One of the NBA’s most interesting storylines of the season made waves on Monday as the news broke early that morning by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that Anthony Davis had requested a trade. With the New Orleans Pelicans currently under .500, and six games removed from the Western Conference playoff picture, Davis’ camp expressed his desire to play for a team that would allow him to regularly compete for a championship.
After one playoff series victory in six seasons and an overall record of 240-274 since drafting Davis, the Pelicans are looking for a fresh start for the franchise. In line with the news that New Orleans’ front office will be shopping other roster players in hopes of acquiring draft picks, it seems that retooling their roster with young players is the primary goal of the team moving forward.
The Los Angeles Lakers have been tied to Anthony Davis even before the start of the season, so it is no surprise that they are heavily considered the favorites to land Davis. In addition to strong ties to A.D. via his agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, the Lakers also could quite possibly create the most enticing trade package for Pelicans prior to the Feb. 7 trade deadline.
However, New Orleans doesn’t seem to be ready to rush the process and will likely receive calls from just about every other team around the league as they hope to throw themselves into the Anthony Davis sweepstakes. Just as the league has seen with the Paul George and Kawhi Leonard trades, an unexpected team can insert themselves into the running at any time and find a way to take off with the spoils.
With the Lakers having quite the stockpile of young players, in Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Lonzo Ball, Ivica Zubac, Josh Hart, and Moritz Wagner, any team looking to get into a realistic arms race with Magic Johnson would have to bring a legitimate asset inventory of their own. Here are five teams who could prove to be serious competition for the Los Angeles Lakers in the race to make a trade for Davis:
Denver Nuggets
The idea that the Denver Nuggets could be legitimate players in what will likely be one of the biggest trades in NBA history has been gaining serious traction. The idea hinges on the Nuggets being one of the other few teams in the league similar to the Lakers that are both a proven team already and have enough assets to make Dell Demps at least think twice.
The only player for Denver that would be off the table would be Nikola Jokic, as the idea behind the trade would be to create a frontcourt pairing him with Davis. While A.D. has spent more time as of late playing the center position, having two uniquely talented, potential all-time great big men, whose skill sets compliment each other would be hard for the Denver front office to pass up.
It is hard to imagine the Lakers even picking up the phone unless Denver started sculpting a trade package with Jamal Murray. Michael Porter Jr., who has yet to play an NBA game, would be an interesting trade piece for the Nuggets, depending on how New Orleans views him. Denver would have multiple options in making the money work. If they wanted to lowball the Pelicans, the potential expiring deal of Paul Millsap could be added to a Murray headlined package that also included Porter and two future first round picks. There is a strong possibility that for them to compete with what the Lakers could offer, they would need to include Gary Harris alongside Murray, Porter, and the picks.
If any extra sweetener was needed, Denver could look to take Solomon Hill’s eye sorer of a contract of New Orleans’ hands for the 2019-20 season, or even include Mason Plumlee. Much like the Lakers’ situation, this could mean emptying the cupboard to bring in Davis, but if the Nuggets wanted to get in the mix, there is no doubt they could.
Houston Rockets
The Rockets are one of the more interesting teams on this list. Houston has no real roster assets outside of Clint Capela to trade. However, anytime there is a big trade to be had, Rockets GM Daryl Morey already his hand on the phone.
One thing Houston has in their favor is their willingness to go all in. When Jimmy Butler was available earlier in the season, the Rockets were reportedly offering four future first round picks along with salary filler in order to land him. A trade for Davis would have to start with those picks, as they are of the few bargaining chips at Houston’s disposal. A trade package of four first round picks, Clint Capela, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Eric Gordon would be their best offer.
The big trick for the Rockets would be the possibility that New Orleans values Capela just enough that his long-term contract, which keeps him four seasons removed from free agency after this season, in addition to those picks give them enough optimism moving forward. The Rockets would assuredly have to take back Solomon Hill as well to provide some salary cap relief for the Pelicans.
With no young players outside of Hartenstein, it would be a lot to bank on for Houston, but few teams are as gutsy when it comes to doing whatever it takes to acquire the talent. It doesn’t help the Rockets chances that the Pelicans could lack desire to trade Davis to a team within their division, too. If Morey and Houston are committed to having a chance, there’s no way to count them out.
Chicago Bulls
Despite not having a rich recent history of success, the Bulls have one thing no other team in the league has in terms of why they would want to recruit Davis: the hometown element. Davis, born in Chicago, could find himself the savior of a franchise that hasn’t seen much winning since the disintegration of the Thibodeau-era Bulls.
