Los Angeles Lakers: 4 biggest myths about the Anthony Davis trade

1. The Lakers should have waited until next year

A popular theory was that L.A. would’ve been better off keeping its young core intact, signing a big-name free agent this summer, then waiting until 2020 to sign Davis in free agency. All they had to do was wait for one year and they could have their cake and eat it, too.

It’s not a terrible idea, but consider what the Lakers and the rest of the basketball world just watched in the NBA Finals and how that might affect a team that has been planning to make big moves to secure their future.

The New York Knicks, for example, were said to have been planning for years to set the table to sign Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in free agency this summer.

Things were going great for the Knicks, too, until very recently. Irving seems disillusioned with the Boston Celtics, and Durant reportedly had his own issues with the Warriors even as they remained favored to win another championship in 2019.

Then Durant ruptured his Achilles tendon in Game 5 of the Finals.

Now, it’s looking more likely that Durant might stay with the Warriors, which probably lessens the Knicks’ chances of getting Irving, who is good friends with Durant. The two were rumored to be a package deal.

When Kawhi Leonard made it known that he wanted out of San Antonio in 2018, the Lakers were assumed to be in a good position to sign Leonard in 2019. They tried to trade for Leonard last summer, but when the Spurs didn’t take their offer and instead sent Leonard to Toronto, it wasn’t seen as a great loss for the Lakers.

Similar to the Davis situation, many outsiders believed Leonard would play one uninspired season for the Raptors, then enter free agency and eventually join the Lakers.

How has that worked out? Leonard wound up leading the Raptors to a championship and appears to have found the best professional home for him. He’s probably going to re-sign with Toronto.

The same thing happened with the Lakers and Paul George.

Once upon a time, George was reportedly just waiting for his chance to be a free agent and sign with L.A. After he was traded by the Indiana Pacers to the Oklahoma City Thunder and played one season there, however, George decided he liked it and re-signed with OKC. The Lakers never had a chance.

“Wait until next year” sounds good if everything goes according to plan. As every basketball fan recently learned, however, plans often go sideways.

The Lakers could’ve waited for Davis, but then Davis may have gotten hurt. Or, Davis may have fallen back in love with New Orleans. Or, the Pelicans could’ve traded Davis to another team and he decided he liked it there. Plus, LeBron would be one year older, and he can’t keep playing at an elite level forever.

The opportunity was there for the Lakers to make a move happen sooner than later, and with an NBA championship up for grabs, sooner was the way to go.