The most anti-climactic cliffhanger in the NBA’s Western Conference has officially reached resolution, and it’s one that has completely altered the landscape of both the conference and the league as a whole.
On Saturday evening, the New Orleans Pelicans officially agreed to terms with the Los Angeles Lakers, for a trade that would send superstar forward Anthony Davis from the Big Easy to Tinseltown. The trade officially culminates the very public stalemate between Davis, the Pelicans, and the Lakers, when Davis publicly declared his request to be traded and desire to be traded to Los Angeles back in early 2019.
The official construct of the trade involves the Lakers sending guards Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart, forward Brandon Ingram, the 4th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, and a myriad of protected picks and/or pick swaps between 2021 and 2025. Specifically, the Pelicans will receive Los Angeles’ first round pick in 2021 if it’s among the top 8 picks; if not, the Pelicans will receive the pick outright in 2022. New Orleans can also swap picks with Los Angeles in 2023, and gets the Lakers’ pick in 2024, but have the right to defer the 2024 pick to 2025.
Within literally minutes of the trade being reported (first by ace NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN), news also emerged that Davis’ intention is to re-sign with the Lakers after his current contract expires at the end of the 2019-2020 NBA season.
Such circumstances not only allow the Lakers to offer Davis a 5th year as part of his subsequent deal (thanks to now owning Davis’ “Bird Rights” after acquiring him via trade), but also ensure he’ll be able to play alongside LeBron James for the remainder of the latter’s tenure in Los Angeles; James is entering the 2nd year of the 4-year deal he signed in the summer of 2018.
Observers and fans around the league are well aware of the fact that Davis might only be ‘Step 1’ of a two-phase plan the Lakers have in completely overhauling their team, and building a new “Big 3” for James. After the terms of Davis’ deal are finalized, the Lakers project to have approximately $23.7 million in available salary cap space for free agency. While that number is short of the annual value of a “maximum contract,” they’re hoping to use that available free agent space to pursue another marquis free agent, with All-Stars Jimmy Butler, Kemba Walker, and Kyrie Irving atop their wish list.
Both Butler and Walker could make substantially more money over the long-term, and gain the security of the guaranteed 5th year on their contracts, if they were to re-sign with their previous teams.Most league observers believe the likelihood of Irving reuniting with James in Los Angeles is the least likely outcome, as Irving is believed to have either re-signing with the Boston Celtics or signing as a free agent with the Brooklyn Nets as his top two preferences.
For the other two stars (or any yet-to-be-discussed dark horse), the lure of pairing with James and Davis, in a city that doubles as an offseason haven for most NBA players already, is considered to be extremely appealing. Such allure is further compounded by the fact that the Lakers will presumably have the chance to immediately contend for the Western Conference title, given the way the Golden State Warriors were decimated by injuries in the 2019 NBA Finals.
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