Getty Lakers star Anthony Davis
The Los Angeles Lakers acquired Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans in the summer of 2019 and had immediate success. They won the 2020 championship over the Miami Heat in the Walt Disney World bubble and rewarded Davis with a five-year, $189.9 million deal in December 2020.
Since Davis signed that lucrative contract, though, he’s only played in 76 regular-season games due to injuries. The Lakers lost to the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the 2021 playoffs and missed the postseason this year.
Davis hasn’t been able to stay healthy over the past two seasons. As a result, some pundits believe the Lakers should test the trade market for the All-Star big man this summer. If they do, Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report has a trade idea involving the Atlanta Hawks.
In his May 19 column, Buckley proposed that the Lakers trade Davis to the Hawks for John Collins, Kevin Huerter and a 2023 first-round pick.
“As a mental exercise, though, it’s an intriguing option for the Lakers to expand their talent base and still have assets left over for other exchanges,” Buckley wrote. “Between the pick added here, the two future firsts at their disposal and Talen Horton-Tucker, they would still have enough in the arsenal to broker a second or even third megadeal.
“Not to mention, they’d add two highly productive players in John Collins and Kevin Huerter. They collectively contributed better than 28 points per game this past season, while also each clearing 36 percent from range. Plus, neither carries the same injury risk as Davis, who has played just 76 games over the past two seasons combined.”
The Hawks lost to the Heat in the first round of this year’s playoffs in five games. Collins averaged 16.2 points and 7.8 rebounds during the regular season, while Huerter put up 12.1 points and 2.7 assists per game.
While Collins and Huerter project to be good fits next to LeBron James, the Lakers would likely never do this trade.
Lakers Probably Won’t Trade Davis
Davis and James have the same agent: Rich Paul of Klutch Sports. It’s doubtful the Lakers would trade Davis since they know it could upset James, who becomes an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2023.
That’s why HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto doesn’t see Davis getting traded this offseason.
“LeBron and Anthony Davis believe they can be the foundation of a contender when they’re both fully healthy,” Scotto said on his podcast. “I know that’s a bit of an asterisk with Davis in particular. LeBron has missed some time over the past few years, but generally speaking, he’s pretty healthy. Some people wondered if the Lakers would consider dangling Davis. I personally don’t see that. People have to write stuff. I see the two of them remaining in unison together. Ultimately, Davis went to Klutch Sports to facilitate the trade to get to the Lakers in the first place. He and LeBron have a good relationship.”
The Lakers are 75-33 in the regular season since 2019-20 when James and Davis play. LBJ and AD are a lethal duo when they are healthy. The issue is that both stars have been injured the past two seasons, which is why the Lakers haven’t been good.
James & Davis Have to Stay Healthy in 2022-23
James and Davis have to remain healthy for the Lakers to make it back to the playoffs in 2022-23. Even if Los Angeles trades Russell Westbrook and acquires more shooting this offseason, the franchise will still be a below-average team unless James and Davis don’t get injured.
According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, James is considering playing out his present contract and not signing a two-year extension this offseason. Amick also reported that Lakers owner Jeanie Buss won’t consider trading the King this summer.
As for Davis, he told reporters during his exit interview that he wants to remain with the Lakers.