Lonzo Ball stirred up one of the NBA’s longest-running debates when he said the Los Angeles Lakers should not have traded for Anthony Davis back in 2019. The comment came years after the blockbuster deal reshaped the franchise, delivered a title, and sent both sides into completely different chapters.
But Ball’s tone this time was different. He wasn’t bitter and was rethinking history. Ball just wondered out loud what could have been if the Lakers trusted their young core, instead of going all-in on Davis.
On the Ball in the Family podcast, Lonzo said:
“I think they should have just maybe just kept all these picks and just see how it would have went but I mean they still got the ring so, you know, worked out for them.”
It was a softer reversal from what he said in 2024, when he admitted he would have traded himself for Anthony Davis, too. Back then, he fully understood the logic. LeBron James didn’t come to Los Angeles for a rebuild. He needed a co-star immediately, and Davis instantly helped deliver what the Lakers wanted most: a title in 2020. That’s why Ball’s change in tone now stands out.
With Davis gone, with Luka Doncic taking over as the new franchise pillar, and with the Lakers’ future suddenly brighter than it’s been in years, Lonzo can finally admit the ‘what if’ that crossed his mind.
What if the Lakers never cashed in their young core?
– Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, the picks, and the continuity.
– A young group growing next to LeBron.
– A different timeline, a different identity.
But the truth is that version of the Lakers never fit the franchise’s DNA. This is an organization built on stars. They don’t wait for talent to develop. They go get it. The Buss family may have gotten criticized for being cost-conscious, but when a superstar becomes available, the Lakers always find a way to pull the trigger. The Davis trade was a classic example. And for all the hindsight debates, it gave them exactly what they wanted: a championship within two years of signing LeBron.
The more complicated truth rests with Lonzo himself. Would he have stayed healthy? Would he have stayed long enough to be part of that eventual Luka-LeBron era? Lonzo has bounced between teams, battled serious knee issues, and rebuilt his value as a steady backup in Cleveland. It’s possible the Lakers would have traded him anyway, even if Davis had never entered the picture.
Still, Lonzo’s comments capture a rare moment where a player reexamines the biggest turning point of his career. He didn’t call the Lakers wrong. He just admitted the curiosity that every traded young star eventually feels.
It’s a what-if that lives only in theory now, especially with the Lakers thriving again. Luka Doncic and LeBron James have them near the top of the West. JJ Redick has turned into a surprisingly sharp and modern coach. The franchise is in stronger hands than ever with billionaire Mark Walter now owning the team. And Anthony Davis, the very player Lonzo is referring to, is in Dallas trying to salvage a rocky season.
The Lakers won the trade when they needed it most. Now they’ve moved on again and built a new core. Lonzo’s version of the Lakers will never be more than an alternate timeline, but it makes for one of the most intriguing what-if questions of the past decade.
