VIDEO: Insider Says Pelicans Would Take Weakened Offer for Anthony Davis to Avoid Helping Lakers
By Brian Cass
After landing the no. 1 pick in this year's NBA Draft, the New Orleans Pelicans are trying to do everything in their power to keep Anthony Davis from leaving this offseason-- even if that means resisting a great trade offer from the team that tried so hard to acquire him during the regular season, the Los Angeles Lakers, as Bill Oram of The Athletic suggests.
It seems like a petty thing to do, but the Lakers haven't been against doing a little tampering in the past, right? Perhaps David Griffin and the Pels just want to make sure LeBron and the Lake Show don't become revitalized if they can help it.
The bottom here is that the Lakers probably won't be able to offer the Pelicans a great deal. They have the fourth pick in this year's NBA Draft, but really, it's all about the top three prospects: Zion Williamson, Ja Morant, and RJ Barrett. After those three, it's a bit of a crap shoot. New Orleans would be smart to resist parting with AD for a package built around pick No. 4 (or the player it becomes) unless they're absolutely convinced Davis will never re-sign under any circumstance.
Not trading Anthony Davis, destroying the Lakers season by leaking all the offers, winning the Zion lottery over the Lakers, then convincing Anthony Davis to stay with Zion instead of go to the Lakers would be the most baller sequence of all time
— Benjy Sarlin (@BenjySarlin) May 15, 2019
The Lakers have any truly promising young players on their roster outside of LeBron, either. Both Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram are injury prone and have obvious flaws in their respective games. Kyle Kuzma, meant to be the ideal stretch four, took a step back last season. At this rate, it's hard to imagine Davis donning the Purple and Gold, and the Pelicans should feel zero pressure to ship him down there.