The days of superstar NBA players staying put in one place for their entire careers are most definitely a thing of the past. In fact 13 of the 28 players named to NBA All-Star teams in 2018 have changed uniforms in the league at least once in their careers already. Considering that several of the players that made the All-Star Game this past season are still on their rookie contracts makes that stat even more startling. In other words expect more Hall of Fame caliber players to change teams via free agency or trade in the next few years making Anthony Davis NBA Trade Rumors Sixers Lakers possible.
Based on current circumstances and projections, there is no doubt that the next big fish to hop to another lake in the next few years is Pelicans big man Anthony Davis.
Davis saw his most talented teammate in DeMarcus Cousins jump to the Warriors this past summer for pennies. Help via free agency or via trade is not coming anytime soon in New Orleans and the franchise seems to be treading water. It is also not entirely clear of what Gayle Benson, who took over ownership of the franchise when her husband Tom Benson died this past March, has in store for the future of the team.
Davis has also been mentioned in trade rumors involving the Celtics going back to the fall of 2016. But Boston, even with its cache of picks and talented young players, has not been able to entice New Orleans GM Dell Demps to even entertain making a deal.
Several media members with strong sources close to the Celtics front office, including Yahoo’s Chris Mannix, Boston play-by-play man Mike Gorman, and The Ringer’s Bill Simmons, persist that Boston boss Danny Ainge is saving all of his remaining assets to make a run at Davis.
There are plenty of issues standing in the way of this happening for the Celtics, of course. The first is that Demps would ask for the world for a player of Davis’ caliber. The Celtics have very strong draft picks like a future Grizzlies first rounder and a future Kings first rounder to dangle. But Demps would surely want either Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown involved in a potential package as well. Based on what we heard out of Boston regarding Kawhi Leonard trade discussions last month, the Celtics aren’t interested in dealing either of those young players given their elite upside and more importantly the rookie contracts they are currently on. The Celtics would also likely have to give up either Al Horford or Gordon Hayward in a deal just to make the money work.
Two teams with easier paths to acquire a player of Davis’ caliber in the next 12 months are two of the Celtics’ chief rivals in the Sixers and Lakers. Neither team showed much of a sense of urgency this offseason to try and get into a spot where they could at least compete with the Warriors for an NBA title as there is a general feeling around the league that the 2019 title is already headed to Golden State. The idea is why screw up your cap and why sabotage your long-term plans when competing for the 2019 title is simply unrealistic?
Here are several Anthony Davis NBA Trade Rumors Sixers Lakers moving forward.
Anthony Davis NBA Trade Rumors Sixers Lakers will be in the hunt
The Sixers and Lakers seem to both be waiting for the down cycle of the Warriors dynasty. That could actually start to happen next summer with Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins all headed toward free agency. Next summer definitely looks to be a better time for the Sixers and Lakers to make a bold trade, and targeting Davis would certainly qualify.
There will also surely be a heightened sense of urgency for both franchises if their 2018-19 seasons pan out as expected. The Sixers are expected to be very good this season, but an Eastern Conference Finals berth seems to be the ceiling. Considering Boston beat the Sixers rather easily without their top two players in Kyrie Irving and Hayward last season, Philly right now is simply the best out of the league’s second tier of teams.
If the Sixers, say, bow out to the Celtics in five games in the East Finals next spring there will be a feeling in Philly like, “OK we’ve gotten this far. How do we get over the next hump?”
The Sixers are the only real top-level team in the NBA right now that could compete with the Celtics next summer when it comes to making a blockbuster trade. They have nearly as many valuable assets as the Celtics have as they own Miami’s 2021 first round pick and a boatload of second rounders. The Sixers could also dangle Markelle Fultz, whose stock will surely rise over the course of this season, as well as Robert Covington and Dario Saric.
Sixers fans will surely question if a “Twin Towers” combo of Joel Embiid and Davis could work. But both players are far from traditional centers and both players are currently thriving in the era of position-less basketball.
The key in the NBA is still to collect as many A-list players as possible and to figure out positions later.
Anthony Davis NBA Trade Rumors Sixers Lakers – Los Angeles possible?
Below is Anthony Davis NBA Trade Rumors Sixers Lakers with a look at how a move to Los Angeles could be possible.
When LeBron James has a sidekick who is also a top 15 player in the league, he wins titles. The best LeBron teams over the past 15 years have had either Dwyane Wade or Irving as his 1A. If the Lakers were somehow able to land Davis via trade, he would immediately qualify as LeBron’s most talented teammate ever – a bona fide MVP candidate.
Interestingly Davis bought a $7.5 million home in Westlake Village California one day after LeBron signed with the Lakers in early July.
The issue here for the Lakers is that they don’t quite have the trade cache of the Celtics or Sixers in terms of picks and would likely have to relinquish both Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball in a deal for Davis.
If the Lakers are not able to sniff Golden State this season, there will surely be renewed sense of urgency from LeBron. As tough as it would be for the Lakers to part with Ingram and Ball, a Big Three of LeBron, Davis and Leonard (who the Lakers could land next summer without having to give up anything) would immediately make them the favorites to win the 2020 title.
It’s all about timing in the NBA. And while this summer was relatively quiet for the Sixers and Lakers (following the LeBron signing of course), both front offices will likely be targeting blockbuster moves in 2019.
Above are Anthony Davis NBA Trade Rumors Sixers Lakers with moves that could be possible in the coming months.