Chicago also has plenty to offer in terms of young talent, and after limited success in free agency over the last few years, they may feel cashing in on a proven star via trade is the best way to revitalize their franchise. An important part of the Bulls setting up a trade for Davis is that Zach LaVine won’t be eligible for inclusion in a deal prior to June 30. This means Chicago would have to create a package around young pieces like Wendell Carter Jr., Chandler Hutchinson, Denzel Valentine, and Kris Dunn. Jabari Parker would likely be needed to match salary, but his value may not extend beyond that for New Orleans.
There are two big factors at play in determining just how great of a chance the Bulls would have at making the winning bid for New Orleans and landing Davis.
The first is the team’s willingness to include Lauri Markkanen if it came down to it. If New Orleans sees all the young players and picks Chicago can offer, but feels it isn’t enough, Markkenen will assuredly become the asking price. While he would be the Bulls’ ideal partner to pair with Davis, being able to part with him would help them solidify the deal.
The second, and biggest factor, is how valuable the Bulls’ 2019 first round pick becomes. Obviously, a first or second overall pick could keep you from having to include a player like Markkenen, while even a fourth or fifth overall pick could be just past the cutoff. However, even if they land the first overall pick for 2019, another future pick would likely still be needed to get the deal done.
If they were able to snag Davis, the Bulls would still have enough cap room left for a max contract come this summer, giving the team the possibility to drastically raise their ceiling. If they feel that a combination of Davis, LaVine, and a successful free agency could get the team looking more like it did in its former glory days, they have the resources to make it happen.
New York Knicks
The New York Knicks have inserted themselves into the top echelon of teams that have a shot at pulling off a deal for Anthony Davis according to most people around the league. Madison Square Garden has been hungry for a star for a while now and Davis certainly fits the bill. The winning might not be there right now for the franchise, but the Knicks seem to have an allure few other teams around the league have that could prove to be a real difference maker.
In a similar situation as the Bulls, much of their ability to make a feasible trade package depends on how the 2019 draft lottery shakes out. New York currently has one of the best chances in the league to earn the top pick, which is presumably the pick that will become Duke phenom Zion Williamson. Any package that they throw at New Orleans would have to include that pick before anything else.
What they add on top of that pick is where it gets interesting. New York’s young players in Mitchell Robinson, Frank Ntilikina, and Kevin Knox would be the ideal headlining pieces for a trade offer. Salary options beyond that would be the ability to take back just about any salary that New Orleans didn’t want, and giving a return of expiring money, like Enes Kanter, or a player who has long-term money but could be flipped for assets down the road, like Tim Hardaway Jr.
The one player that the trade would ultimately hinge on is Kristaps Porzingis. If the other young Knicks aren’t enough, Porzingis is the obvious desire for the Pelicans. While the 7-foot-3 unicorn has shown the potential to be an absolutely special player in the league, he does come along with some legitimate injury concerns. Depending on how New Orleans values him would have a big effect on what all else New York would need to structure to get a deal done.
Boston Celtics
No team has more to gain from the New Orleans Pelicans waiting to get a deal done. The only way the Celtics could make a deal for Davis prior to July 1 would be if they traded away Kyrie Irving due to the Rose Rule (explained here). The Boston Celtics have two scenarios that could play out.
If New Orleans ends up deciding to wait until the offseason to trade Anthony Davis, the Boston Celtics will be the best equipped team to make an offer for him. They would be able to offer Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Robert Williams in terms of young players, among others.
They could potentially have multiple first round picks in this upcoming draft depending on how the season wraps up for the Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings, as well as future picks available to barter with. Their salary matching pieces are even better than any other team, as they could look to move Marcus Smart, Gordon Hayward, or even Al Horford if he opts in to the final year of his contract. Any combination of these offerings makes them the most lethal team in terms of creating an offer that New Orleans can’t say no to.
The second possible chain of events would take place if the Pelicans seek to move Davis prior to the deadline and the Celtics look to keep their name in the mix. To trade for him this season, Kyrie Irving has to be off the roster. With growing concern that Kyrie may not re-sign in Boston, this could be more likely that was expected earlier in the season.
In this case, either New Orleans would have to take on Irving, who would face free agency in the upcoming summer, or a third team would be needed. If a third team was willing to bring in Irving in exchange for sending New Orleans’ some quality assets, this could be a very likely move.
Prior to being dealt to Boston, Irving lined out four preferred destinations for a trade sending him out of Cleveland: Miami, New York, Minnesota, San Antonio. If a team like San Antonio felt confident in their ability to re-sign Kyrie in the offseason, then giving up pieces DeMar DeRozan, Dejounte Murray, and picks, in addition to picks and players like Jaylen Brown from Boston, could be the perfect return for the Pelicans.
For the Celtics, it is a complicated situation with many, many outcomes. However, Danny Ainge has a place in history as a professional finesser when it comes to getting deals done, so the Boston Celtics remain the Lakers’ biggest competition in the race for Anthony Davis.
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