On Saturday, the Los Angeles Lakers reportedly made the big move everyone had been waiting for. The team parted ways with a number of players and picks in order to get Anthony Davis. The New Orleans Pelicans will now have several first-round picks and some young talent to build with. Meanwhile, the blockbuster trade has also revealed which free agent the Los Angeles Lakers want the most.
Anthony Davis traded to Lakers
The reports arrived on Saturday from many sources including ESPN. The big deal will bring the NBA All-Star Anthony Davis onto the Los Angeles Lakers roster. In exchange, the New Orleans Pelicans are receiving Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Josh Hart. The Lakers will keep Kyle Kuzma, who was mentioned as potentially being a key piece in this deal. In addition to the three players, New Orleans is going to get three first-round picks from the Lakers in this deal.
The New Orleans Pelicans will now own the No. 4 pick in the draft along with the top overall pick. Those two picks have the potential to really make a difference for the organization going forward as they're expected to draft Zion Williamson with the No.
1 pick. They'll have the opportunity to audition other players for the No. 4 pick ahead of the upcoming NBA Draft this Thursday.
The Anthony Davis trade between the Lakers and Pelicans won't be able to be finalized until July 1. Meanwhile, teams will be able to start negotiating deals with free agents as of 6:01 p.m. Eastern Time on June 30. That seems like it could factor into another move the Lakers are looking ahead to.
Top NBA free agent now in sight?
The list of potential NBA free agents this summer is quite extensive, and some are quite expensive. Right now, it's clear that the Lakers won't need to sign a big man, but they'll need to address other weaknesses. In particular, the team gave up two young point guards in this Davis trade.
They also struggled with having additional scoring and shooting from the perimeter.
With that in mind, Marc Stein recently tweeted out that the Anthony Davis trade has opened up all sights on one All-Star player as a free agent. That's none other than the Charlotte Hornets' Kemba Walker.
Interestingly, there are reports circulating online that have suggested Kemba wants to stay loyal to the Charlotte Hornets organization. There's even been mention that he's said he'll take less money to stick around so that the front office can build a contending team around him. That said, Kemba may see what's transpired in Los Angeles and change his mind, as most players these days not only want money but also want those championship rings.
A trio of Walker, LeBron, and Davis would be tough to argue against in terms of a Western Conference contender, but of course, they'd need additional roster depth. The NBA free agency period takes place between July 1 and July 6 when teams can officially sign players to deals.
Stay tuned, as the NBA drama is just getting started for what looks like a busy summer of free agency!