Getty Anthony Davis and LeBron James
The Los Angeles Lakers’ interest in diving back into Anthony Davis trade talks isn’t the slightest bit surprising. And their expected offers likely won’t shock the world either, but when comparing them to what the Boston Celtics or a few other teams could offer, it’ll be interesting to see what wins out, if anything.
There has been plenty of chatter as of late about what the Lakers could put on the table for Davis when trade talks ramp back up. But the most recent talks point to a package which is similar to what was offered during the season. The only problem is that it’s similar to what was offered (and rejected) during the year.
Lakers’ Anthony Davis Trade to Involve Kuzma, Ingram & Third Team
One potential positive for the Lakers is that David Griffin was hired as the New Orleans Pelicans’ vice president of basketball operations. In turn, the Lakers will be working with a new face in an effort to try to make a deal for Davis happen – but as we know, these talks also won’t feature Magic Johnson, who resigned this offseason.
As Sean Deveney of Sporting News reported, the Lakers’ expected offer for the All-Star forward will be built around Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram and a draft pick. Beyond that, it also is expected to feature Lonzo Ball heading to a third team.
The Lakers, after offering a trove of picks and players at the deadline for Davis, will attempt to get back in the mix. Their deal would be built around Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram, with a potential third team taking on Lonzo Ball and offering the Pelicans a draft pick.
One interesting topic here involves Ball, who the Pelicans appeared to have a lot of interest in previously, but he didn’t want to head to New Orleans. If Ball is not a piece of the haul the Pelicans receive for Davis, a third team would have to tack on a nice piece in order to help with that.
Lakers Don’t Want to Trade Lonzo Ball, Per Previous Report
While the above report points to Ball heading to a third team, the previous chatter cited the Lakers having interest in keeping the point guard. As Hoops Demand revealed, the report came from ESPN Radio LA 710 in early April. It states that the Lakers don’t want to move Ball, as they believe he can become an elite player.
“According to Lakers brass (ESPN radio LA 710) #LakeShow does NOT want to include @ZO2_ in any offers this summer and feel he can turn into an elite Point Guard for them moving forward.” Hoops Demand tweeted.
Obviously, the fact of whether the Lakers want to trade Ball is different from if they had to trade him in order to land Davis. If push came to shove and the Pelicans wouldn’t consider a deal without the young guard or whatever pieces come from a third team, it’s likely Los Angeles would make the move.
The upcoming offseason and specifically trade talks for Davis are going to be worth monitoring, and there are sure to be plenty of rumors and drama around the corner.
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