Lakers Trade Rumors: What Will Los Angeles' Offer For Anthony Davis Look Like?

The Los Angeles Lakers have been preparing for Anthony Davis to become available for months. Now that the NBA’s best big man has made it public that he wants to be traded, talks between L.A. and the New Orleans Pelicans could start to heat up.

New Orleans has less than two weeks to decide whether or not they want to deal Davis during this season. The 2019 NBA trade deadline is set for Feb. 7, and there’s no doubt that the Lakers will try their hardest to acquire Davis before that date.

The Boston Celtics can offer the best trade package for Davis, but the NBA rules won’t allow them to acquire the superstar while they still have Kyrie Irving on his current deal. Irving is expected to become a free agent this summer, and Boston might be the frontrunners to make a deal with New Orleans if Davis is still a Pelican on July 1.

The Pelicans would be best served to wait until the offseason to see what kind of offers that can get for Davis, who won’t be eligible for free agency until the summer of 2020. But that won’t stop the Lakers from trying to pull off a deal.

What exactly will the Lakers offer the Pelicans? The Los Angeles Times’ Brad Turner has reported that Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Ivica Zubac and a first-round draft pick would all be involved in a proposal.

While that offer sounds nice from a Lakers’ perspective, it’s hard to believe the Pelicans would consider accepting such a deal this season.

If Los Angeles is serious about trying to trade for Davis this season, they’ll make everyone on their roster available. That would mean offering the aforementioned players, plus Brandon Ingram and maybe Josh Hart, as well. Lance Stephenson might have to be involved in order for a deal to work under the salary cap rules.

Pairing LeBron James and Anthony Davis for the next few seasons would mean it could be some time before the Lakers have a first-rounder that’s even close to the lottery. New Orleans would likely ask Los Angeles for multiple draft picks.

That means the Lakers’ best offer looks something like this: Ingram, Ball, Zubac, Kuzma, Hart, Stephenson and first-round picks in both 2019 and 2021. Even that package might not be enough to pry Davis away from New Orleans just yet.

As a former No.2 overall draft pick that finished last year strong, Ingram was the Lakers’ most valuable asset before the season began. The 21-year-old hasn’t proven that he’s any closer to becoming a future All-Star this season, averaging 16.6 points on 13.4 shots in 39 games.

Kuzma’s stock has risen this season with his 19.1 points per game, though he’s doing it on 15.5 shots per game while making only 30.3 percent of his three-point attempts. Kuzma is two years older than Ingram with a lower ceiling.

Ball has shown flashes of being a future All-Star, but there are too many games in which he makes little impact. The point guard is averaging 9.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game. The No.2 overall pick in the 2017 draft will miss four to six weeks with an ankle injury.

Davis is about to make his sixth straight All-Star team. He’s third in the NBA in scoring, fourth in rebounds and second in blocks at 25 years old.

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