If Anthony Davis hits the trade market this offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers will be ready to pounce.
L.A. has performed admirably in Year 1 of the LeBron James era, currently sitting a respectable 18-11. While the Lakers reportedly were interested in acquiring Trevor Ariza before he was dealt to the Washington Wizards, they are unwilling to part with any piece of their young core in order to get James veteran help for this season.
Why are the Lakers intent on holding onto all of their young assets at the moment? The answer reportedly is the they are looking to the future and want to have all their assets available in case the New Orleans Pelicans decide to trade their superstar forward, according to Adrian Wojnarowski.
“Here’s the line they have to walk: they’re not going to give away picks and their top young players in some deal that makes them incrementally better this season because they have to save all those assets for Anthony Davis, a big trade this summer either pre or post free agency,” Wojnarowski said on a trade season preview special, via Real GM.
“The absolute dream scenario, people talk about (how) they can trade for Anthony Davis or sign a free agent. The dream scenario is they do both.”
It’s clear based on these comments that the Lakers desire to sign either Kawhi Leonard or Kevin Durant and then flip their young assets for Davis to create a Big Three containing three of the six best players in the NBA.
If Davis does indeed ask for a trade, the Lakers certainly won’t be the only team in the running, as the Boston Celtics and a number of other NBA teams will be blowing up the Pelicans’ phone to try and swing a deal for the transcendent star.
