NBA Rumors: Anthony Davis Shoudn't Join LeBron, Lakers, Cowherd Explains Why

The Los Angeles Lakers have touted as the favorites to land Anthony Davis either this season or during the summer if the New Orleans Pelicans decide that it is better to trade their prized asset rather than lose him as a free agent in 2020.

The power forward is contracted to the Pelicans until the summer of 2021, but can opt out of the final year of his deal in 2020 and become an unrestricted free agent. He will be eligible for a supermax worth $239 million this summer and his current employers are certain to make the offer, but if he rejects it, he could be put up for trade.

The Lakers were linked with a move for Davis before the upcoming trade deadline in February, but are unlikely to land him after the player’s agent Rich Paul, who also manages LeBron James, revealed that they have not had any discussions about a move yet, but made no promises to the Pelicans after the trade deadline.

Davis’ agent is expected to play a major role in negotiations that will see Davis leave the Pelicans in the summer – the team he has spent his entire NBA career with – and move to the Lakers to team up with James and challenge for the championship.

However, NBA expert Colin Cowherd has raised questions about the possibility of Davis joining James at the Lakers by suggesting that the three-time NBA champion is on the decline in terms of being the best player in the league.

Cowherd claimed that there are a number of other players, who excel in different aspects at the game, namely the best two-way player, the best closer at the rim and the best scorer. He admits that James was the best at all the aforementioned aspects, but it was “five or six years” ago.

The Lakers star is considered among the greatest of all time to play the game, but the sports media personality raised a question about whether it will be best suited for Davis to join James as they are in different points of their respective careers.

“LeBron’s great, you can argue he’s the GOAT,” Cowherd said speaking on his show “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” on Thursday.

“But he’s no longer the best two-way player in the league, Kawhi Leonard is. He’s no longer the best closer at the rim, Giannis [Antetokounmpo] is. He’s no longer the best scorer, James Harden is, [Kevin] Durant, Steph Curry are,” he explained. “He was No 1 at all of those five or six years ago.”

“Let me just throw this out there, LeBron comes back in a week, plays for a month and a half, it’s late March and he hears another pop,” Cowherd said referring to James’ most recent groin injury that has seen him miss 12 games thus far – the longest stretch of games he has missed since beginning his NBA career.

“Does Anthony Davis want to join him? There’s a new trend with LeBron. ‘Oh, he’s human too’,” he added.