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Why Lakers' Anthony Davis Trade Has Far Surpassed Clippers' Move for Paul George

The Clippers deserve the scrutiny that has come the Lakers' way.

Noah Camras

In this story:

The 2019 offseason was one of the most influential summers in NBA history. The offseason began with tons of expectations, as many of the NBA’s best players were looking for new homes, both via free agency and the trade market. It didn’t take long for those expectations to be met, and shortly after, shattered.

The three biggest players in that offseason were the Brooklyn Nets, the Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers. All three teams made franchise-altering moves that have changed the course of each team for good.

However, the Lakers have unfairly been at the center of criticism for their moves, while the Clippers and Nets have constantly been given the benefit of the doubt. It’s time for that to change.

So let’s start with a recap of that 2019 offseason, looking at the two teams that reside in Los Angeles.

The Lakers entered the offseason after a disappointing first year of LeBron James in LA. Clearly, they needed to swing a win-now move to maximize LeBron’s window, and that’s exactly what they did.

Pelicans superstar Anthony Davis was reportedly looking for a trade, and the Lakers felt like the likeliest landing spot. It was going to take a haul for LA to secure the deal, but they felt like it would push them straight to championship contender level (they were right).

Here's the full trade:

Lakers Receive: Anthony Davis

Pelicans Receive: Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, three first-round picks and one first-round pick swap

Then, a few weeks later, the prize of free agency, reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, was getting close to picking his team. It seemed to be down to the Lakers, Clippers and Toronto Raptors, the team he had just won the NBA title with.

Many felt like he was leaning towards the Lakers, however, on July 5, he made a shocking move, signing with the Clippers, and bringing another All-Star with him in Paul George. The Clippers swung a deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder for George, giving up quite the haul:

Clippers Receive: Paul George

Thunder Receive: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, five first-round picks and two first-round pick swaps

This move was clearly the contingency for Leonard to sign there, but with Leonard and George, the Clippers felt like they had put together a championship contender (they haven't yet).

So each team built what they thought would be a championship-caliber team, and entered the 2019-2020 season with high hopes. Let's check in to see how each team has fared in that three-plus year span:

Wins: Lakers: 149, Clippers: 163

Playoff Appearances: Lakers: 2, Clippers: 2

Conference Finals Appearances: Lakers: 1, Clippers: 1

NBA Finals Appearances: Lakers: 1, Clippers: 0

NBA Finals Wins: Lakers: 1, Clippers: 0

Let's go even deeper. Davis has received some nicknames during his time in Los Angeles due to his inability to stay healthy. People have called him “Street Clothes” or “Day to Davis,” but let's see how much playing time each duo has actually logged. Here's how many games each player and duo has played since the 2019-20 season:

LeBron James: 205

Anthony Davis: 163

Kawhi Leonard: 133

Paul George: 166

And as for the duos playing together:

LeBron James and Anthony Davis: 127 games played together

Kawhi Leonard and Paul George: 98 games played together

And finally, let’s look into the returns. The Lakers have been under scrutiny for “mortgaging their future" for Davis, who may I add, helped the team win their 17th championship in franchise history. But that’s neither here nor there. Each team gave up pretty hefty hauls, but the guy the Clippers lost is not talked about nearly enough compared to who the Lakers gave up.

Let's start with the Lakers:

Ingram was an All-Star two years ago, and was blossoming into one of the best one-on-one scorers in the league. But he’s been struck with the injury bug, playing in just 55 games last year, and 15 thus far this season.

Speaking of the injury bug, everyone likes to talk about how Ball developed into this great point guard with the New Orleans Pelicans and Chicago Bulls, but he hasn’t played since January 14 of 2022 — yes, 2022. He's played in just 35 games over the last two seasons, and has no timetable to return this season.

Finally there's Hart, who has been a solid role player over the course of his career, but nothing more.

As for the picks, the Pelicans traded the 2019 first-round pick from the Lakers for four picks, and did an incredible job of drafting. They also own the right to swap picks with the Lakers this season, and have another unprotected first-round pick next year (with the option to defer to 2025). Then, the trade will be complete.

As for the Clippers:

Gallinari was nothing more than a role player, although he did have a pretty impressive season in OKC in 2019-20 before he went to Atlanta. The five first-round picks and two pick swaps are quite the haul, and will halt the Clippers' ability to draft consistently every year until 2026. But I want to talk about the guy who has arguably turned into the best player in that trade in Gilgeous-Alexander.

SGA has blossomed into a superstar in this league at the age of 24. After making the All-Rookie Second Team with the Clippers in 2018-19, they shipped him off to OKC, where his career has taken off.

SGA has consistently improved in each of his first five seasons, taking the superstar leap this year. In 43 games this season, Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 30.7 points, 5.5 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks per game on sensational 50.9/35.5/90.6 shooting splits. His 30.7 points per game are good for fifth-best in the entire NBA, only trailing Joel Embiid, Luka Doncic, Jayson Tatum and Giannis Antetokounmpo. How's that for good company?

Gilgeous-Alexander is not only expected to make his first All-Star team this season, potentially even as a starter, he also finds himself among the top MVP candidates, even though he's on a supposedly tanking team that finds itself at 23-24 in the West. In NBA.com's most recent MVP ladder, Gilgeous-Alexander was ranked No. 9 — ahead of Jaylen Brown, Stephen Curry and James Harden, among others.

So yes, the Lakers may have given up some talent in Ingram, Ball, Hart and the picks, but it's nowhere near as much as what the Clippers gave up — and they're going to be feeling it for the next four seasons (and then the entirety of SGA's career).

So while all the talk has been about the Lakers "mortgaging their future" for AD, let's remember a few things:

1. The Lakers actually won a championship after their trade, and Davis played a huge part in it.

2. The Lakers didn't give up a future All-NBA talent and perennial MVP contender.

3. The Lakers traded just under half the amount of first-round picks the Clippers gave up.

4. The Lakers' duo has played nearly 30 more games together than the Clippers' duo, despite having a 38-year-old carrying the load.

I know people like to hate the Lakers, but all the disrespect surrounding the AD trade needs to stop. Or at the very least, if you're going to disrespect the Lakers' move, then make sure to show that same energy for the one the Clippers made. Because when it's all said and done, the Clippers' trade for Paul George is going to look a lot worse than the Lakers' trade for Anthony Davis, especially if the Clippers continue to fall short of a championship.

And at the end of the day, isn't the point of a win-now trade to, you know, win-now? Because if I'm not mistaken, that's exactly what the Lakers did.

Published
Noah Camras
NOAH CAMRAS

Noah graduated from USC in 2022 with a B.A. in Journalism and a minor in Sports Media Studies. He is the lead editor for All Lakers. He was born and raised in Los Angeles, and grew up a fan of all LA sports. 

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