Who Won the Lakers-Pelicans Trade?
On Monday, the Lakers and Pelicans agreed to a trade that would send Anthony Davis to Los Angeles in exchange for Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and three first-round picks. The Lakers have had a “win now” mentality since the team signed LeBron James in free agency last summer. However, everything that could go wrong for the Los Angeles Lakers, did go wrong. The previously indestructible James suffered the first major injury of his career and missed 17 games. The young core of the team (Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, and Josh Hart) did not develop significantly from where they were last season. In addition, Lonzo Ball (once again) spent a huge chunk of the season injured. Brandon Ingram was sidelined after doctors discovered career-threatening blood clots in the player’s shoulder. The combination of circumstances resulted in a wasted season and an absence of purple and gold in the NBA playoffs for the sixth straight year. Meaning, the Laker were not even one of the eight best teams in their own conference. LeBron James’s window of dominance is closing. Even a player as great as LeBron cannot defy Father Time forever. Analysts project that the storied player has anywhere from one to four years left of MVP caliber play – assuming he can return to form from his injury. The Lakers office couldn’t afford to wait for their young core to develop, they needed to act. The Lakers need to win now.
The trade with the Pelicans saw the dissolution of the Lakers’ young core (with the exception of Kyle Kuzma). The Lakers traded away their future for the immediate contributions of AD. Davis is arguably one of the top-5 players in the NBA. It is unlikely that even if the Lakers had kept all their draft picks, they would have been able to draft a player as talented as Davis. Even if they were able to secure a player with Anthony Davis level potential, the organization has shown an inability to develop in house talent. Lou Williams, Patrick Beverly, Julius Randle, and D’Angelo Russell have all flourished since leaving the Lakers. Through this trade, LAL has entirely offloaded the responsibility of evaluating and developing talent to New Orleans, who will have the luxury of time as they develop their new franchise cornerstone, Zion Williamson.
So who lost the trade? Every trade has got to have a winner and loser, right? Well, on paper this trade looks to be as mutually beneficial as it gets in the real world. New Orleans wins because they were able to trade their disgruntled, generational talent for a HAUL of young talent and draft picks. If Davis had stayed on the Pelicans roster next season, it would have been ugly. AD would have probably refused to play again and teams might not have been as willing to trade for him if they thought they had a chance of signing him in free agency. Essentially, a huge public relations nightmare for the Pelicans and a real fear that one of the best players to ever wear a NOLA jersey would walk away from the franchise for nothing. Griffin acted preemptively to assure the Pelicans would get SOMETHING for him. However, New Orleans got way more than just “something” for AD. They were rewarded with two former top-3 picks, another former first-round pick, and liquid draft capital in the shape of three future first-round picks. Even if Ball, Ingram, and Hart never pan out, the organization has three extra first-round picks to work with. That is huge for an organization in a self-described rebuild. And if history repeats itself and the former Lakers’ players develop into high-caliber starters or even All-Stars, New Orleans could have a very exciting team in the not-so-distant future.
The Lakers win because they get to pair LeBron James with Anthony Davis. Davis is immediately the best teammate LeBron has ever had. The duo will be a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses and should power the Lakers to their first playoff appearance in six years. The rest of the team could be comprised of paperclips and floppy disks and I still think LeBron and AD would take them deep in the playoffs. The scary part is the rest of the team won’t be just paperclips and floppy disks. The Lakers are aggressively trying to secure enough cap space to lure a third star to the team. Rumored targets are said to be Kemba Walker, Jimmy Butler, and possibly even Kyrie Irving. Any one of those players would make the Lakers title favorites. The Lakers get their win now scenario in a big way, but at what cost? Mostly, draft picks and young talent. The Lakers have liquidated their future to fit LeBron’s competitive window. If the Lakers win even one championship with LeBron James, it would be hard to say this trade wasn’t worth it.
Verdict: Win-Win-Win
The Lakers win, the Pelicans win, and the NBA wins. The injuries to Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson leave Golden State’s dynasty in a precarious position. This leaves an opening for teams like the Lakers, Bucks, Raptors, Sixers, Rockets, and even the underrated Nuggets to sneak into the championship conversation. This will be the first season in quite some time where it doesn’t feel like “Warriors vs the field.” I’ve missed seeing the Lakers competitive. Sports are more fun when New York and LA have a dog in the fight. I’m also glad the Pelicans didn’t let the Lakers get AD cheap. They now have a lot of draft capital they can use to build themselves into a juggernaut, if they use it wisely.
Time may come to view this trade different. But today, on paper, this looks like a win for everyone. My verdict should really be Win-Win-Win-Win because the fans ultimately win too. I can’t wait to see what else unfolds this summer.
