It was obvious the Los Angeles Lakers was dead-serious to recruit another All-Star to pair with LeBron James. If the team hopes to score an NBA title bannered by King James, somebody in the caliber of, say an Anthony Davis, has to come in. And so he did but the Lakers needed to pay a big price to acquire the big man from the New Orleans Pelicans.
How big exactly? According to Forbes, the Davis deal saw the Lakers saying goodbye to Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart, not to mention draft picks that go all the way through 2025. For many analysts, AD joining the Lakers was a game-changer not only for L.A. but also for other teams.
It's like the Lakers gained Davis but the team had to forego other options of building up. Per the same report, a finalized deal on Davis by July 6 will leave L.A. with little room to maneuver for another All-Star recruit. Salary cap issues will prevent them from making an attractive offer to Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris of the Philadelphia 76ers, to the tune of over $32 million.
The only way the Lakers front office can still negotiate with Butler or Harris is for the Pelicans to delay the Davis deal on July 30. Yet from the reports by The Sixers Sense, AD seems a hundred percent to formally become a Laker on July 6, which means L.A. is most likely out of the running to land the two prized free agents.
On part of the Sixers, the Lakers getting their hands tied would be one less problem. While it doesn't necessarily follow that Butler and Harris will stay, Philadelphia can at least better prepare to make the duo stick around amidst the tempting offers thrown their way.
As for the Lakers, the team may not realize it instantly but the AD deal is a winner, according to the Los Angeles Times. As an immediate impact of Davis being added to the lineup, "the Lakers went from a team trying to win their first playoff game since 2012 to being arguably the best team in the league," the report added.
No matter the price to pay, the team had to make a hard grab when the opportunity to get Davis emerged. The Lakers cannot afford to wait as time is not on their side. James is not exactly young and sooner he gets a crack at winning an NBA title in L.A. the better for everybody.
It might be that the Lakers paid too much for Davis but he is worth every penny. AD working with James is reminiscent of the fabled team's dynastic era that won them multiple NBA trophies.
The prospect for the James-Davis tandem was best by LA Times: "James and Davis might be the best statistical pairing in league history, and could be the next duo to lead the Lakers to a championship."
