kyle Kuzma grow together and build good chemistry.
