Getty LeBron James would love to team up with Anthony Davis.
Anthony Davis is requesting a trade, but what does this mean for the Lakers? Given an interesting NBA rule that impacts the Celtics, the time is now for the Lakers if they want to make a move for Davis. It is hard to argue the Celtics do not have more tradeable assets to go after Davis, but Boston cannot do so before the trade deadline unless they traded Kyrie Irving.
This means the Lakers have less than two weeks to make a move for Davis before the February 8th trade deadline, or the Celtics can try to trade for Davis this summer after Irving has either resigned or left via free agency. Outside of LeBron James, the Lakers most appealing assets are Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma and Lonzo Ball. For the Lakers to have a realistic chance at acquiring Davis before the deadline, they would need to offer some combination of their top young players and picks.
Wojnarowski reported the Lakers are expected to be aggressive in their pursuit of Davis before the deadline.
This is an opportunity for the Los Angeles Lakers to be aggressive in offering a package for Davis before Boston’s inclusion into talks. Paul also represents Lakers star LeBron James, and the Lakers have been determined to acquire Davis in a deal, league sources said.
Can the Lakers Make a More Appealing Trade Offer Than the Celtics?
The bigger question is what the Pelicans want to do. Just because Davis requested a trade, does not mean New Orleans is obligated to trade him. History tells us it is hard for small market teams to get anything close to market value when trading away a franchise player in these type of situations. Unlike the Lakers, the Pelicans are unlikely to be in a rush to make a move before the deadline and could opt to wait until this summer when the Celtics can join the bidding war.
Boston has players like Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward among others. Beyond players, the Celtics still have a bevy of future draft picks that the Pelicans could find appealing. Boston.com detailed why the Celtics are unlikely to be in the running for Davis until this summer.
Both Davis and Irving signed their contract extensions under the “Rose Rule,” named after point guard Derrick Rose because he was the first player to sign such an extension. The “Rose Rule” allows certain players coming off their rookie-scale contracts to earn 30 percent of the salary cap as opposed to 25 percent. To be eligible, a player must have achieved one of three accolades during the first four seasons of his career: MVP award, Defensive Player of the Year award, or two All-NBA selections. (When Davis and Irving inked their extensions in 2015 and 2014, respectively, two All-Star starter nods was in place of DPOY.)
NBA teams cannot trade for more than one player who has signed an extension under the “Rose Rule” — a limitation that is only applicable when the players are still on their “Rose Rule” extensions. The Celtics acquired Irving via trade in August 2017, so they cannot deal for Davis — or any other player that has signed such an extension — until Irving leaves or agrees to a new deal. Irving will become an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of this season and has expressed his intention to re-sign with the Celtics. The earliest he can do so is July 1, 2019.
LeBron James Said It Would Be “Amazing” to Play With Anthony Davis
The rumors linking Davis to the Lakers heated up when the big man signed with Klutch Sports this summer, an agency started by James’ good friend Rich Paul. James has already said it would be “amazing” if the Lakers could trade for Davis.
“That would be amazing,” James told ESPN. “That would be amazing, like, duh. That would be incredible.”
Davis is still under contract through next season. The soonest the big man can opt out is before the 2020-21 season meaning the Pelicans have some time to weigh all their options and get the best return possible if they do decide to trade Davis.