The NBA trade deadline came and went last month without Anthony Davis leaving the New Orleans Pelicans for the Los Angeles Lakers or anyone else. There were tons of different reports as to what the Lakers were offering for Davis, but the Pelicans kept turning them down. At one point, there were reports that the entire roster of the Lakers was on the table in exchange for AD, but that whole thing has been shot down as “fake news.”
Many people are tossing blame back and forth in the situation that unfolded between the Pelicans and Lakers.
Magic Johnson believes that the Pelicans had discussions with the Lakers, but they were never “in good faith.” Anthony Davis is saying that he’s the CEO of his own business (himself), and he will do what’s best for him. New Orleans insists that Los Angeles never offered the right deal to make a trade happen.
If the Lakers had offered their entire roster as some of the rumors reported, how was that not the right deal?
According to a report from Black Sports Online , Lakers owner Jeanie Buss is refuting those rumored reports of the entire roster being offered. As a matter of fact, she went as far as to call them completely “fake news.”
Jeanie Buss calls “fake news” the reports that Lakers were prepared to trade “our entire roster” for “a certain player.” #SSAC19 #rebootingtherivalry
— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) March 2, 2019
Over the course of the few weeks after Davis made his public trade request, numerous trade packages were reportedly put together. A few of them had the entire young core of the Lakers going to New Orleans with Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, and Brandon Ingram being a part of it the rumored deal.
That’s not even mentioning a couple of first-round picks in the NBA Draft thrown in there for good measure.
All of those reports and rumors did appear to cause some concern and dissension in the Lakers’ locker room and on the bench. Players weren’t sure if their position with the team was safe. Some reportedly thought that they weren’t good enough to play in Los Angeles and could be shipped off to any other team in the NBA.
As the Lakers continue to implode and fight for a playoff spot, Buss is doing a bit of clean-up and trying to let her players know that none of the reports were true.
Jeanie Buss Blames The Media For Lakers Iffy Team Chemistry After Reports They Were Trying to Trade Everyone For Anthony Davis (Video) https://t.co/GLVXDpSRLH pic.twitter.com/pEOFR7xomr
— Robert Littal BSO (@BSO) March 3, 2019
While some of the deals and offers to the Pelicans did end up becoming public knowledge, information to dispute Buss’ claims is now being brought out as well.
Here’s Lakers GM Magic Johnson three weeks ago, effectively confirming reports that his team had offered so many young players in a possible trade (which Lakers owner Jeanie Buss now disputes). https://t.co/KCnkMWoGnh pic.twitter.com/v6clBAvjNz
— Dan Diamond (@ddiamond) March 3, 2019
Anthony Davis is still with the New Orleans Pelicans for the remainder of this season and still has one more year left on his current contract. There is a very good chance he is traded this summer, but it could be to the Lakers or the Boston Celtics or any team that makes a good enough offer. As for the idea that their “entire roster” was put on the table for AD, though, Jeanie Buss is quoting Donald Trump and calling it nothing but “fake news.”