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The Los Angeles Lakers are unlikely to snag New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis before the trade deadline, but could instead focus their efforts on a swap before the NBA Draft as a last resort.
A former NBA executive put the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics ahead of the Lakers due to a strong arsenal of assets they could send in exchange for Davis, but if the likes of Ben Simmons and Jayson Tatum are taken out of the picture, this could given the Lakers a clear window of opportunity.
“Boston [wants] to keep Tatum. If Rich Paul is trying to control [Davis' fate] until 2020 [when he's an unrestricted free agent], then likely Tatum isn't made available by Boston and the Lakers probably get it done,” the former general manager concluded after ranking these three teams' chances to acquire Davis, according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. “That Paul also represents Ben Simmons has to help the Lakers too.”
Agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports will play a huge part in negotiations, as he is able to hold out dealing Simmons, which can axe him out of the equation.
Tatum remains the only river card in this poker game, as the Celtics' willingness to part ways with him in a trade scenario could change it all.
Celtics president Danny Ainge has mastered the art of poker during trades, and has been known to be conservative with his young talent while also making aggressive moves when he must.
The Lakers' best assets are a young Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball — three players that while good, don't come close to sniffing the talent value and upside of Tatum or Simmons — something that could ultimately be a deterrent if the Lakers don't get the best cards dealt to them.
