Josh Hart of the Los Angeles Lakers was traded as part of the massive deal that sent Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans to the Lakers in exchange for a king’s ransom of draft picks and young players.
That deal is already having ripple effects throughout the rest of the NBA, as the Atlanta Hawks traded up for that No. 4 pick, giving even more draft assets to an already overstuffed treasure trove of future draft capital to Pelicans general manager David Griffin.
One of the more unheralded pieces of that trade was Hart, who was the final pick of the first round in the 2017 NBA Draft, and has sort of flown under the radar for much of his time in a Lakers uniform.
For one thing, Hart has only played a total of 130 games out of a possible 164 during his Lakers tenure, and his three-point shooting numbers dwindled in his second season to 33.6 percent after a promising 39.6 percent showing in his rookie campaign.
Article Continues BelowHart has good size for a guard at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds and his wiry strength allows him to guard up a position or two as well.
Now, that defensive versatility and projectable three-point jumper will slide in perfectly alongside Zion Williamson in New Orleans, though Hart had two heartfelt Twitter posts conveying his gratitude to the Lakers organization for taking a chance on him two years ago.
…through all the ups and downs! One of the best fan bases in the league. It was a dream come true to wear the purple and gold! It’s always love on this side 💜💛 but now N.O. “Let’s dance”
— Josh Hart (@joshhart) June 22, 2019
Though it’s “always love” from Hart, he’s ready to “dance” with Zion in New Orleans now.