After months of speculation, rumors and drama, the New Orleans Pelicans' Anthony Davis saga has finally come to an end.
The Pelicans traded Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday afternoon for Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and three future first-round picks, including the No. 4 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. Pelicans executive vice president David Griffin stockpiled future assets to pair alongside the No. 1 overall pick — almost certainly Zion Williamson — in the upcoming draft, but the Pelicans may not be finished dealing just yet.
WDSU NBC NOLA reporter Fletcher Mackel is reporting that the Pelicans may look to trade the recently acquired No. 4 pick in 2019 to the Phoenix Suns or the Chicago Bulls — who have the No. 6 and No. 7 picks, respectively — for one of those 2019 picks in addition to a protected selection in 2020:
NBA source:
Pelicans could trade #4 pick in 2019 @nba draft for #6 pick (Suns) or #7 pick (Bulls) and acquire a 2020 protected 1st round selection from Phoenix or Chicago.
Suns/Bulls both strong interest in Darius Garland.
Deal similar to Dallas/ATL 2018 Doncic draft trade. pic.twitter.com/RLTh5ph5md
— Fletcher Mackel (@FletcherWDSU) June 16, 2019
Meanwhile, Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports reports that the Atlanta Hawks may look to move up to No. 4. The Hawks have the No. 8 and No. 10 picks in this draft:
Hearing one of the teams most interested in picking up the #4 pick from Lakers/Pelicans is the Hawks. Atlanta has actively trying to move up by packaging together 2 of their 3 picks. The Hawks really don't want 3 rookies next year with an already very young roster.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) June 16, 2019
New Orleans already has an intriguing starting five that could consist of Ball, Jrue Holiday, Ingram, Williamson and Julius Randle, so trading back a few spots while adding future assets would probably be another wise move on Griffin's part.
However, it seems slightly strange that the Suns or Bulls would give up future considerations merely to draft Darius Garland. Neither Garland nor North Carolina point guard Coby White are likely to go before the No. 5 spot, and that would only happen if the Cleveland Cavaliers are intent on moving point guard Collin Sexton to the shooting guard position.
Chicago had initially made inquiries on Lonzo Ball themselves, but the Lakers showed a good deal of urgency in their pursuit of Davis.
The Hawks could be in the best position to trade up, given that they have multiple top 10 picks in the 2019 draft.
In any case, Griffin has already shaken things up quite a bit since being hired in April.
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