Lakers Rumors: Trade for Anthony Davis has to happen soon
By Jason Reed
Anthony Davis is the biggest superstar to be mentioned in Los Angeles Lakers rumors and the Lakers don’t have much time to get a deal done.
The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most polarizing teams in the NBA and the Lakers rumors surrounding the team are no different.
Every star that is somewhat connected to the team becomes a massive story because of the massive market that is Los Angeles basketball. Of course, adding LeBron James also adds to that mystique as James alone draws more attention than some teams get.
The most notable name to be mentioned in the latest Lakers rumors is Anthony Davis. The rumors first grew traction prior to the year when it was reported that Davis was leaving his old agency and would be represented by Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group; the notable agent of LeBron James.
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That got the ball rolling and while that speculation naturally slows down while the season is in swing, the Lakers are still the surefire favorites to be Davis’ next team.
Adding Davis would create one of the best duos that we have seen in recent basketball history with both LeBron and Davis likely being MVP candidates this season. While a supporting cast is obviously important in a title-contending team, James and Davis alone are enough to put a team in a great position to win.
The Los Angeles Lakers are going to have to execute a trade for Davis. Davis is under contract for at least another season with a player option for the 2020-2021 season. The absolute earliest that the Lakers would be able to sign him on the market would be 2020. LeBron will have just two more years on his deal and who knows where he will be physically with his age.
The Lakers could wait it out but it seems obvious that the team is looking to trade for Davis. The only problem with that is that the window is small. If the Lakers are going to land Anthony Davis, it has to be before the trade deadline this season.
This is because of money. While the Los Angeles Lakers have cap space next summer, the team is only going to be able to execute a deal for Davis now. The team has no “in-between” contracts to send to the Pelicans in order to make the deal work financially.
Los Angeles has to bank on Kentavious Caldwell-Pope‘s $12 million cap figure in order to make this happen. There is no way that the Lakers can realistically add Davis in the summer and the team should not be waiting until the next trade deadline to pull the trigger.
The goal to realistically contend, at least so it seems, is next season. While the Lakers will probably go deep in the playoffs and give some good teams a run for their money, the realistic goal is the 2019-2020 season and beyond.
The man to trade for with Ariza out of the picture. dark. Next
Waiting until the trade deadline in 2020 is a pretty big risk that will likely come back to haunt the Lakers. Instead of using the cap space to sign more contracts like KCP to trade next year, the Lakers have to go after Davis now.