Lakers 2019 NBA Draft Lottery: Anthony Davis Trade Implications

Getty Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans, who could be traded to the Lakers or Celtics.

Heading into the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery, the stakes are high for both the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics as frontrunners the Anthony Davis trade sweepstakes. With both franchises clamoring for the incredibly talented star, the future of Anthony Davis could possibly come down to a few specific breaks either way in the Lottery. With things set to get started at 8:30 pm ET, the future power balance of the NBA could be on the line.

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Los Angeles Lakers 2019 NBA Draft Lottery Anthony Davis Trade Implications

For the Lakers, they need to take a big leap in order to make a play for Anthony Davis. The Pelicans already were offered most (if not all) of the Lakers’ young core and were adamant on receiving some top draft picks in return as well. While a pick at 10 or 11 is nice, something inside the top four is much more appealing to the Pelicans and could help to close a deal before the draft.

If the Lakers wind up with a 10 or 11 pick, the Celtics will likely own the trump card due to the sheer amount of draft capital they can unload for Davis. With a number of additional first-round picks scattered over the next few years and impressive young assets, the Celtics stand to have a bit more firepower when negotiating for Davis. The Lakers could still make a realistic play for Davis with a 10 or 11 pick but would need to cough up a bit more to help make up for the fact that Boston can and may throw whatever New Orleans whatever picks they want.

Boston Celtics 2019 NBA Draft Lottery Anthony Davis Trade Implications

While the Celtics can likely put together the better package now, things would get even more dangerous if Memphis falls outside of the top eight (they’re projected to have the eighth pick) then Boston adds another first rounder to their arsenal. Most importantly, there is a good chance that pick winds up being slightly better than the best the Lakers can offer.

If Boston doesn’t get the pick, it isn’t the end of the world for the Celtics who still have plenty of draft capital to make something work. That said, the Lakers still have an outside chance to snag a top-four pick and the nightmare scenario for Boston would be that the Lakers move up into the top four while the Celtics miss out on the Memphis first-rounder altogether.