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The Los Angeles Lakers have been urged to trade All-Star big man Anthony Davis.
On October 27th, Matt Moore of the Action Network tweeted that the Lakers should trade Davis so they can “reset the asset chest.”
“If we’re not going to duck things, this won’t happen but the clearest path to the Lakers course correcting is trading Anthony Davis,” Moore tweeted. “He’ll return a ton even with the injuries, reset the asset chest, and ultimately it would be a net positive given his unavailability. The idea of Anthony Davis is now several significant degrees beyond the reality.”
If we’re not going to duck things, this won’t happen but the clearest path to the Lakers course correcting is trading Anthony Davis.
He’ll return a ton even with the injuries, reset the asset chest, and ultimately it would be a net positive given his unavailability
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 is still one of the most talented players in the NBA. However, he always seems to be hurt.
A three-time blocks champion, Davis played in only 36 games in 2020-21 and 40 games last season. He’s appeared in all four games this season. However, Davis is already dealing with a back injury. He was seen wincing in pain several times during the Lakers’ loss to the Denver Nuggets on October 26th.
Los Angeles is 0-4 on the season. Davis is averaging 24.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 52.7% from the field, 18.2% from beyond the arc and 76.2% from the free-throw line. The Lakers are last in the NBA in points per game and offensive rating.
NBA Exec: I Don’t Think the Lakers Will Trade Davis
Heavy.com insider Sean Deveney spoke to an anonymous Western Conference executive who believes the Lakers will keep Davis. AD has the same agent as LeBron James.
“I don’t see them trading AD, not with all the connections he has on that team, with LeBron and with Klutch,” the exec told Deveney. “They gave up so much to get him to LA. They’re not going to turn around and dump him. Even with the injuries, though, everyone would want him, he is still an elite two-way player when he is healthy.”
The Lakers traded Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and multiple draft picks to the New Orleans Pelicans in the summer of 2019 to acquire Davis. James and Davis led Los Angeles to the 2020 title over the Miami Heat at the Walt Disney World bubble. The purple and gold were projected to compete for multiple championships with James and Davis leading the way.
However, the Lakers lost in the first round of the 2021 playoffs to the Phoenix Suns and missed the postseason altogether last season. The team is off to an awful start in 2022-23 despite James and Davis putting up stellar individual numbers. The Lakers have no shooters, shooting only 22.3% from beyond the arc as a team.
Yahoo Sports: Lakers Should Blow It Up
Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports believes the Lakers should blow up the roster by trading James, Davis and Russell Westbrook. Davis and Westbrook can be traded right now, but James can’t be traded until February 18th, 2023, which is after the trade deadline. So the summer of 2023 is when the four-time MVP and four-time Finals MVP could be moved.
“I think they should just say, ‘You know what? From an extreme case, trade AD, trade LeBron, trade Russ if you can. Start all over,’” Goodwill said on October 24th. “Because what you have is not sustainable, even in this season. By ‘sustainable,’ I mean — even if you get Buddy Hield and Myles Turner — that makes you, what, a sixth seed in the Western Conference? That’s not Laker expectations. That’s not LeBron James expectations. There’s no path to get better. So why not just tear it down?”
The Lakers only have James ($46.9 million), Davis ($40.6 million) and Max Christie ($1.7 million) under contract for the 2023-24 season. With the salary cap projected to be $134 million, Los Angeles could create upwards of $30 million to $35 million in cap space and acquire another star. However, it doesn’t matter who the franchise gets if Davis keeps getting hurt.
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Lakers Urged to ‘Reset the Asset Chest’ With Blockbuster Trade of Anthony Davis