The trade speculation involving New Orleans Pelicans star Anthony Davis is “weighing heavily” on several of the young players on the Los Angeles Lakers, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
Anthony Davis has requested a trade from the Pelicans and it is widely believed he wants to play for the Lakers. As a result, the young players in Los Angeles — most likely Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart — are reportedly worried about their NBA futures.
Lakers coach Luke Walton did not address the situation with the entire team Monday, a team source told ESPN. However, Walton has had several individual conversations about it with his players, much the same way he did with players last season when the specter of landing James became an elephant in the room and eventually led to the cap-clearing trade at the deadline that sent Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson to, coincidentally, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The speculation is “weighing heavily” on the several of young guys this time around, the source said.
When LeBron James signed with the Lakers, the young players on the team knew that the pressure to win would increase right away. They also had to know that their future in LA could be in jeopardy since James is trying to compete for championships and the Lakers' roster, as constructed, isn't ready for that.
Brandon Ingram didn't look like a player on Tuesday against the Philadelphia 76ers who was under any stress. The swingman scored a career-high 36 points versus the Sixers.
The same can't be said about Josh Hart, though. The guard, who has been in a shooting funk as of late, finished with nine points on 4-of-10 shooting from the field.
The NBA trade deadline is Feb. 7.
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