LeBron James, Anthony Davis Spotted Together, Griffin Still Hoping For Trade U-Turn

LeBron James had a disappointing first season with the Los Angeles Lakers after missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2004-05 campaign. The three-time NBA champion vowed to help his franchise recruit top players this summer in order to get it back to winning ways.

Anthony Davis was the Lakers’ major target before the Feb. 7 trade deadline but their offers were all rejected by the New Orleans Pelicans. James was vocal about his desire to play with the power forward and it looks like he is taking it upon himself to convince Davis to pick the Lakers if the latter is given an option in the summer, as a fan spotted the duo having dinner at Nobu in Malibu, California. They were accompanied by Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook.

The Pelicans will have the final say in where Davis plays if he is traded in the summer but the Lakers are certain to make another attempt to sign him, especially since they now have the No.4 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.

The Lakers will also be looking to bring in at least one free agent in the summer as they possess $32.5 million in max salary cap space. Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard and Klay Thompson, among others, will enter free agency in July.

Meanwhile, despite all the interest in Davis from the likes of the Lakers and Boston Celtics, new Pelicans general manager David Griffin is adamant that they can convince the forward to backtrack on his trade request and commit his long-term future to the New Orleans franchise. He confirmed Tuesday that team management will have a face-to-face with Davis in the coming weeks in Los Angeles.

"We'll probably sit together in Los Angeles at some point around the draft workouts that take place there," Griffin said Tuesday, as quoted on Yahoo Sports. "And I think that's the next step — really to look each other in the eye and talk about what's important to us. And we're very optimistic from previous conversations with Rich Paul, his agent, and with all of the people here that know Anthony and know what he's about. We're very confident that we have a compelling situation for him here.”

“And if winning is what he is indeed all about, which we have every reason to believe, we feel confident that we can create — and are creating — the right environment for Anthony and frankly for high-caliber players of all types to want to be a part of. This is something that we hope creates an energy that recruits itself, and Anthony would just be one step in that process,” he added.