Lakers Trade: Did LA Give Up Too Much To Get Anthony Davis From Pelicans?

After months of reported turmoil, the Los Angeles Lakers overhauled their roster Saturday, trading Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, the fourth overall pick in Thursday's draft and two more first-round draft picks to the New Orleans Pelicans for superstar big man Anthony Davis.

The deal was first reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The trade, which cannot be finalized until July 1, comes after Los Angeles made a strong push before the February trade deadline to land Davis and amid questions as to the direction of the organization.

Davis, 26, is considered among the best big men in the NBA and he will be paired with LeBron James in what might be the most potent duo in the league.

But the Lakers surrendered a great deal to get Davis. Most of the players from the 2018-19 roster are free agents, so the Lakers currently have Kyle Kuzma and their 2018 first-round pick Moritz Wagner and not much else. To fill out most of the roster, the Lakers will almost certainly have to rely on veteran free agents.

The Lakers still have the salary cap space to sign another top free agent to a maximum contract but there might be concerns about depth. Wojnarowski noted that if the Lakers and Pelicans agree to hold off on formalizing the trade until July 30, L.A. will have $32.5 million in salary-cap space.

Davis is owed $27.1 million in 2019-20 and $28.7 million in 2020-21 should he exercise his option.

The decision by the Lakers' front office to pull the trigger on such a deal signals a strong intention to win in the 2019-20 season. James is 35 in late December, so his window to win a fourth title is closing. He is also coming off a season in which he played in just 55 games — the fewest in his professional career.

The pressure will be on new head coach Frank Vogel and his experienced coaching staff to go deep in the playoffs, something the Lakers have failed to accomplish since 2012.

The Pelicans, meanwhile, will boast a very talented and young roster. New Orleans is expected to draft phenom Zion Williamson on Thursday and he could be joined by Duke teammate R.J. Barrett if he is available at No. 4.

Ball, Ingram and Hart have shown plenty of promise in recent years and all three players are under the age of 25. Owning the Lakers' two other draft picks could also yield some solid talent.