In news that will shock no one, the Los Angeles Lakers are preparing trade offers for New Orleans Pelicans big man Anthony Davis. The superstar made his trade request public early Monday morning, leading to many teams becoming suitors for the All-Star.
According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, two teams to look for are the Lakers and the New York Knicks, both armed with young players and cap space. The Lakers have been a linked destination for Davis, represented by LeBron James’ agent Rich Paul, for some time and are now preparing to become a true player:
The Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks are preparing to make offers for New Orleans Pelicans superstar forward Anthony Davis, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
The Lakers’ brass had a meeting Monday morning in large part to coordinate the franchise’s plans, sources said.
The LA Times’ Tania Ganguli first reported the Lakers holding a meeting on Monday.
Perhaps more notably, two franchises also linked to Davis may be out of the running in the early going. According to Haynes, the Philadelphia 76ers are currently not pursuing a trade for the talented big man:
Philadelphia, which could put together a fairly competitive offer for Davis, currently has no plans to pursue a deal, sources said. Rich Paul of Klutch Sports represents Davis and Ben Simmons, and a deal centered on swapping his clients is highly unlikely.
Even more importantly, Davis may not be interested in going to the Boston Celtics who could not trade for him until July because both Davis and Kyrie Irving were signed to designated player extensions:
Regarding team preferences, Boston is not a top target for Davis, sources said. There’s a growing belief of uncertainty that Kyrie Irving will re-sign with Boston, sources said, even though he vowed to do so at the beginning of the season.
The Knicks are armed with cap space and could theoretically pair Davis with another star in the summer.
The Lakers are reported to need to give up Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Ivica Zubac and a first-round pick to start negotiations with the Pelicans.
The Pelicans reportedly feel no pressure to make a trade before the 2019 NBA trade deadline on February 7th.
