LeBron James has his second star next to him.
Things had been building toward this for more than a week. Boston was holding back. The Clippers and Nets couldn’t get any traction. And there were the Lakers with a good package that was as good as it was likely going to get.
In the end, that deal — one the Pelicans did not take at the trade deadline — got it done.
Anthony Davis is on his way to the Lakers for Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, and three first-round picks including this year’s No. 4, a story broken by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
The Pelicans have agreed to a deal to trade Anthony Davis to the Lakers for Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and three first-round picks – including the No. 4 overall in 2019 Draft, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 15, 2019
Monster haul for David Griffin and the Pelicans. They maximized the AD trade without needing a third team. History of Griffin deals typically include strong pick protections, which could made trade even better. And now, LeBron gets his second star in LA. Here we go. https://t.co/Yf6cjlhvv4
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 15, 2019
The Lakers were able to keep Kyle Kuzma in the trade, something that mattered to them.
While how the Lakers round out their roster will matter — they may want to add some shooting this time — this vaults them into contender status, especially in a West with an injury-riddled Golden State squad. The Lakers still have the cap space to try to add a third star to the roster.
The Pelicans got a haul here that jumpstarts a rebuild: Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram as the forwards, whoever they take with the No. 4 pick, Lonzo Ball will back up Jrue Holiday (and Ball should thrive in Alvin Gentry’s up-tempo system, it plays to his strengths), Josh Hart is a solid role player. That is a team that could hang around and compete for a playoff spot in the West if things break right for them.
