Getty Phoenix Suns forward T.J. Warren
The Los Angeles Lakers trade talks with the New Orleans Pelicans may have cooled off, but that doesn’t mean they won’t ramp back up before the deadline. Thursday’s cutoff for deals is quickly drawing near, and the latest talks involving star forward Anthony Davis seem to have led to the Lakers backing off a bit.
It’s not surprising considering Magic Johnson and company reportedly offered Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart, Ivica Zubac, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and two first-round picks for Davis. That deal was declined and as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported, the Pelicans want a “historic haul of picks” which includes four first-rounders.
The Pelicans haven’t countered the Lakers’ offers but do have expectations that Johnson will overwhelm them with young players and a historic haul of draft picks. To New Orleans, that means four first-round and second-round picks as part of a trade package, league sources told ESPN.
While that seems like a lofty asking price, the latest reports point to the Lakers and Pelicans possibly putting their heads back together. One issue that needs to be worked out is about Ball, who doesn’t want to play in New Orleans apparently, and LaVar has made it known that the Phoenix Suns are the team his son should be on.
Suns to Jump Into 3-Team Deal With Lakers & Pelicans?
Putting LaVar Ball aside, it does seem that the Suns could be a third team in the deal, as The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor reported. And no, Lonzo and LaVar’s push to get to Phoenix apparently has nothing to do with it. But if they do emerge as a third team, it could send forward T.J. Warren to New Orleans.
“If New Orleans wants more than that, there are also rumblings that the Suns could emerge as a third team for Ball—much to his father’s delight—possibly with T.J. Warren and a young player going to the Pelicans. However, a source with knowledge of the trade discussions said the Ball family’s desires have no bearing on how the Lakers or Pelicans will approach negotiations.” O’Connor wrote.
The trade would move Ball to the Suns of course while adding Warren to the package for Davis and bolstering the Pelicans’ depth even more. It’s an interesting deal and one that makes sense for all parties, as the Suns are fairly deep at small forward and have Josh Jackson waiting in the wings.
LaVar Ball’s Comments on Lonzo Ball Trade
The second-year point guard’s outspoken father didn’t bite his tongue on the subject of a potential trade. As ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk revealed, LaVar stated that while they want to be in Los Angeles, that if traded he’s “going to speak it [Suns trade] into existence.”
“We want to be in L.A.,” LaVar Ball told ESPN. “But if he’s traded, I don’t want Lonzo in New Orleans. Phoenix is the best fit for him. And I am going to speak it into existence.”
While Ball heading to the Suns in a three-team deal makes sense, it’s hard to envision that his father’s comments will have much (or anything) to do with the trade talks.
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