Anthony Davis May Join LeBron James At Lakers In 2019: Jalen Rose

There's a good chance New Orleans Pelicans star Anthony Davis will be a Los Angeles Laker next year, according to former player and ESPN analyst Jalen Rose.

Earlier this month, Davis parted ways with his longtime agent and was rumored to be joining Klutch Sports, who notably represent LeBron James.

Speculation started building straight away regarding a potential Lakers move in the future, though Davis, who eventually did sign with Klutch, recently deflected rumors of a potential Pelicans exit.

“I thought the [agent] change was necessary," Davis said earlier this week. "That’s all it was. Just trying to be the most dominant player in the league. I think making that change and going with Klutch definitely will help me do so."

However, the 25-year-old could still move to the Lakers in the near future. While it won't be as a free agent as he is contracted for another two years with $52 million left on his deal as well as a $29 million player option for the 2020/21 NBA season, he could still get himself traded and Rose believes he will be teammates with James next year.

"We've seen players in the last couple of years exercise something that I call pre-agency," Rose said on ESPN. "You saw it happen with Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, in its own way, it happened with Chris Paul — where the player goes to the team while they're still under contract and lets them know that they don't plan to sign a long term deal, therefore they [the team] have to exercise their right to possibly trade that player so they can get value and return."

"I believe this time next year, we're going to be talking about Anthony Davis finding his way into a Los Angeles Lakers uniform to play alongside LeBron James. After this year, the New Orleans Pelicans are either going to make the playoffs and possibly lose in the first round and/or not make the playoffs. The Western Conference continues to improve, so the Pelicans have not taken that quantam leap with one of the best young players in the game. I think [the Lakers] now pairing Anthony Davis with LeBron James puts them in position to try to combat what's happening in Golden State," he added.

But who would the Lakers trade in exchange for one of the best players in the league?

The 16-time champions were initially looking to trade for Kawhi Leonard earlier this summer before he was traded to the Toronto Raptors. They were ultimately put off by San Antonio's steep demands that involved draft picks as well as their young assets such as Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma.

However, they may have to part with as many as three of those assets, including Lonzo Ball, if they want to trade for Davis, according to Rose.

"That's what makes this a growth year for the Lakers' young three as I'm calling them — Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram," Rose added when asked who the Lakers could offer. "I think in order to try to get Anthony Davis in Los Angeles, it may cost you two or three of those players but obviously he's [Davis] established himself as one of the top in the game."

Davis enjoyed his best season with the Pelicans in 2017/18 as he averaged 28.1 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks and led New Orleans to the Western Conference semifinals despite the absence of DeMarcus Cousins. He was also a finalist for MVP and Defensive Player of the Year.