Getty New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis
It’d be a tough pill to swallow for Los Angeles Lakers fans if they lost out on a potential trade for Anthony Davis. But if the New Orleans Pelicans star landed with the Los Angeles Clippers, it would unquestionably feel far worse than any other outcome. Fortunately, there’s a decent chance that the latest chatter around the Clippers and a Davis trade could majorly impact their chances at striking a deal.
NBA analyst Bobby Marks joined ESPN’s ‘The Sedano Show’ and spoke about the Clippers and a potential trade for Davis. But as Marks pointed out (h/t Darryn Albert of Larry Brown Sports), the team is unwilling to include guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in any deal.
While it may not be make-or-break for the Clippers in their pursuit of Davis, there’s no denying that Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the most intriguing young pieces that would have been in a package. The Clippers can still create a strong offer, but without the 20-year-old, there’s an obvious reason to believe the Lakers’ offer, including the No. 4 pick more than likely, could trump it.
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Clippers’ Potential Offer in Anthony Davis Trade
Heading into the 2019 NBA offseason, the Clippers have a number of intriguing pieces which could be included in a package for Davis. But while names like Danilo Gallinari, Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell and Landry Shamet are noteworthy, Gilgeous-Alexander is a big name to keep off the list.
Regardless of which players were included in a potential offer by the Clippers, it would surely also have to include multiple draft picks. But on paper, it’s hard to argue that any type of package would be more appealing than one from the Lakers focused around the No. 4 pick and some mixture of Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart.
Gilgeous-Alexander was drafted with the No. 11 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft and averaged 10.8 points, 3.3 assists and 2.8 rebounds while shooting 47.6 percent from the field. He made impressive strides forward down the stretch of the season as well.
Lakers Favored to Land Anthony Davis
The Lakers found themselves behind the Boston Celtics previously in terms of odds to acquire Davis via trade. But since that point, it appears oddsmakers are buying into the hype of the Lakers front office finding a way to strike a deal for the talented forward.
As Odds Shark revealed in late May, the Lakers were listed at even money to be the team with Davis on their roster at the start of the 2019-20 season. Behind them sat the Celtics and Pelicans, as seen below.
- Los Angeles Lakers: Even
- Boston Celtics: +200
- New Orleans Pelicans: +200
- New York Knicks: +400
A lot can change in the near future, but the Pelicans could certainly opt to move Davis this offseason, assuming the price is right. Whether any team offers them what the Lakers were rumored to put on the table during the 2018 season will be a key talking point moving forward.
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