The Los Angeles Lakers have officially traded for New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis in a three-team deal with the Washington Wizards.
The Lakers will send forward Brandon Ingram, guard Lonzo Ball, and guard Josh Hart to the Pelicans along with the No. 4 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft (DeAndre Hunter). They will also send their 2021 first round draft pick (top-eight protected) and 2024 first round draft pick (unprotected) to the Pelicans as well as a 2023 pick swap.
Additionally, the Lakers will send center Moritz Wagner, guard Isaac Bonga, and forward JeMerrio Jones to the Wizards along with a 2022 second round draft pick.
Davis gives the Lakers a true superstar to build around for the foreseeable future as the 26-year-old is a six-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA First Team selection with career averages of 23.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game.
In pairing him with LeBron James, the Lakers boast two of the most talented players in the entire league, along with one of the NBA’s up-and-coming players in Kyle Kuzma.
Davis is an extremely versatile two-way player who can dominate the game in any number of ways. Offensively, he is talented with his back to the basket or facing up and has improved his ball-handling immensely, allowing him to attack from anywhere on the floor. He has also improved his shooting recently — at least 33% from the three-point line in each of the last two seasons.
Defensively, Davis gives the Lakers a rim protector who can block and affect shots at the rim. He is also quick enough to switch out on guards and contain them on the perimeter, giving the Lakers another switchable option on the floor at all times.
Davis has just one year remaining on his deal and will be a free agent following the 2019-20 NBA season.
In his final year with the Pelicans, Davis averaged 25.9 points, 12.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 2.4 blocks, and 1.6 steals in 56 games.
