When it comes to Lakers big man Anthony Davis, nobody is denying that he’s one of the top big men in the NBA. In 2019, the Lakers saw his talent and valued him so highly, they forked over a package that included their entire future.
The Lakers ultimately won that trade because they came out with a championship, but the implications of what they gave up that day continue to hurt their team today.
Speaking on SiriusXM NBA Radio, renowned sports journalist Bill Simmons gave his true thoughts on the Davis trade and explained why he feels no sympathy for their current situation.
“I’m sorry I don’t feel bad for ’em. They mortgaged everything they had to trade for Anthony Davis to try to win the title and they won the title. The trade accomplished what they wanted it to but they also gave away eight years of assets. You can take the extension out of it and it’s just like… if you trade eight years of assets for one guy, you can’t be then surprised in 2023 when your team’s not good anymore. This is the risk of trading eight years of draft picks an lottery picks and guys like Brandon Ingram. They traded all that stuff.”
"You can't be then surprised in 2023 that your team’s not good anymore"
🏀@BillSimmons does not feel bad for the Lakers@TermineRadio | @JumpShot8 pic.twitter.com/jxJsC5t74f
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) December 28, 2022
For those who forgot, the Lakers traded Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, three future first-round picks, and one additional pick swap for AD. Today, BI is an All-Star, Ball is a borer-line All-Star, and Josh Hart is the kind of two-way wing that would make a huge difference for the team this season.
While it may have been the right move to make at the time, they are paying the price for it now with a roster that has no depth whatsoever.
Should The Lakers Trade Anthony Davis To Recover Draft Assets?
With the Lakers in their current situation, there are fans and experts who are calling on Rob Pelinka to trade the stars and start over for the sake of recovering some picks and young players to develop moving forward.
“Davis and LeBron James, at their best, widen margins for error on either side of the ball. With Davis now gone for an unknown length of time and James starting to look more like himself but still clearly working to recover from a couple early season nagging injuries, the Lakers can’t afford to be as bad on the margins as they’ve been. When they traded for him, Westbrook was supposed to help with those margins, at least in theory, but it clearly hasn’t played out that way,” said an NBA analyst. “And look, if Davis is indeed out for a longer stretch than this initial month (as honestly seems to be the case based on how everyone involved has handled the information), then there probably is no point in trying to save this season. The Lakers are only ever going to go as far as James and Davis will take them and with one out at least a month, may as well start positioning yourself for next year and beyond.”
This season may already be a lost cause for the Lakers, and the time clock on LeBron James is eerily close to midnight. The truth is, time is running out for their star duo and the Lakers will have to make some big decisions this season and beyond.
But when you think about their struggles now, it can all be traced back to the Anthony Davis trade, which may have done more harm than originally believed.
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