Getty Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans, who met with Pelicans executive David Griffin in Los Angeles.
Just a day after the Los Angeles Lakers were announced as the leading frontrunners to land Anthony Davis, David Griffin met with the big man and agent Rich Paul in LA according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
While Griffin has publicly announced his willingness to convince Davis to stay in New Orleans, Davis remained relatively silent on the matter in the offseason. He was spotted dining with James recently in Los Angeles and this report is the first indication that he still in hell-bent on getting himself out of New Orleans.
Lakers Trade Rumors: Anthony Davis ‘Highly Unlikely’ To Change Mind [Report]
New Orleans star Anthony Davis will meet with new Pelicans executive Vice President David Griffin today, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
Charania reported that the meeting was amicable and even productive, a far cry from reports a few short weeks ago that the Pelicans’ owner would deal Davis to the Lakers “over her dead body”.
Especially given the recent front office dysfunction brought to light by ESPN’s Baxter Holmes’ report, making a splash via trade seems to be a much more reliable option compared to hoping that a top free agent decides to take their talents to Los Angeles.
While the two sides are expected to meet again moving forward, it seems likely that those meetings are more in line with determining a landing spot for Davis that both sides can mutually agree upon.
What Would the Lakers Need To Give Up For Anthony Davis?
Almost everything. Outside of orchestrating an extremely complex sign and trade deal at the start of free agency, the Lakers’ cleanest path to Davis this offseason involves shipping off the vast majority of their young core alongside the number four pick and some future draft capital as well.
While incredibly expensive, Davis is still an extremely young big man putting up some of the best numbers in the league. When healthy, Davis is a bonafide MVP candidate and playing alongside LeBron would allow him to operate alongside a caliber of playmaker he has never been exposed to before.
Davis did briefly play with passing wizard Rajon Rondo and subsequently experienced his best season to date. While James may not be the pure passing wizard that Rondo is, he brings a different element to the table as he excells at attacking the basket to draw help defenders, leaving his teammates wide open for easy looks.
Having to pick your poison between Davis and James would be one of the deadliest duos in NBA history and Davis would BY FAR be the best player that LeBron has ever had the chance to play alongside.