Subscribe
Follow Us
We know that the Los Angeles Lakers want Anthony Davis. Badly. But could the Lakers end up losing out to the other Los Angeles team in the sweepstakes for The Brow?
That's right. The Los Angeles Clippers could be a legitimate threat to land Davis for a couple of reasons.
First of all, they have some assets that could very well interest the New Orleans Pelicans.
Second, the Clippers will have ample cap space this summer and could end up landing someone like Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler or even Kevin Durant to play alongside of Davis.
Thirdly, even if they're not the Lakers, they still play in Los Angeles, so the Hollywood draw is there for Davis.
Finally, Davis might actually prefer the Clippers to the Lakers, as he would be the No. 1 guy on the team. On the Lakers, it would always be LeBron no matter how great Davis is.
As you can see, the Clips are a compelling threat in the scrum for Davis, and they have some pieces that could make a deal work:
https://twitter.com/willswims/status/1090324812935979014
With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Montrezl Harrell and Jerome Robinson, the Clippers certainly have some nice young players they could send back to the Pelicans in exchange for the superstar big man.
Gilgeous-Alexander looks very polished for a 20-year-old and has a smooth offensive repertoire that could drive opposing backcourts crazy for years to come, Harrell is a high-energy guy, an athletic freak and a versatile defender who would be a welcome addition to any club and Robinson has the tools to become an elite three-and-D guy down the line.
That is a very impressive group of young talent.
Here lies the problem for the Clippers, though: they might not have a first-round draft pick this year.
If the Clips' pick lands outside of the lottery, it will convey to the Boston Celtics, leaving the Clippers without a pretty valuable asset. Not that the 14th overall selection is generally known to yield superstars, but it would at least provide a young, cost-controllable asset for the Pelicans to take back in a deal for Davis.
So, that is a bit of a bummer for Los Angeles, as it may have to solely rely on its young talent to nab Davis.
Of course, the Clippers can always offer future picks, but the chances of those selections being all that valuable if they land Davis and potentially another star player seem very slim.
Article Continues Below
Now, Los Angeles can try and get creative and include a third team, but those deals are usually very difficult to complete and end up turning into a complete mess more often than not.
For the Pelicans, it's going to be all about getting elite young talent and cheap assets under team control moving forward, which includes draft picks. The Clippers have the young talent, but so do the Celtics and the New York Knicks.
The difference is that both of those teams have the picks to get a deal done, with Boston ironically owning LA's pick (top 14 protected) this year, not to mention the Sacramento Kings' pick and a conditional Memphis Grizzlies pick. The Knicks have a chance to earn the No. 1 overall selection.
That would leave the Clippers competing with the Lakers in terms of assets, and the Lakers actually have their own first-rounder this season.
In that case, it would have to come down to Davis telling other teams that he wants to play for the Clippers and will only sign with the Clippers long term.
Is it possible? Maybe, as rumors have swirled all year about Kawhi wanting to go to the Clips this summer, so Davis could very well want to team up with Leonard next season.
Perhaps Leonard signs with the Clippers over the summer before the Pelicans trade Davis. Then, Davis will see Leonard there and demand a trade to the red and blue.
Could it happen? Sure, but it just doesn't seem all that likely.
Right now, the Clippers seem to be behind the Celtics, Knicks and Lakers in the run for Davis. That's not to say they don't have a shot, because they do, albeit an outside one. But it just seems a lot more probable that Davis will end up with one of the other three teams before the Clippers.
The Pelicans need to do this right. They are going to be trading away arguably the best power forward we have seen since Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett once roamed NBA floors.
For that reason, New Orleans needs a king's ransom, and the Clippers might not be able to provide that in full.
