Getty Anthony Davis and Lonzo Ball
The Chicago Bulls have interest in adding a new point guard while the Los Angeles Lakers appear to still have their sights set on Anthony Davis. And one of the most logical options to make all three parties happy could be a three-team trade, although it’d involve the Lakers potentially having to move a ton to land Davis.
Trade chatter between the Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans prior to the NBA trade deadline featured rumors of massive offers that were simply rejected, but it’s unknown what lies ahead for both teams. With that said, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune summed up the current state of the Bulls best by saying that the team “will add a point guard this offseason” but that “it’s just a matter of how.”
And this is where the Lakers may come in, as the Bulls have been reported as having interest in Lonzo Ball.
Bulls to Help Lakers in Anthony Davis Trade Pursuit?
While Johnson broke down a number of different options for the Bulls during a recent piece on the Chicago Tribune, the subject of Ball is one that’s surely appealing to Lakers fans. He stated that Ball “intrigues the Bulls” and is a player who can “best maximize the talents of Lauri Markkanen, Zach LaVine and Wendell Carter Jr.,” making him a top trade option.
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But going beyond that, he points out that a deal featuring Kris Dunn and Chicago’s No. 7 overall pick likely wouldn’t be enough to land Ball. There are other options, of course, one of which is the ability to help facilitate a three-team trade involving the Pelicans and Davis.
According to multiple league executives, Dunn’s trade value is low to nonexistent. So a direct trade with the Lakers centered on Dunn and the No. 7 pick doesn’t seem feasible. However, the Bulls could be in position to facilitate a three-team deal in which the Lakers acquire Davis from the Pelicans.
David Griffin, the Pelicans’ new executive vice president of basketball operations, is telling teams he plans to keep Davis. But Davis’ stance desiring a trade hasn’t changed, so that could be a leverage play.
The idea behind this trade makes sense, and there are a number of ways it could look. Obviously, one of the biggest issues that both the Lakers and Bulls could run into here is whether the Pelicans would be open to sending Davis to Los Angeles.
Lakers & Bulls 3-Team Trade With Anthony Davis, Lonzo Ball
In order for the Pelicans to send Davis to the Lakers, it would need to result in them receiving a number of picks and high-profile players. One positive is that both the Lakers and Bulls could include their 2019 NBA Draft picks (Nos. 4 and 7) while Los Angeles would need to send multiple players to New Orleans also.
With Chicago receiving Ball in the hypothetical deal, there’s a reason to believe they’d be open to adding the No. 7 pick and also sending Dunn to the Pelicans. From there, the Lakers could look at including some mixture of Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart to round out the package and make it enticing enough to acquire Davis.
If the Pelicans were truly targeting four draft picks in previous talks, though, Los Angeles would likely have to add in another future selection or two. Regardless, the idea of Chicago joining in on trade talks could benefit the Lakers in their pursuit of Davis.
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