All Lakers

Should The Lakers Move Anthony Davis? Here Are 3 Possible Trade Packages

Could LA entertain this?

Jason Fray

Should The Lakers Move Anthony Davis? Here Are 3 Possible Trade Packages
Should The Lakers Move Anthony Davis? Here Are 3 Possible Trade Packages /
In this story:

After Sunday night's surprise 106-103 victory versus the Los Angeles Clippers, your Los Angeles Lakers sit at 18-19 -- good for just the tenth seed in the Western Conference. 

If the playoffs started today, LA would be at the very bottom of the West's the play-in bracket. 

We could sit and point fingers at several factors leading to this less-than-desirable start. The current scapegoat is head coach Darvin Ham. 

Many have complained over his bizarre rotation choices. Some have been born out of necessity via injuries to the roster. Others have materialized with little in the way of making logical sense. Toggling back and forth between having Austin Reaves in and out of the starting lineup hasn't been ideal. 

Personnel decisions made by Rob Pelinka haven't panned out. The injury to Gabe Vincent has been crushing. There's a lot of natural length and size on the roster. However, the lack of perimeter shooting has been a real problem.

The most concerning thing for this team ironically enough is also a positive. LeBron James and Anthony Davis have not only stayed healthy for virtually the entire season up to this point, but both have also played quite well. Davis in particular is functioning at an All-Star level. He's probably the favorite at this point to win the Defensive Player of the Year Award. 

Something has to change moving forward as it pertains to this group. It appears as if Ham's job is safe for right now. Zach LaVine likely could be had in some sort of trade package revolving around D'Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura. Even then, will LaVine move the needle in making the Lakers a title contender? Would a Dejounte Murray for Reaves swap be the best move possible? Reaves is likely the best young asset on the roster. Murray is a better player, but the same question applied to LaVine exists here with the veteran point guard. 

This is a flawed roster with the need for a real reboot. 

There is, of course, another option...One that wouldn't excite a section of the fan base. However, in terms of the franchise from a long-term health standpoint, it might be the prudent thing to do. 

We're talking about the possibility of moving Davis for younger assets. 

The likelihood of this happening this year is next to zero. The only possible chance something could get done would be if LeBron himself requests a trade. At that point, if James is moved, the chance for a deep postseason run would be essentially moot. 

Additionally, one could make the argument that Davis' value might not be any higher than it is right now. At age 30, he's been very durable this year. Davis is averaging 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game across 35 contests. 

As we all know, he's not exactly the perfect picture of health. Getting off him now while he's in the midst of a fantastic year could theoretically net the Lakers the best possible package possible. 

As such, let's look at a couple of moves that could make sense for all teams involved. 

Trade 1: 

Lakers get: Markelle Fultz, Wendell Carter Jr., Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner, 2025 First-Round Pick

Magic get: Anthony Davis, Gabe Vincent, Cam Reddish

This trade would help the Lakers clearly get younger, Suggs, Carter Jr., and Wagner are all under contract for multiple seasons. Wagner is the key piece in this deal. A versatile forward with some legitimate scoring skills, he has the upside of a future multi-time All-Star.

While a bit injury-prone, Carter Jr. is still young with a decent upside of his own. Suggs is shooting 39 percent from three in what's amounted to a breakout year for him. He's also a very good defense guard. You could play off the ball with Reaves functioning as the facilitator. 

As for Orlando, it's not often you can land a player of Davis' caliber. Pairing him with Paolo Banchero immediately gives the Magic one of the best frontcourts in the league. From there, the team still has the requisite cap space to go out and get future help in the backcourt next to Cole Anthony, Anthony Black, Caleb Houstan, and Jett Howard. 

Trade 2: 

Lakers get: Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, 2024 First-Round Pick

Cavs get: Anthony Davis, D'Angelo Russell

The worst-kept secret in the NBA revolves around Mitchell. He's unlikely to re-sign with the Cavs on a long-term deal. The fit alongside Darius Garland also isn't the cleanest. 

Though the tea leaves indicate Mitchell wants to head back to his native East Coast (perhaps with the Nets or Knicks), LA wouldn't be a bad consolation prize. It would be difficult to imagine Mitchell not re-upping with the Lakers as the future face of the franchise. 

Allen is a very productive center on one of the league's best deals. He's a good athlete with decent shot-blocking skills. Playing in a frontcourt next to more of a stretch four rather than another post could unlock some things in his game. 

As for Cleveland, they're in a similar position as Orlando. It's not a free-agent destination. With Davis under control for a couple of years, trotting out a Davis-Garland duo with Evan Mobley as a third wheel seems rather intriguing. Mobley could play without the pressure of being 'the guy' in the post. Additionally, with Mitchell gone, Garland's game could go to another level in the process. 

Trade 3: 

Lakers get: Davis Bertans, Lu Dort, Josh Giddey, Jalen Williams, 2025 First-Round Pick (PHI), 2027 First-Round Pick (PHI), 2028 First-Round Pick

Thunder get: Anthony Davis, Taurean Prince, Max Christie

OKC has a treasure chest of future picks to play with. Some of them can go towards acquiring Davis, while others can be utilized in other trades to bolster some of the wing depth the Thunder will lose here. 

Putting Davis with Chet Holmgren is mind-boggling. Good luck trying to score on that frontcourt! A Davis-SGA pairing makes a ton of sense stylistically. Davis also gives the team some playoff experience. Prince would be a solid get as a floor space with some defense principles. 

As for the Lakers, the real prizes exist with Williams and the draft capital. Those picks can be flipped elsewhere eventually for other assets. Williams is a versatile athlete with an exceptionally bright future. Giddey is flawed as a player, but still talented in his own right. LA would then hope Dort turns into the modern-day version of Marcus Smart. 

There could be some version of a Godfather trade where OKC holds onto Williams and sends even more picks. If Prince and Williams were taken out of the trade, financially it could still go through. However, would the Lakers make a deal without getting an obvious budding star back in return? 

Published
Jason Fray
JASON FRAY

Jason Fray is a proud native of Los Angeles. After graduating from UCLA in 2011, he's written for a number of publications -- including Bleacher Report, FOX Sports, Saturday Down South, and New Arena. In his downtime, he enjoys writing scripts, going to shows, weekly pub trivia with the boys, trying the best hole-in-the-wall food spots around town, and traveling (22 countries & counting). 

Home/News