Getty Lakers star Anthony Davis
The Los Angeles Lakers have been urged to trade Anthony Davis for a former MVP and 12-time All-Star.
On July 3, two-time New York Times bestselling author Chris Palmer wrote on Twitter that the Lakers should trade Davis for Kevin Durant, who has requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets. Palmer said Los Angeles should forget about acquiring Kyrie Irving and shift its focus to Durant.
“Forget Kyrie. Kevin Durant for Anthony Davis is the trade that makes the most sense for the Lakers,” Palmer wrote on July 3. “Unload Davis before he’s untradeable. KD turns a losing team into a champion and totally redeems himself.”
Under the league’s CBA rules, the Lakers could trade Davis and future draft picks to the Nets for Durant. Davis will make $37.9 million next season, while Durant will earn $42.9 million. According to a July 3 report from Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Nets are seeking an All-Star level player along with four or five first-round picks and pick swaps for Durant.
Lakers superstar LeBron James is friends with Durant. The two future Hall of Famers would form arguably the most unstoppable duo in NBA history if Los Angeles could acquire Durant, who is fourth all-time in points per game, while James is fifth.
However, the odds of the Lakers getting Durant are extremely low.
Lakers Won’t Trade Davis
According to a June 30 report from Sam Amick and Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers won’t trade Davis to get Durant. Los Angeles is focused on getting Irving, who played three seasons with James on the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“As for the prospect of the Lakers trying to get in on the Durant sweepstakes themselves, perhaps by making Davis available in the process, a source close to the situation put the chances at ‘zero.’ Their focus, it seems, is on Irving,” Amick and Buha reported. “And vice versa.”
Davis signed a five-year, $190 million contract with the Lakers in December 2020. The deal includes an early termination option in 2024 and will be fully up in 2025. The eight-time All-Star and one-time champion has only played in 76 games over the last two seasons due to injuries.
HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto reported in April that Davis and James “have a good relationship.” Both superstars are represented by Rich Paul of Klutch Sports. Davis, 29, has averaged 24.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.1 blocks in 138 regular-season games with the Lakers.
Lakers Going Hard After Irving
According to a July 2 report from Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports, the Lakers and Nets are actively engaged in discussions on a trade package that would send Russell Westbrook to Brooklyn and Irving to Los Angeles. Amick reported on June 27 that Irving is trying to make his way to the Lakers.
Irving, 30, will make $36.5 million next season. The seven-time All-Star won the 2016 championship with James on the Cavaliers and the 2014 FIBA World Cup gold medal with Davis. Irving would be a more suitable fit next to James and Davis than Westbrook was last season since he can shoot from the perimeter. Uncle Drew is a career 39.3% shooter from beyond the arc, while Westbrook is at 30.5%.
Marc Stein of Substack reported on June 22 that Irving has had contact with James. Irving requested a trade from the Cavaliers in 2017 because he reportedly no longer wanted to play with James. However, The Athletic’s Shams Charania told Pat McAfee on the June 20 episode of “The Pat McAfee Show” that the two champions still have a good relationship.