Is Anthony Davis REALLY Worth Half the Lakers Roster?
How much is a star NBA Basketball player really worth?
It's a question we are about to find the answer to as the Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans do the delicate negotiation dance while trying to come up with a trade for Pelicans star Anthony Davis.
Don't misunderstand the headline--clearly Davis will eventually wind up on the Lakers roster. There have not ever been any serious suitors other than the Lakers, in large part due to Davis being represented by LeBron James's agent, Rich Paul.
Unfortunately for you NBA fans, this is now the world in which you live. The elite players all congregating on a small handful of teams with everyone else in the league playing for the crumbs left behind.
What's been funny thus far--keeping track of the offers for Davis, a freakishly talented Center who's averaging slightly over 28 points and 11 rebounds a game.
The latest offer from Los Angeles to New Orleans:
--Guard Lonzo Ball
--Guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
--Guard Josh Hart
--Forward Brandon Ingram
--Forward Kyle Kuzma
--Center Ivaca Zubac
--Two First Round Draft Picks
In other words---the Lakers offered up what amounts to 2/3rd's of their roster--plus the draft picks.
The Pelicans said "Thanks but no thanks" and seemingly want more, while the Lakers said "Nope", "That's our best offer".
Lakers co-owner Magic Johnson said he'd wait to see if New Orleans was willing to make a counter because he wasn't making another offer.
Think about this for a minute---this is essentially 8 players for 1. The Lakers would be LeBron James, Davis, Rajon Rondo, new acquisition Reggie Bullock and Javale McGee.
And to be perfectly honest, I don't know if the lineup will cause Steve Kerr and his Golden State Warriors to sweat much.
Yeah, sure, I know, it pairs one of the Greatest NBA Players ever, LeBron with Davis, arguably one of the 5 best active players at this point in time. But Rondo is not the Rondo of his Boston Celtics time, Bullock nor McGee are players that will get the Lakers over the top.
The deal as offered would essentially make Los Angeles arguably the 4th best team in the NBA West behind the Warriors, Rockets and so far--the Denver Nuggets....with Oklahoma City in the discussion.
Is that really worth trading so much of your roster for?
Kuzma has had moments, he's averaging 18.6 ppg and 5.4 rebounds a game. Ball--despite the god-awful baggage of his father LeVar, is at 9.9 ppg, 5.4 assists and 5.3 rebounds. Ingram, he's scoring too, 17.1 points a game.
The point here is this: It's a lot. Yeah, sure, I totally get it. Today's NBA is not built around having A Superstar on your team, it's making sure you have as many of them as you can. Much like the world we currently live---the NBA is slowly becoming a league where there are the "Filthy Rich" and the "Poor" and not much in between.
In MY opinion---for whatever that is worth, Anthony Davis will not make the Lakers the elite team they dream of being. He will not make them an immediate contender, a challenger to any of the 5 teams I mentioned earlier.
Yeah, sure for one game---he could make the difference and be that guy. But over a 7-game playoff series where depth and the ability to have more than 1 or 2 scorers becomes an issue, losing all of that depth to have that 2nd banana the Lakers would likely lose---most every time.
Oh, did I mention the "Lakers" in all their glory, welcomed LeBron back to their lineup after an injury on Tuesday night. They lost to the Indiana Pacers 136-94.
Needless to say---picking up Anthony Davis might not necessarily solve their bigger problems....
Just sayin'....
