The Los Angeles Lakers are looking for any way to improve their roster this summer, and a star like Kevin Durant would certainly help accomplish their goals. According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, however, the Lakers have a limited interest in Durant and would not be willing to give up Anthony Davis in any trade involving the Suns swingman.
“The only functional trade that works, because the Suns are locked in, is Anthony Davis… but the Lakers say no,” said Windhorst on the Lakers in a potential Davis/Durant swap. “Conversation over.”
As a 2x champion, former MVP, 4x scoring leader, and 14x All-Star, Kevin Durant has always been one of the NBA’s highest-valued players. Even now, at 35 years old, Durant continues to be productive on the court, coming off a season where he averaged 27.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game on 52.3% shooting.
After his trade to the Suns, Durant has been waiting to return to dominance in the Western Conference, but his campaign there has been nothing but a disappointment so far, and this season’s first-round loss was a step back from where they were just a year ago. With a limited future and no clear answers on a solution, it’s gotten to a point where some have begun to question Durant’s loyalty to the franchise and the Lakers have been connected to him multiple times already.
Since he’s still under contract for a few more years, Durant doesn’t really have control over his situation this summer and even if he did, the Lakers wouldn’t be willing to give up what’s necessary to get him. In the Lakers’ view, Anthony Davis is a far better asset at this point, being several years younger and just overall more reliable, given that he’s only been on two teams over his entire career.
Anthony Davis Is The Future Of The Lakers
Anthony Davis’ extensive injury history is well-known to most Lakers fans and it’s ruined multiple seasons in the LeBron James era. Even so, there is no mistaking Davis’ high level of impact on the basketball court and he’s going to be an important part of the team’s post-LeBron era.
Davis, 31, just came off one of his best seasons yet. Through 76 games, he averaged 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists on 55.6% shooting. He was in the top five for Defensive Player of the Year voting and almost single-handedly carried the Lakers’ interior defense.
While fans often chastise Davis for his occasionally shaky play, he proved himself as a winner in the 2020 NBA Finals and he’s one of the few players that LeBron James consistently trusts to help him win games down the stretch.
This summer, as the Lakers position themselves for this final act with the King, it’s Davis who will be at the center of the plans and he will be the key to unlocking a better future. So to trade him now, after all of that, would be a massive risk for the Lakers and it’s not one they’d be willing to take for a guy like Kevin Durant, who seems to always drop out when the going gets tough.
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