After months and months of speculation and rumors, Anthony Davis has finally been traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Pelicans will receive Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Brandon Ingram, and three future first-round picks including the #4 pick in the draft this year. There are many winners, losers, and grades we need to hand out after this shocking blockbuster deal.
Winner: Rich Paul, LeBron, and Anthony Davis
Klutch Sports, the agency that represents both LeBron James and Anthony Davis, has its two biggest clients playing on the same team. Rich Paul and company have been campaigning for this trade since Davis' trade demand, and now they get their wish. LeBron finally gets a second superstar, and with a third possibly coming in free agency. The Lakers are now true title contenders for the first time since prime Kobe. AD also got his trade request granted, and it is to a place where he said he would resign with next summer.
Loser: New York Knicks
Poor, poor, New York. Earlier in the year, Knicks fans believed that there was a chance to get Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, and Zion Williamson on the team by the next season. KD is out with a torn Achilles, Kyrie now favors Brooklyn, and the Knicks didn't get the #1 pick. Anthony Davis would have been a great addition for the Knicks, and given that they do not have much potential on their roster right now, it would have made sense for them to go all out to land AD. Now, there's a chance that the best player the Knicks sign is Tobias Harris.
Winner: New Orleans Pelicans
What David Griffin has done in his few months with the Pelicans is amazing. He was given a terrible situation to try and get out of and has done so admirably. Even with almost no leverage at all, the Pelicans managed to get three prospects with a ton of potential, and got three first-round picks. Despite in a rebuilding phase, the Pels could roll out Jrue Holiday, Ball/#4 pick, Ingram, Zion, and Julius Randle next season, with Hart coming off the bench. That is an extremely good lineup that is loaded with superstar and all-NBA potential. Kudos to the Lakers for keeping Kyle Kuzma, who might have the most potential out of the four.
Loser: Good Western Conference Teams
After this trade, teams like the Nuggets, Blazers, Thunder, and Rockets, who thought that the Western Conference was theirs for the taking, have a major 6'11 sized obstacle in their way, as the Lakers are now the clear favorites to make it out of the West.
TBD: Boston Celtics
Essentially, Celtics GM Danny Ainge, who has been known to finesse other teams in trades, decided to think long term rather than short term. Davis would have solidified Boston's position as a contender, and it would likely convince Kyrie Irving to resign. However, Davis' agent Rich Paul made a statement saying that if Boston trades for AD, Davis would not resign next offseason. This was a major red flag for Boston, which is probably why they refused to include Jayson Tatum in any trade talks. Only time will tell if this was a correct decision.
Trade Grades
Lakers: A
Los Angeles picked the perfect time to make this deal. With the Warriors losing two of their three best players, the West is wide open next season, and right now, it is LA's for the taking. Especially if they do land a third star, this Laker team would redefine the term stacked. Imagine a Kyrie/LeBron/AD big three. It would be the stuff of legends.
Pelicans: B+
Trading a franchise icon and top 5 player in the league is never going to be beneficial, but as mentioned above, the Pelicans got the best value they could have gotten for AD. Had they extracted Kuzma from LA too, then their grade would become an A.
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