Getty New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis
The Los Angeles Lakers have a big few days ahead when it comes to Anthony Davis trade talks. Specifically, while the Lakers are making a full-blown push for the New Orleans Pelicans star, they haven’t been able to get much traction it seems. In turn, this could lead to the trade talks rolling into the upcoming offseason, which will allow the Boston Celtics to jump into the conversation.
Due to the ‘Rose Rule,’ a team cannot acquire two players who signed a contract under the rule via trade. The Celtics have Kyrie Irving, who falls into this category and they struck a deal for previously, meaning a trade for Davis couldn’t happen until July 1 when Irving is officially a free agent.
The situation with the Celtics has allowed the Lakers and other teams to get a head start on talks for the Pelicans star, but the outlook is fairly bleak currently. New Orleans has reportedly declined all offers the Lakers have put on the table, one of which was a massive deal which came to light on Monday.
Pelicans Decline Big Offer From Lakers
The Lakers pulled no punches with their latest offers, and it was so lucrative that many seemed to believe the two sides were close to a deal. As Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times revealed, the Lakers were reportedly willing to offer a deal with two first-round picks, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, and Brandon Ingram, among others.
Landed in Indy; update on Lakers-Pelicans talks. Magic Johnson, Dell Demps talked twice today, per source. Lakers willing to give Pelicans cap relief for Anthony Davis by taking Solomon Hill for Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Ingram, Rondo, Lance Stephenson, Beasley, 2 1st round picks.
The interesting fact came after the offer when Fletcher Mackel of WDSU revealed that the Pelicans are not taking that offer. Instead, they have an interest in making a run at Celtics young forward Jayson Tatum.
Pelicans source:
Right now Dell Demps (and Danny Ferry, who’s very much involved in all aspects of Anthony Davis trade situation) are NOT taking Lakers offer @BA_Turner first reported.
Some in Pels organization want LA deal.
I’m told NOLA believes it can get Tatum this summer.
If the Pelicans have interest in Tatum at the level that they’re willing to wait for the offseason, it could make things go off the rails incredibly fast.
Lakers Reportedly Growing ‘Pessimistic’ About Deal
Shortly after that news came to light, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported that the Lakers are “pessimistic” about the Pelicans being willing to make a deal with them.
Obviously, this is a less-than-ideal outlook and could leave the Lakers in a tough spot. If the Pelicans aren’t interested in trying to work on a deal with Los Angeles and things push into the offseason it could lead to the team losing out on Davis.
So the big question becomes, will the Lakers lose out on the Pelicans star if the talks push into the offseason?
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Would Lakers Lose Anthony Davis Trade to Celtics in Offseason? (VOTE)