Lakers Choose "Win Now": Trade Lonzo, No. 4 Pick for Anthony Davis
Los Angeles, CA- After we learned about Kevin Durant’s Achilles injury that will sideline him for the entirety of the NBA’s next season, fans and teams alike began working to see how this would affect the rest of the trade and free agency market. On June 15th, however, we saw the next domino fall: The Los Angeles Lakers trade Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and the number 4 overall pick in Thursday’s draft for premier big man Anthony Davis ( first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Lakers have endured a lot in the past year, first signing LeBron James in July to a four-year deal (with a fourth-year player option), far going into the season with high expectations of returning to the league’s elite, to battling injuries and poor play, which resulted in missing the playoffs, the first without James since 2005. The unexpected end to the season was followed by Magic Johnson’s decision to step down as the Lakers’ President of Basketball Operations, and the days afterward where he ridiculed the front office, stating they had a multitude of issues. Amongst all the chaos, President Jeanie Buss and the organization, undoubtedly feeling the pressure of having an aging LeBron on their roster, had to decide between sticking with the young core, led by Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma, or win now at the cost of possibly losing all their young talent in exchange for a veteran superstar. Despite LA’s young talent with a lot of potential, the organization went with the latter.
This move can still be beneficial long term, as reports swirl around the possibility of another star, primarily LeBron’s old wingman Kyrie Irving, joining the show. The biggest concern however, is what the Lakers potentially are giving up with the number four pick. This isn’t the first time a LeBron-led team conducted such a trade. In 2014, Cleveland traded Andrew Wiggins for Kevin Love, and while it did work out (the Cavs won their first ever title), nothing guarantees that lightning will strike twice.
The Pelicans, at least at the moment, are viewed as the winners of the trade. It was all but certain that Davis was leaving New Orleans, even with number one overall pick in their possession. The franchise has had little success since The Brow joined in 2012, only making the playoffs in two seasons and winning only one series. It seemed that things would turn around when DeMarcus Cousins was paired with him late in 2017. The tandem worked well until Cousins went down with an Achilles tear, and subsequently left to join Golden State. No one is faulting Davis for leaving, as he competed his entire career there.
Luckily, New Orleans received an entire young core to build their team around in Ball, Ingram and Hart, plus it is expected that they will select Duke star Zion Williamson with the first overall pick. Put that together with the newly acquired fourth overall pick, and, despite all odds, New Orleans potential for success has grown exponentially with Davis leaving. The only drawback, albeit comparitively small, is they will not have Julius Randle, who chose to test free agency (according to Sams Charania of the Athletic.)
As both teams move towards the NBA Draft ( 8pm on June 20th, ESPN), the league is already seeing a shift in power: AD joins LeBron, New Orleans gets star potential, Golden State will have to compete without two of its best players for the majority of next season, and the Eastern Conference is becoming more competitive than it has been in years. The summer is only beginning, and it’s safe to say the Anthony Davis Trade is only the start.
Mason Smith is a student at Alabama State University, and a writer for his school newspaper, The Hornet Tribune. The articles are in an effort to improve his writing skills and to be better prepared for work after graduation, where he hopes to earn a writer/editor position.