Josh Hart Claims Lakers Didn't Notify Him of Anthony Davis Trade and He Doesn't Sound Happy
By Ian Anderson
The Lakers organization behaving dysfunctionally? Shocker.
New Orleans Pelicans guard Josh Hart claimed that the Los Angeles Lakers did not notify him prior to the Anthony Davis blockbuster that sent him and a number of his teammates to New Orleans back in June. Naturally, he isn't too sweet on the circumstances by which he was shipped out of town.
Josh Hart apologizes to Lakers, insinuates they didn’t call him day of Anthony Davis trade https://t.co/6cf8BAxdOQ
— Dan Feldman (@DanFeldmanNBA) November 25, 2019
Hart recently hosted Pelicans teammate Lonzo Ball on his podcast, and when Ball called the nation of Lithuania both "depressing" and "gloomy," Hart said it sounded like the Lakers organization.
According to Hart, he was never told ahead of time of the trade that sent him, Ball, Brandon Ingram, and three first-round picks to New Orleans in return for AD, and it is clear he still harbors some ill will towards his former employers nearly six months later.
If true, this was not the proper way to treat a young player with a promising future In a way, the lack of care sums up the Laker organization since the failed Dwight Howard- Steve Nash experiment.
Josh Hart said he called some of his former Lakers teammates and front office staffers to clear up the negative comments he made about the organization on his podcast and on social media in September.
— John Ledesma (@JohnnyNBA) November 25, 2019
In an attempt to remedy the situation, Hart said that he called multiple Lakers players and executives to explain that he wasn't taking shots at them.
It's a start.
Was this simply a PR move by Hart made to protect his image and standing with the Lakers? We can't know just yet. But the sooner the wounds can begin to heal, the better.