The will they/won’t they between Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers has been the top story surrounding the 2019 NBA Trade Deadline. Since informing the franchise that he does not plan to stay with the New Orleans Pelicans beyond his current contract, Davis has been linked to the Lakers incessantly and Los Angeles’ interest in making a trade happen for the big man is anything other than hidden.
The February 7th deadline is fast approaching and the window for the Pelicans to move Davis this season is closing. As the league has seen before, in the waning hours, a surprise team can find their way into the mix and claim the spoils of a superstar trade for themselves.
Oklahoma City did it with Paul George, just as Toronto pulled it off with Kawhi Leonard. For the New Orleans Pelicans, who will use a Davis-led deal to jumpstart a rebuild and inject young talent into their franchise, that team could very well be the Brooklyn Nets.
Sports Illustrated's Rohan Nadkarni made a compelling case for why the Nets should offer a deal for Davis, and why the Pelicans would be wise to listen.
Freshly removed from dismal seasons following their future-mortgaging trade with the Boston Celtics in 2013, the Nets are flourishing. They are currently 28-26 and in the sixth seed of the Eastern Conference. Their success this season is owed to big performances from multiple young players. Moving forward, the franchise even has all of their own first round picks. With an impressive arsenal of assets, there is reason to believe that Brooklyn could make the New Orleans Pelicans the best offer, or at least an offer they can’t say no to.
Any package Sean Marks and the Nets compose in a chase after Anthony Davis would have to be headlined by D’Angelo Russell. Out of all the young names tossed around in a potential A.D. trade, Russell is the only one to have an All-Star selection thus far, is may even be the most proven talent.
He is having a sensational season, leading the Nets as the starting point guard, and he is showing promise that he could be the number one guy for a franchise like the Pelicans. Russell is in the last season of his rookie contract, but a trade for him now would equip New Orleans with the ability to match any offer during his restricted free agency, and likely provide at least four years of a special talent just now entering his prime.
The Nets’ opportunity to put a deal on the table including an All-Star level talent gives them quite the edge over teams like the Lakers, but it doesn’t stop there. As Nadkarni notes in his piece, Brooklyn would be able to combine an offer of Russell with other great young pieces, like Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen.
LeVert, who could be making a return to the court prior to the All-Star break, was looking like he was ready to take the next step in his development before he went down with an injury early on in the season. At the start of the season, he was the go-to option for the team, sinking game winners and showing some serious potential to be a core player on a successful team down the line.
Allen has impressed all throughout his sophomore season, making a name for himself as one of the best shot blockers in the league despite being only 20 years-old. It wouldn’t be hard to make the case that this compilation of young talent may have a better chance into developing into something special than the young pieces the Lakers would send back.
Brooklyn is set to make the money work, too. Despite Russell being in line for a new contract this offseason, LeVert and Allen’s rookie contracts are severely cheaper than other players, as they were both picked toward the back of the draft.
This season, LeVert is making just over $1.7 million and Allen just over $2 million. The team also has expiring deals to send out in DeMarre Carroll and Jared Dudley, as well as plenty of picks to help fluff up the offer.
If Anthony Davis’ ultimate goal is play for a franchise that would give him an opportunity to win, Brooklyn could prove a perfect location for him. If the Nets acquired Davis, they could surround him with two solid players in Spencer Dinwiddie and Joe Harris, while still having over $50 million in cap space to pursue another star to for A.D. to play alongside.
Brooklyn was absent on the list of teams Davis would consider re-signing with if traded there, but they could very seriously construct a team ready to contend for a title around the unibrowed big man. If the Nets wanted to go all in, they could be the surprise suitor for a Davis trade that gets him moved before February 7th.
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