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NBA: The 5 ripple effects of the Anthony Davis Trade

By Adam Tayabali

LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 27: Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans handles the ball against the Los Angeles Lakers on February 27, 2019 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 27: Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans handles the ball against the Los Angeles Lakers on February 27, 2019 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Photo by Chris Elise/NBAE via Getty Images
Photo by Chris Elise/NBAE via Getty Images /

1. The Lakers are once again contenders

LeBron James and Anthony Davis both impact the game in phenomenal ways. That doesn’t mean they don’t have their weaknesses, but now they can complement each other in ways that we’ve never seen before.

LeBron is one of the greats in terms of scoring and passing, but at the age of 35, has definitely lost a step on the defensive end. Davis can cover for these deficiencies, however.

Davis has also developed into a prolific scorer, but can’t dictate the game as many guards like Stephen Curry, James Harden and Damian Lillard do. With LeBron now handling the ball, AD can truly trust the player that’s responsible for running the show.

The idea of LeBron and AD in the pick-and-roll is a scary thought. Even though neither player is an elite shooter from outside the arc, they’re both so dominant in the paint it will still make things difficult on opposing defenses.

Outside of LeBron and Davis, the only other Lakers under contract are Kyle Kuzma, Mo Wagner, and Isaac Bonga. It will be a lot of work forming the rest of the roster, but the front office will have cap space this summer.

If Rob Pelinka and co. can add a star like Kemba Walker or Jimmy Butler, they can consider free agency a success as well. If they strike out with the big name free agents, there are still many solid role players that provide shooting like Patrick Beverly, Bojan Bogdanovic, or Seth Curry.

Next. Post-combine 2019 NBA Mock Draft. dark

With the Warriors losing Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant for an extended amount of time, there is no clear cut No. 1 in the Western Conference. LeBron and AD could dominate in their first year together and help the Lakers contend for a title.