Getty Shaquille O'Neal speaks onstage during the 2019 NBA Awards.
It isn’t any surprise that Anthony Davis would command a haul on the trade market and the Lakers most definitely paid up. In all, the Lakers sent over Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and control of their first-round draft picks for the foreseeable future.
Given that the trade was one of the richest in recent NBA history, it makes sense that it would be a hot button topic at the NBA Awards. While the night is more so meant to honor the leagues best stars (among which no Lakers are listed), the Lakers once again took center stage and momentarily eclipsed all other storylines in the basketball world.
Shaq Takes Hilarious Shot At Lonzo Ball and the Lakers’ Trade
Shaq: “Lakers had to cut their balls off to make this trade”
*Shows pics of LaVar and Lonzo
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Shaq, a former Laker himself, would have a bit of fun with the Lakers trading off Lonzo Ball and by proxy his father – LaVar. Never one to shy away from roasting someone, Shaq’s joke – while funny – isn’t entirely wrong.
The Lakers have serious concerns regarding their depth following the Davis trade and they had to give up nearly every talented young player on their roster. The move severely handicaps the long-term potential of the team but helps to fast-track the LeBron James “win-now” window while giving them an elite building block as they look to the future.
Lonzo, meanwhile, couldn’t be happier to be “cut off” from the Lakers. Posting a hysterical video detailing how the trade is most certainly a good thing, Lonzo looks more than ready to tackle the next chapter in his NBA career.
Other Lakers News From the NBA Awards
Along with Shaq deciding to put his former team on blast and cracking a joke at Lonzo Ball’s expense, Jeanie Buss also kept the Lakers in the spotlight with her comments on the Red Carpet.
“We have a lot of other changes that are gonna happen but I can’t talk about them because of NBA rules” Buss would say at the 2019 NBA Awards.
Hinting at some big free agency plans, it will be interesting to see which way the Lakers decide to take their free agency plans and if they have an ace up their sleeve that somehow hasn’t leaked out of their front office.
Buss repeatedly stressed patience in her comments with media on the Red Carpet, however, Laker fans have stayed patient as they accumulated a stockpile of lottery picks over the years – now all gone as a result of bringing in LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Given James’ age and contract situation, the Lakers can ill afford to be patient as they are in the midst of their title window now.
From here on out, it isn’t a matter of being patient, but a matter of the Lakers front office making the correct decisions to fill out a roster around two of the league’s greatest players.