It's been almost a week since the news broke that Anthony Davis wants out of New Orleans. When you have a player with the talent that AD has you want to get as much back as you can for him and I would have thought that most teams would try and tempt New Orleans with an offer. However as he requested a trade his value diminishes day by day and this could get ugly for the Pelicans. To make matters worse it is believed that AD wants to join the LA Lakers, furthermore diminishing his value as teams will not want to offer too many assets for essentially a rental.
News broke yesterday about the package Magic and co offered the Pelicans and I was shocked by how bad it was. Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Rajon Rondo, Michael Beasley and a 1st round pick for AD is not great value. Beasley is almost a non factor and the first round pick is likely to be in the teens. Rondo had a successful season with AD last year but he may have left on bad terms. Lonzo and Kuzma are too exciting young players and certainly building blocks for the future but as a package overall it doesn't warrant AD's worth. Apparently Lonzo Ball has indicated that NOLA would not be a preferred landing spot for him and would prefer a team like Phoenix, however I don't think he is at a level where he can dictate where he goes.
The Lakers have one of the best young cores in basketball with Ball, Kuzma, Ingram, Hart and Zubac and I believe the Pelicans should be able to take any 3 of these players + a 1st round pick for AD.
Players like AD are rare and if you have the chance to get him, you have to get him. Coupled with the fact that he seemed destined to be a Laker the day he signed with Klutch Sports I think its worth it.
Success in the NBA today is very much predicated on having a 'big 3' rather than a really deep team. Being a top heavy team almost guarantees some form of success in this league and the Lakers are one trade away from being on the cusp of glory. If I was Magic Johnson I'd pull the trigger and get AD as soon as I could.
