As the losses continue to pile up, the Los Angeles Lakers are now reportedly open to making a blockbuster trade. According to Bill Simmons, the Los Angeles Lakers are open to trading superstar power forward Anthony Davis. “There’s some buzz that Anthony Davis may be available,” Simmons states at the 1:09:30 mark on his podcast.
While the thought of moving Davis may come as a surprise considering Russell Westbrook has been frequently mentioned as the most likely player to get traded from the Lakers, moving Davis makes sense. The Lakers are 2-8, and while several other potential Western Conference playoff teams have also gotten off to slow starts, they have a fatal flaw, one that can’t be fixed without making a big trade to address the issue.
The Los Angeles Lakers have a flawed roster and few options to improve.
The Lakers currently rank 30th in 3-point percentage and 30th in offensive rating, and rumors have suggested that they could trade Westbrook for players such as Buddy Hield and Myles Turner, or Doug McDermott and Josh Richardson. However, in order to acquire those players, they would likely have to give up at least one, if not both, of their remaining tradable future first-round picks.
It seems clear at this point that the Lakers are unwilling to do that, so trading Davis might be another viable option. Davis is under contract through the end of next season before being able to opt-out and hit unrestricted free agency in 2024. Although Davis is known for being injury-prone, he is also having a strong season, averaging 23.2 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. As a result, he should still have plenty of value, and the Lakers could use more future assets as well as flexibility.
If the Lakers do trade Davis, it could be seen as them punting on this season, but they aren’t exactly dominating at the moment. Despite that, they could begin to retool this season in preparation to make a run next season by trying to acquire a couple of starters and a couple of draft picks for Davis.
Then, in the offseason, once Westbrook is off the books, they can use their projected $68 million in cap space, plus what they’d save by dealing Davis, to build a better-fitting roster around James. Of course, building a team around a 38-year-old with one year remaining on his contract isn’t generally the playbook of a title-contending team.
That said if the Lakers have doubts about building around Davis, moving him before the trade deadline is the time to do it. James may be against the decision, and it may guarantee that he leaves in 2024, but it could be in the best interest of the Los Angeles Lakers in the long run.
Ultimately, I don’t expect the Los Angeles Lakers to trade Davis in the offseason. Still, their apparent willingness to move him could mean that a trade involving Davis may happen this summer when they look to retool their team.