Getty Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans, who the Lakers own the best odds for.
Lost in the shuffle of today’s drama for the Los Angeles Lakers was the fact that they jumped up to even money favorites to land the ultra-talented Anthony Davis.
Previously the Celtics held the top spot with +180 odds while the Lakers were close behind at +200. The Celtics are still in the running to land Davis and sit second behind the Lakers according to oddsmakers.
Lakers Own Best Odds to Trade for Anthony Davis
Odds for what team Anthony Davis will be on for the first game of the 2019-2020 NBA season:
Lakers EVEN
Pelicans +200
Celtics +200
Knicks +400
For all their recent public struggles, the Lakers have seemingly convinced oddsmakers that they are willing to do whatever it takes to bring on a second star – namely Anthony Davis. To complicate matters more, Kyrie Irving‘s future in Boston is up in the air and should he decide to go elsewhere, the Celtics would almost certainly avoid shipping off their most valuable assets. More than the Lakers recent dysfunction, the Irving factor might be the driving force in why the Celtics dropped below the Lakers in the most recent odds.
The Knicks are still considered a player, but with trade packages far weaker than what either Los Angeles or Boston could offer, won’t make much noise unless the Lakers and Celtics refuse to pay up.
Especially with the Pelicans also holding the first overall pick in the draft, the idea of pairing the Lakers’ fourth pick with Zion Williamson to create an exciting young duo that can develop alongside one another is tantalizing. The Lakers now sit in a unique spot as they have the best trade package despite having a mediocre working relationship with the Pelicans’ front office.
Recent Laker Drama Updates
Baxter Holmes’ tell-all ESPN article opened up Pandora’s Box in terms of the Lakers’ problems. One of the more interesting bits is how during the 2018 draft, Rob Pelinka and Magic Johnson set up shop in their own war room separated from the rest of the staff. While former Villanova Power Forward Omari Spellman was the highest ranked player on the Lakers board at 25 and one their entire organization expected to pick, Pelinka and Johnson threw a curveball and instead took Moritz Wagner.
Holmes reported that Pelinka then would go on to justify his actions by saying he spoke with Spellman’s former teammate and current Laker, Josh Hart, who would validate his reasons for concern. For what it might be worth, Hart and Spellman publicly cleared the air on Twitter after the article dropped – leading one to believe that Pelinka may have made the entire situation up.