The rumor mill has been running rampant lately with the possibility that the Los Angeles Lakers might look to trade superstar Anthony Davis away this offseason. A large part of it has been the massive disappointment that is the Lakers' season. Also, Los Angeles must be realizing that if this duo is not working to win a title, then something needs to be done. LeBron James is in his late 30's now. Davis cannot help but seem to be hurt just about every year. Knowing the massive amount of money owed to Davis over the next few years, it would certainly make sense for the Lakers to move him. The question is, what are the most likely destinations?
There obviously is not going to be a shortage of teams that would be interested in Davis. But many of them do not have the assets or players needed to pull off that type of deal.
So, let's take a look at the three best trades for the Lakers' Anthony Davis, ranked.
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3 Best Lakers Trades with Anthony Davis, Ranked
The Chicago Bulls have a lot of talent to spare. It's not likely they would let DeMar DeRozan ever get away. But I could foresee them including Zach LaVine in a deal for Davis. It brings the Los Angeles native back to SoCal.
The Bulls would be looking to win now with this trade. So, they aren't likely to give up too much current NBA talent beyond LaVine. But they have a valuable chip in their pocket, a 2024 first-round draft pick that is only top-three protected.
I would assume Chicago tries to include Lonzo Ball, to make it a full reunion in Los Angeles. But the Lakers would be wise to opt for Coby White instead. White is a couple of years younger and a better shooter to put around James. The Bulls might have to swap big men as well, not wanting to clog the paint with Nikola Vucevic. But as good as Vucevic is offensively, he lacks on the defensive end of the floor.
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I know, I know, Anthony Davis doesn't want to play in Boston. His father made that abundantly clear. But guess what, AD doesn't have a no-trade clause. So, the Lakers can trade him wherever they want. At the end of the day, this is a business.
There were previous discussions about this being a reality last year. But not only did Davis and his camp shoot it down, then Celtics GM Danny Ainge made it clear that Boston would not be including Jaylen Brown. That ended the talks. This year, the Celtics and new general manager Brad Stevens doubled down on that. But unlike last year, the Celtics now have a player the Lakers would highly covet that isn't either Brown or Jayson Tatum. He goes by the nickname of Time Lord.
That's right. Boston should package a deal around Robert Williams. Williams has blown up this year, particularly on the defensive end. He is second in the NBA in blocks at 2.2 per game behind only Rudy Gobert. Until his recent injury, he was on everyone's short list for Defensive Player of the Year.
Williams is averaging 10 points and 10 boards per game this season. But most impressively, he is shooting 73 percent from the field. That's not an anomaly either. He has shot above 70 percent all four years of his NBA career. His statistical trajectory is off the charts. You can argue that at this point in their careers, most general managers would rather have Williams over the next 10 years than Davis.
Still, Davis is the big name and therefore, Boston would need to include more. You go back to the well of shooters to pair with Williams to make the Lakers happy. Boston can include the likes of Payton Pritchard or Aaron Nesmith, both of whom can shoot from deep.
This trade would make the Lakers much better in the future, and likely healthier. Meanwhile, the Celtics then have a starting five of Marcus Smart, Brown, Tatum, Grant Williams, and Anthony Davis. That's an immediate title contender if Boston isn't already.
The New York Knicks always seem to be looking to acquire the biggest name possible to put them in front of Madison Square Garden. It's pretty clear at this point that Julius Randle is not going to be that superstar in New York they had hoped he would be.
The Lakers have been ruing the day since they let Randle walk away. He blossomed into a very good forward in this league, earning an All-Star selection in the 2020-21 season, winning Most Improved Player. Despite the relatively down season for Randle this year, he is still posting 20 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists per game. The Lakers' oft-injured power forward is averaging 23 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists nightly.
Don't get me wrong. Davis is a far superior player, especially on the defensive end. But if the Knicks packaged Randle, alongside a couple shooters like Evan Fournier and Immanuel Quickley, it's possible this deal could work. It's been proven time and time again, fill shooters around LeBron James and good things happen.
James won a title with 55-year-old Mike Miller knocking down open threes. Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but not by that much. The point still remains. Surround LeBron James with shooters, they get open looks, they knock them down. The Knicks would need to include at least one first-round pick for Los Angeles to truly entertain the idea.
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