It is said that good things come to those who wait. While it remains to be seen whether or not Anthony Davis will be a good thing for the Los Angeles Lakers, there’s no doubt that fans are relieved that the wait for the next superstar big man is finally over.
The New Orleans Pelicans reached a deal on Saturday to send the 2012 No. 1 overall draft pick to L.A. in exchange for a treasure trove of assets, including young Laker stars Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart and Brandon Ingram as well as the fourth overall pick in this year’s draft and additional picks through 2025.
A deal to send Davis to L.A. at the trade deadline seemed all but certain but broke down in the eleventh hour and ultimately With their odds now 3/1 to win the NBA title in 2020 following the trade, the pressure is on for LeBron James, new head coach Frank Vogel and the entire Laker organization to match their on-court play with the moves the front office has made over the last two seasons to bring in elite-caliber players like LeBron and Davis.
Once the trade is finalized on July 6th, when the 2019-2020 NBA season officially begins, the Lakers will have a better idea of the kind of cap space they have left, and could still have enough money to go after a third superstar, such as the Boston Celtics Kyrie Irving or the Charlotte Hornets’ Kemba Walker.
Davis, who is known as “The Brow” for his signature unibrow, has averaged a double-double for his career so far with 23.7 points per game and 10.5 rebounds per game. He has been selected as an all-star in five of his seven seasons.
Do you think this was a good deal for the Lakers, or do you feel like they gave up too much of their future to try and win in the present? What does this trade portend for how the franchise might chase after another superstar? And while the bookmakers currently favor the Lakers to win it all next year, do you think this trade makes the Lakers the team to beat next season?
With guest host Kyle Stokes
Guests:
Tania Ganguli, Lakers beat reporter for The Los Angeles Times; she tweets
A Martinez, host of KPCC’s “Take Two”; he tweets
