Lakers, Pelicans Agree To Trade Sending Anthony Davis To Los Angeles
The superstar big man is going to the Lakers in exchange for three players and three first-round draft picks.
In a blockbuster move that will have major implications on the chase for the 2020 NBA title, the Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to a deal with the New Orleans Pelicans that will send superstar forward Anthony Davis from New Orleans to Los Angeles for three players and three first-round draft picks, according to multiple reports. In exchange for Davis, a six-time All-Star, the Lakers will send Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and three first-round picks, including the No. 4 overall pick in next week's NBA Draft, to the Pelicans. The trade, which will not be made official until next month, brings together Davis with LeBron James and immediately turns the Lakers, who went 37-45 last season and missed the playoffs for the sixth straight season, into a title contender.
The deal ends the long Davis saga in New Orleans. In January the multitalented big man, who is eligible to become a free agent after the 2019-20 season, requested to be traded out of New Orleans. The Pelicans, who did not want to risk losing Davis to free agency next summer, pursued trade offers but then-general manager Dell Demps could not reach a deal before the February trade deadline. New Orleans fired Demps and in April hired David Griffin as executive vice president of basketball operations.
Even with the addition of Davis, the Lakers are expected to have enough cap space to sign a top-tier free agent this summer, potentially creating the NBA's next Superteam.
Davis joins a franchise famous for its big men, namely George Mikan, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O'Neal. But the 6-foot-10 Davis is unlike any of his Lakers predecessors. Drafted No. 1 overall in 2012, the long and lean Davis has the ability to play facing the basket or post up. In seven seasons, he has averaged 23.7 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. Limited by injury last season, Davis averaged 25.9 points and a career-high 12.0 rebounds in 56 games.
Considering that Davis was likely to leave New Orleans anyway after the upcoming season, the Pelicans received a solid haul in the trade. Ingram (18.3 points per game last season) and Ball (9.9) were the No. 2 overall picks in the 2016 and 2017 NBA Drafts, respectively.