The Los Angeles Lakers apparently had no clue they would not have another max slot after agreeing to trade for Anthony Davis, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne via Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo Sports.

Having realized so, the Lakers futilely attempted to call back the New Orleans Pelicans, hoping to mend their gaffe:

“The Lakers did not realize an accounting error that left them without max cap space until after they agreed to their trade with the New Orleans Pelicans, and then called back in an attempt to rectify the mistake.”

This is only one of the many reasons the Lakers' front office, commanded by an inexperienced general manager in Rob Pelinka, was the laughingstock of the NBA for the past two years, missing out on potential deals and making desperate decisions that made no sense to the rest of the league.

Had they negotiated July 30 as the date for this trade to be completed, the Lakers could have created $32.5 million in cap space, which would have allowed for them to sign a player with seven-to-nine years of NBA experience to a max-level deal — the likes of Kemba Walker, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler or Klay Thompson, among others.

Los Angeles could have then drafted the No. 4 pick for New Orleans, sign him to a rookie salary of $8.2 million, wait for a month, and then use his contract to match salaries in an even swap for Davis.

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Sounds easy when first explained, but this is the street smart and know-how that a seasoned front-office executive would have in his back pocket, while Pelinka is still figuring out the playbook.

The Lakers could have also asked Davis to drop his 15% trade kicker as part of the trade conditions, but they never bothered, hoping not to ruffle any feathers.

In short, Los Angeles mortgaged its future, sending the No. 4 overall pick to the Pelicans, along with more future draft compensation and three players who were part of their young core, for one year of Davis, who is set to test the free-agent market for the first time in 2020.

Davis is expected to re-sign with the Lakers, but should things go awry in 2019-20, disaster could follow if he suddenly decides to leave.