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The Los Angeles Lakers dodged a serious bullet with Anthony Davis’ latest injury. The All-Star big man rolled his ankle in an ugly way against the Utah Jazz and had to be helped off the court by his teammates. Based on replays, it looked like the type of injury that would end a season. Fortunately, Davis only sprained his ankle and will be re-evaluated in a month. If his rehab goes well, he should be back on the court before the playoffs.
However, this latest injury presents the Lakers with a huge problem. Outside of his first season with the team, Davis missed significant time with injury in each of his seasons in Los Angeles. He was supposed to be the face of the franchise once LeBron James started to decline but that hasn’t been the case.
Davis is still only 28-years-old and can be one of the best players in the NBA if he can stay healthy. If the Lakers believe that these injuries are going to be a consistent issue, they could explore trading him this offseason to salvage the future of the franchise.
Fox Sports’ Chris Broussard believes that Los Angeles should at least consider making a move.
“If I’m the Lakers, I am open to trading Anthony Davis this summer. … I want a superstar back, or at least two perennial All-Stars so I’m not just trading him for three or four good players,” Broussard told co-host Rob Parker on The Odd Couple.
The analyst then mentioned a fellow former Kentucky star as a possible trade option for Davis.
“Obviously, you’re not getting Joel Embiid, you’re not getting Giannis [Antetokounmpo], would you do him for Karl-Anthony Towns?” Broussard asked.
“Potentially,” Parker replied, “but there would be something else with that.”
Towns is a three-time All-Star and one of the best centers in the league. He’s also just 26-years-old and doesn’t have an extensive injury history.
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Would KAT Be an Upgrade Over Davis?
With injuries not being a factor, there’s no question that Davis is the better player over Towns. They both put up similar offensive numbers but the latter is a much better defender. Davis can impact a game on both sides of the court.
Towns has also only won one playoff game in his entire career and has only been to the playoffs once in seven seasons. He’s a very good player and one of the best centers in the NBA but he’s not Davis. However, some teams around the league might look at Davis as damaged goods going forward. If that’s the case, Towns might be the best they can do.
Would Lakers Actually Trade Davis?
Broussard is right about the fact that the Lakers should at least consider making a Davis trade. Even when he’s been healthy over the last two seasons, he hasn’t looked like the same dominant player. He might just not be the same guy after winning his first championship.
Trading him would be a tough sell to LeBron. The two share an agent and have become close friends in recent years. That said, the Lakers may also explore moving on from LeBron if they trade Davis. If it’s clear that this current team doesn’t have any chance of winning a title in the near future, then Los Angeles needs to start thinking about bringing in some younger stars to build around.
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