The Los Angeles Lakers swung a blockbuster deal to acquire Anthony Davis in a trade with the New Orleans Pelicans last month, and on Saturday, Davis was officially introduced as a new member of the Lakers.
Lakers head coach Frank Vogel is obviously excited about the prospect of coaching both Davis and LeBron James, and during the press conference, he spoke on how Davis and James will fit together:
“Both are guys that are going to command double teams in any action that you’re going to put them in,” said Vogel, according to Lakers beat reporter Mike Trudell.
Los Angeles signed James last summer, but his first season with the franchise was nothing short of an unmitigated disaster, as the Lakers won just 37 games and missed the playoffs for the sixth straight year.
The Lakers had hoped to put another star alongside of James last offseason, but other players spurned Los Angeles, leaving the Lakers to go into a season with James and a bunch of veteran journeymen on one-year deals along with a few young players.
James then suffered a groin injury in December, an issue that kept him sidelined for over a month.
But in January, Davis requested a trade from the Pelicans, opening the door for the Lakers to acquire the second star they had been looking for. New Orleans rebuffed Los Angeles at the February trade deadline, but the Pelicans then fired general manager Dell Demps and replaced him with David Griffin.
The two sides proceeded to revisit trade talks last month, with the Lakers ultimately sending Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart and draft picks to New Orleans in exchange for Davis.
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