The Los Angeles Lakers won the Anthony Davis sweepstakes Saturday as the Pelicans dealt the superstar to Lipstick City for a haul of players and picks in return. That haul according to Adrian Wojnarowski included Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and a total of three first round picks.
As far as those picks go and as Woj mentioned, the Pelicans will receive this year’s fourth overall from the Lakers which means New Orleans now has two picks in the top five. That includes the first overall selection where it’s expected the Pelicans will draft Zion Williamson. Aside from that New Orleans will also have the option to have an unprotected swap in 2023 as well as an unprotected first-round pick in 2024 and an unprotected swap in 2025.
In all this really was an excellent trade for both teams. For the Lakers they get a bonafide superstar in Davis to pair with LeBron James who probably hasn’t played with a better player throughout his career. And with Davis expected to sign a long-term deal with the Lakers, LA has all of a sudden becomes an even more attractive option for free agents this summer. According to Marc Stein, the team has already set their sights on Kemba Walker this summer but you probably can’t count out the Lakers potentially looking in on maybe a Jimmy Butler or orchestrating a reunion between LeBron and Kyrie Irving, that is if he (Irving) is now having any second thoughts on Brooklyn.
For the Pelicans, they certainly weren’t going to get a better deal from any other team in the NBA, especially considering the Celtics had no interest in parting with Jayson Tatum. What New Orleans does get though are three nice young players in Ball, Ingram and Hart as well as an extra top five pick to further build around Williamson. And with extra first rounders in the future, the Pelicans have all of a sudden set themselves up pretty nicely to expedite their rebuild with a strong foundation of young talent.
LaVar Ball is Pissed
Another huge plus for the Lakers in landing Davis was ridding themselves of the unfortunate package deal that came with Lonzo. With that said here’s LaVar Ball proclaiming that the LA trading Lonzo “will be the worst move the Lakers ever did in their life and they will never win another championship. Guarantee it.”