Durant 'Absolutely Right' About LeBron Comments, Davis To Lakers Still Possible: Smith

Kevin Durant, who has been linked with a move to the Los Angeles Lakers when he becomes a free agent next summer, stirred up a minor controversy Wednesday when he said that few of the top players might not want to partner with Lakers’ star man LeBron James.

The Golden State Warriors star believes that top players like Kawhi Leonard will not want to play James’ right-hand man as he will also be keen to be the “No.1” player in the team. Durant referenced to the Toronto Raptors star’s style of play while stating that he is unlikely to want to play alongside the Lakers’ main man.

Leonard is someone the Lakers have shown interest in before he was traded by the San Antonio Spurs to the Raptors earlier this summer, but they now seemed to have switched their attention to New Orleans Pelicans Anthony Davis.

Davis is another person who is a leader in his current franchise and has made it clear in the not so distant past that he sees himself becoming the most dominant player in the league. And it remains to be seen if he will consent to playing the supporting role with James as the main player.

ESPN’s Stephen A Smith believes Davis could be a player interested in moving to Los Angeles, not only because of James’ presence but also to be in the LA market – where business opportunities are far better than New Orleans.

Moreover, the Pelicans power forward only recently switched agents and signed with Rich Paul, who also manages the Lakers’ three-time NBA champion. However, recent reports have suggested that Davis is keen to remain with his current employers and win with the only team he has been played for since joining the NBA.

“If you’re Anthony Davis, and you’re signed with Rich Paul, the same guy as LeBron James, and you’re presumably heading to LA, if the Pelicans will trade you, you might want to be in the LA market,” Smith said, as quoted by the Express. “If you’re Anthony Davis, you might want to play with LeBron. But, then again, you might not. These are the kinds of problems you have to deal with if you’re the Los Angeles Lakers.”

Smith’s comments about Davis came in response to Durant’s statement and the ESPN NBA expert made it clear that he completely agrees with the Warriors forward. He believes there are a number of players, who would rather add to their legacy than rather build James’ in Los Angeles.

“This is very interesting and compelling stuff that Kevin Durant put out there,” Smith added. “Kevin Durant said absolutely, positively nothing wrong here. I 1000 per cent stand behind Kevin Durant with these quotes, he’s absolutely right.”