Even with the opportunity to acquire star sharpshooter Kyrie Irving, the Los Angeles Lakers will not let go of Anthony Davis.
Despite his extensive injury history and L.A.’s struggles over the past two seasons, Davis remains a valued member of the team and the front office is reportedly set on not trading him for anybody, even Uncle Drew.
(via Heavy):
During an appearance on PIX 11 on Sunday, July 10, NBA insider Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson of Bally Sports said the Lakers are interested in trading for the Nets star. However, they are unwilling to include their superstar big man Anthony Davis as part of the deal.
“Kyrie Irving and his representation, they did list five teams that would be on the board for him to potentially go to. I know everybody talks about the Lakers,” Robinson said. “The Lakers don’t want to give up Anthony Davis. The Lakers want to give up Russell Westbrook. But you got to kind of include some picks.”
While trade talks for Kyrie Irving have heated up between the Lakers & Nets, LA has remained firm in their stance to not include Anthony Davis in any potential deal per @ScoopB
My story here: https://t.co/n7lLx3ARJv pic.twitter.com/lmMK2F7o1j
— Rick The Ruler (@_Ricasso) July 11, 2022
Anthony Davis doesn’t have anything to prove. He won a title with the Lakers in 2020 and has been a dominant force on the court when healthy.
But some think that the Lakers should consider an AD trade, especially if it gets back Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.
“So, you know, the Nets and Lakers are not really in a rush,” said Gilbert Arenas on trade talks. “They’re probably still tryna figure out the rest of the roster. See who’s available to sign and throw into that trade, but right now the Lakers are the only team that’s suited to make the deal work. Because it’s less paperwork. I can straight up trade Kyrie for Russ. Kevin Durant for Anthony Davis. You know, it’s a fair trade for both sides. You can probably throw in a young player, but other than that you can straight up do two stars for two stars and both teams can probably feel like, ‘Okay we got something out of that’.”
The Lakers must do whatever they can to improve the roster and avoid a repeat of the 2021-22 campaign. So far, not much has changed — and they look destined to start next season with Westbrook on the roster.
In a few weeks, it could be Kyrie Irving who dons the Purple and Gold and becomes a permanent part of the franchise’s star-studded core.
But no matter what happens, Anthony Davis is staying put.
