Community Shootaround: Lakers’ Offer For Davis

The Lakers want Anthony Davis and they want him now.

That’s apparent by their latest reported offer for the Pelicans superstar.

According to reports that surfaced today, the Lakers are willing to give up most of their young talent, draft picks and some cap space in order to pair up Davis with LeBron James. They’re willing to package Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Rajon Rondo, Michael Beasley and two first-round picks for Davis and Solomon Hill.

Kuzma is the Lakers’ second-leading scorer and Ingram, the second overall pick in the 2016 draft, is a close third. Ball, currently injured, was the second overall pick in the 2017 draft. Rondo and Beasley have expiring contracts, while Hill is owed over $12MM next season, so the Lakers would be sacrificing some cap space. And draft picks have become increasingly valued assets, so that’s quite a package the Lakers are willing to surrender.

Still, New Orleans doesn’t have to pull the trigger. The Pelicans could simply hold onto Davis and wait for the Celtics to enter the bidding. Boston can’t acquire Davis at this time because it already has a player, Kyrie Irving, who signed a designated player extension. Davis did the same with the Pelicans and no team can have two such players on the roster.

That prohibition ends when Irving becomes a free agent this offseason and the Celtics have long coveted AD. They could put together a package featuring Jayson Tatum and other quality players, plus a boatload of draft picks for Davis’ services.

The Pelicans could also hold out for offers from other teams with a collection of young talent and draft picks. They reportedly want an All-NBA caliber player as part of a deal for Davis and there’s no certainty that any of the players the Lakers offered fit that description.

That leads us to our question of the day: Should the Pelicans accept the latest Lakers offer for Anthony Davis or should they wait until the offseason to deal him?

Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.

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