Lakers Rumors: Anthony Davis Trade Offer Could Improve Greatly Soon, Zion Williamson A Possibility

After failing to acquire Anthony Davis in the middle of what’s turned out to be a disastrous season for the Los Angeles Lakers, there’s no doubt that L.A. will continue their pursuit of the league’s best big man this offseason. The New Orleans Pelicans rejected the Lakers’ offer before February’s trade deadline, but the package Los Angeles is able to present could become much better in just a few weeks.

The Lakers have been eliminated from playoff contention, putting them in the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery. Even as LeBron James puts up big numbers, Los Angeles continues to lose games, giving them a decent chance of landing one of the top picks in the first round.

With just seven games left on the regular-season schedule, the Lakers have the 10th-worst record in basketball. That gives them a three percent chance to win the lottery and a 13.9 percent chance to get a top-four pick.

Los Angeles is a half-game behind the Minnesota Timberwolves for the 11th-worst record and 2.5 games behind the No.12 Charlotte Hornets. It might be hard for the Lakers to improve their lottery odds any further. The Pelicans, Washington Wizards and Memphis Grizzlies are all three games behind L.A. in the loss column when looking at which teams are directly below them in the overall standings.

Duke’s Zion Williamson might be the best prospect since LeBron James. If the Lakers manage to win the lottery, they could unquestionably trade the No.1 overall pick for Davis if they wanted to make such a deal.

Murray State point guard Ja Murrant is expected to go second overall, and he’s been getting plenty of hype since wowing viewers in the NCAA Tournament. The Lakers have a 3.3 percent chance to get the No.2 pick, and doing so might put them in the driver’s seat in the Anthony Davis Sweepstakes.

There seems to be a wide range of opinions on Duke’s R.J. Barrett, who is the favorite to go third overall. Barrett began the year as the No.1 prospect in college basketball. The Lakers have a 3.6 percent chance to get the No.3 overall pick.

Despite the questions surrounding Barrett, the ability to include him in a package with Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma might top the Boston Celtics’ potential offer. Boston is considered to be the early frontrunner to trade for Davis, though a lot can change over the next few months, especially if Kyrie Irving leaves the Celtics in free agency.

There has been plenty of speculation that Lakers will be unable to land a superstar this summer, but that could all change with the right bounce of a ping pong ball.

The lottery is set for May 14.