Getty NBA analyst suggests the Los Angeles Lakers trade Anthony Davis (R)) in exchange for Miami Heat All-Stars Bam Adebayo (L) and Jimmy Butler.
The Lakers star Anthony Davis went down with yet another injury (ankle sprain) earlier this week, which jumpstarted trade rumors for the 28-year-old power forward. Fox Sports 1 analyst Chris Broussard suggested that Los Angeles finally unload the four-time All-NBA player, and proposed an insane blockbuster trade with the Miami Heat.
Broussard told co-host Rob Parker, “Somebody who works in the league, works with a lot of players, we talked after the deadline, said he would’ve done Anthony Davis for Bam Adebayo. I disagree.”
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Broussard goes on to suggest an even more wild trade proposal that will make most of Heat nation balk. “I would do him for Bam and Jimmy Butler. I would do that. Look, if Miami goes out in the second round… [Heat president] Pat Riley might do that.”
“AD is better than Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo,” Broussard continued, “and we know pat Riley likes stars. He might do that.”
Thus far this season, Adebayo is averaging 18.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game, while Butler, a six-time All-Star, is averaging 21.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game. However, the Heat, particularly Adebayo and Butler, are famous for playing very unselfish basketball.
As per Heat culture, they do whatever it takes to get that win, and Miami (38-21) enters the All-Star break sitting in first place atop the Eastern Conference.
Davis is putting up better individual numbers this year than both Adebayo and Butler, averaging 23.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 2.9 rebounds per game. But after the three-time All-Star went down with an injury on Wednesday night, he’s expected to miss at least four weeks with a mid-foot sprain, per CBS Sports.
Anthony Davis suffers a nasty ankle injury and collapses right away during Lakers-Jazz.
AD had to be helped off the court and couldn’t put any pressure on his ankle.
Losing Davis is a huge blow for the Lakers, as they currently sit in ninth place in the Western Conference with a 27-31 record.
After Acquiring Kyle Lowry, Butler Isn’t Going Anywhere
“(Kyle Lowry’s) definitely one of the more brilliant basketball minds that I’ve been around, but not only that, he actually cares about people. Not just on his team.”
– Jimmy Butler ❤️
(Via DIME)
Even if the Heat does go out during the second round of the playoffs as Broussard suggested, Riley is not going to trade away the team’s core duo that is Adebayo and Butler, the latter of whom signed a four-year, $184 million extension in August.
Aside from the fact that Butler has made it clear he wants to bring a championship to Miami, the Heat acquired his best friend, Kyle Lowry, the godfather of his only daughter, this past offseason.
Lowry, 35, signed a three-year, $90 million contract with the Heat, and it would be shocking if Butler left the team before winning a title alongside Lowry in Miami.
Would a Straight-Up Adebayo/Davis Trade Work?
GettyAnthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots over the defense of Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat during the second half of a game at Staples Center on November 10, 2021 in Los Angeles, California.
Adebayo, 24, signed a five-year, $163 million maximum contract extension in 2020, which kicked in at the start of the 2021 NBA season. Davis also signed a maximum contract extension with the Lakers in 2020, a five-year deal worth up to $190 million.
Pending on cap space, an Adebayo/Davis exchange is a logistical possibility, however, that doesn’t mean it’s a possibility that Riley will ever consider. Before the season started, Riley praised Adebayo’s versatility, noting that during the offseason “he’s gotten extraordinarily, not just a little bit better across the board,” per SI.
Unless something goes terribly wrong with the 6-foot-9 center, or Adebayo himself personally wants out, it’s hard to imagine him leaving Miami without getting a championship ring first.
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