LA Clippers Rumors: Lakers reportedly “pull out” of Anthony Davis trade talks
According to rumors, the Los Angeles Lakers have reportedly “pulled out” of trade talks for Anthony Davis, clearing the way for the LA Clippers to make an offer of their own.
According to the LA Times’ Brad Turner, the Los Angeles Lakers have reportedly “pulled out” of trade talks with the New Orleans Pelicans in regards to superstar forward Anthony Davis. The LA Clippers have still reportedly not made an offer for Davis, but are on his list of preferred teams, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
In his most recent report, Turner wrote that on late Monday night, the Lakers had agreed to send their entire young core to the New Orleans Pelicans at their request. That offer reportedly included Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart and Ivica Zubac, as well as Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. However, the Lakers would not send the “six to eight” draft picks that the Pelicans wanted, which is why they have decided to pull out of discussions.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski has also chimed in on the situation, stating that the Lakers would be glad to continue talking with the Pelicans, but no longer want to continue out-bidding themselves. Wojnarowski also said that the Lakers would like the Pelicans to “show more initiative in the process”, and that they will be waiting for a counter-proposal.
Although the LA Clippers have reportedly not submitted a trade proposal for Davis, the LA Times’ Andrew Greif wrote on Monday that the team’s interest in the situation is “unclear”, while implying that the Clippers could engage in discussions with the Pelicans at some point before Thursday’s deadline.
However, Greif continued by saying that protecting financial flexibility this summer is LA’s top priority. Because of that, it’s hard to predict whether or not the Clippers will submit an offer for Davis.
If the Clippers do choose to get involved, they likely would not have the assets to land Davis. Considering the Pelicans have already turned down an offer including five former first-round picks, as well as two future first-round picks, it’d be hard to imagine them accepting any offer from the Clippers. However, it’s unclear if the Pelicans are completely unwilling to deal Davis, or if they just don’t want to deal him to the Lakers. And until any of the other teams on Davis’ list submit a trade offer, that will remain unclear.
LA’s best offer would likely need to consist of both Tobias Harris and Danilo Gallinari, as well as Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jerome Robinson, plus a few picks. The Clippers would also need to take on some sort of cap relief from the Pelicans, likely in the form of Solomon Hill, who has reportedly been involved in conversations between themselves and the Lakers.
If the asking price for Davis is truly that high, the Clippers would be better off sitting pat right now and waiting until this summer to make any sort of deal. But even that would be difficult, meaning LA’s best chance to land him would be ahead of Thursday’s deadline.
Next. Three trade packages that could help the Clippers get Davis. dark
Whether the LA Clippers will pursue Davis remains to be seen, but if they continue to hesitate, their best window to land him will likely disappear.