A new Los Angeles Lakers trade offer has materialized, as of Monday (February 4), as they continue to try to make a deal for the New Orleans Pelicans' Anthony Davis. The Lakers appear heavily interested in landing Davis, and although previous reports indicated they weren't giving enough, the latest deal ups the ante. Below are more details about what the Lakers and Pelicans' NBA trade for Davis might end up looking like.
Previous offers weren't enough for Pelicans
There were a number of reports, prior to today, about what the Los Angeles Lakers offered the Pelicans for their star player.
The Lakers' original trade offer for Davis involved veteran players Lance Stephenson and Rajon Rondo. In addition, the first deals offered just a combination of two younger players off the Lakers' roster. So that meant a combo of two players from the group of Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and Ivica Zubac.
There are at least four teams Anthony Davis would sign with long-term if he were traded to them, sources told @wojespn. pic.twitter.com/x2qvnzIZwc
— ESPN (@espn) February 4, 2019
In addition, the previous offers seemed to include just one future first-round draft pick. There was no mention of any salary cap relief in the deals, either. New Orleans realized they had leverage in the deal, as the Lakers were in hot pursuit of adding another player to their roster to help LeBron James in the playoffs.
The Pelicans also realized that time was on their side, as they didn't necessarily have to make a deal happen ahead of Thursday's deadline (February 7). Still, their goal was to get as much as possible for a player of Anthony Davis' skill level. That's why they made an Anthony Davis trade counteroffer to the Lakers. A final deal may have surfaced now.
New Lakers-Pelicans trade details
As of Monday afternoon, Brad Turner posted news of the projected Anthony Davis trade on Twitter and Instagram. He mentioned that L.A. Lakers' president Magic Johnson and Pelicans general manager Dell Demps spoke twice over the course of the day. During that conversation, a specific deal appears to have popped up as a potential NBA trade between the two sides.
So who will the Pelicans get? First, the proposed deal includes a lot of player talent. It includes Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram, Lance Stephenson, Michael Beasley, and Rajon Rondo. In addition, the Lakers would send two first-round NBA draft picks to the Pelicans.
Magic Johnson and the Lakers are reportedly offering this package for Anthony Davis:
— FanDuel (@FanDuel) February 4, 2019
-Lonzo Ball
-Kyle Kuzma
-Brandon Ingram
-Rajon Rondo
-Lance Stephenson
-Michael Beasley
-Two 1st-round picks
Should the Pelicans do the deal? 🤔
H/T: @BA_Turner pic.twitter.com/zJhFEutwM5
That trade would send, not only Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers but also Solomon Hill. The reason for including Hill in the deal is to give the New Orleans Pelicans some salary cap relief as assistance for trading Davis to L.A.
Basically, if this deal is the one that's on the table, it seems to make a lot of sense for New Orleans to jump at the offer. From the number of players and picks described, the Pelicans are getting an entire lineup for the court to build around. If nothing else, they're getting a lot of future potential in terms of these young, emerging players and the future draft picks.
The Lakers would add an additional superstar to try to help LeBron James in Los Angeles through this deal. The problem will be the depletion of the Lakers' roster. Stay tuned, as more moves and details are likely to transpire with the NBA trade deadline coming on Thursday.