The New Orleans Pelicans have reportedly agreed to trade their All-Star Anthony Davis to the LA Lakers on Saturday.
Marc Stein of the New York Times is also reporting that as a result of the details, the Lakers will now go and try to get Kemba Walker away from the Charlotte Hornets. That also assumes the Lakers will reach a deal with Davis that keeps him in LA beyond next season.
The Boston Celtics were also in on getting Davis but were unwilling to include Jayson Tatum in any deals for Davis, which was going be a no no matter what, since Tatum would have to be included in any deal for Davis.
The Pelicans and Davis have seemed to have a falling out with each other. This franchise was coming off a high of its first playoff series win since 2007-08 by sweeping the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round in last year's playoffs.
It was shown to be a sign of improvement. However, after a 4-0 start to this season, the Pelicans went 29-49 and that included Davis demanding to be traded.
According to Wojnarowski, Davis' agent, Rich Paul, had told the Pelicans that Davis had no plans to re-sign with the team and had asked for a trade. While that was back in February, it did set in motion plans to trade Davis either to the Lakers or the Celtics.
With Davis under contract for one more season and him firmly being with the Lakers now, it does signal perhaps some relief for the Lakers organization, which was in turmoil for parts of the offseason. It included Magic Johnson's surprise resignation as President of Basketball Operations and a long search for a head coach that ended up with Frank Vogel installed there. They needed something big to happen and they got it in a Davis trade.
Honestly, if this trade had happened back in February instead of now, not only would the Lakers have been in the playoffs, but Magic Johnson probably wouldn't have had to resign, and that would've made a big difference not just for the Lakers but for the league in general. In fact, this now puts them at the top of a very competitive Western Conference and it may keep them there for years to come.
As for the Pelicans, I hope that the players they get back in this deal will help them for the future, because I believe they're getting a good core group of guys who will be under no pressure to improve their game and be a factor in the Pelicans going forward. Although I was stunned that Kyle Kuzma was not involved in this deal, ultimately, I think the Pelicans are in a great spot and with David Griffin leading this team, he is a great negotiator and manager and I think he knows exactly what he needs to do in order to get this team successful for the future. I believe in that and I think this is the right direction for New Orleans.
This was a trade that should've happened months ago. If that was the case, this drama with the Lakers would not have happened. Now that Davis is in LA and where he wants the case, now we'll see if the Lakers will be the most dominant team out there or not. Either way, they got what they wanted and now I see them as a big threat in a tough Western Conference.
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