It seems LeBron James, Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart have moved on from the Los Angeles Lakers-New Orleans Pelicans trade saga.
The Lakers traded Ball and Hart along with Brandon Ingram and multiple picks to the Pelicans earlier in the offseason in exchange for All-Star forward Anthony Davis. It ended a long and frustrating narrative that started midway through the 2018-19 season when AD demanded a trade from New Orleans.
Los Angeles tried to trade their young players before the 2019 February trade deadline, though to no avail. Their failure to trade for Davis back then created all sorts of locker room issues, as the Lakers end up missing the playoffs for the sixth straight year.
With everything sorted out, however, all parties appear ready to forget all that happened. In fact, as they meet in Las Vegas before New Orleans' summer league game against the New York Knicks, James, Ball and Hart exchanged pleasantries and even hugged each other.
Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart have arrived to watch the Pelicans take on the New York Knicks. pic.twitter.com/B2JZ4wTI69
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) July 6, 2019
Right after the trade for Davis went down, Hart and Ball didn't show any sign of frustration towards the team or LeBron. And as this proved, it seems they remain in contact with each other despite their untimely separation.
The Lakers are seen as legitimate contenders with the arrival of Davis, but the Pelicans could well be considered Dark Horses with their young and promising core.
While there seems to be no ill will between LeBron and the former Lakers players, it's still safe to expect that Ball, Hart and Ingram will be raring to play against the Purple and Gold in the regular season.
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