3 Events that led to the Los Angeles Lakers’ dumpster fire
By Cal Durrett
Los Angeles Lakers Event #2: The Anthony Davis trade.
The Lakers were already building on a shaky foundation when James joined the team, and after missing the playoffs in the 2018-2019 season, they were under pressure to build a contender around him. As a result, the team took a calculated risk by trading Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, three unprotected first-round picks, and one pick swap for Davis.
Although it’s hard to say that the Lakers lost the deal because they won a championship in 2020, it’s handcuffed the franchise in ways that we’ve really never seen before. Part of the issue is the Stepien rule, which prevents the Lakers from trading consecutive picks, and the way the pick protections are written, they can currently only trade their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks.
Worse yet, Ingram’s developed into a legit star in New Orleans, and they could certainly use him in L.A. Flags fly forever, but the Davis trade will hang over this team for years to come and force them to make some really tough decisions. Do they sacrifice their two remaining assets to add more talent around James and Davis, or do they play out the string and write this year off?
That’s almost unimaginable for a franchise that prides itself on winning 17 championships, but it might be the best option, and they’d have $68 million in cap space to use to rebuild the crumbling infrastructure that is the Lakers’ roster. Even so, they may only offer one-year contracts in order to free up more money in 2024 free agency, when James and Davis could both leave.
The Lakers could try to build around him by bringing in Jalen Brown and Dejounte Murray, or Pascal Siakam, or they could cut their losses and let him go and try to sign all three. Keeping their options open for 2024 seems like their best hope, and the Lakers could very well decide to pull the plug on the Davis experience, even though it cost them seven assets.