How the Lakers, Pelicans, and Anthony Davis all win last summer’s trade

Anthony Davis made history in multiple ways on Wednesday evening. He stepped on the court in New Orleans in a non-Pelicans uniform for the first time in seven years. He suffered an injury mid-game and still played more minutes than he ever averaged with the Pelicans. He endured a historical amount of booing that lasted until the last second of the contest. Most impressively, he set a record for most points scored (41) in NBA history for a player in his first game against a former team. Davis clearly walked into Smoothie King Center with an purpose. He walked out with a victory. 

Davis is the prime example of the player empowerment movement that is currently sweeping the league. He knew where he wanted to play. He knew when he wanted to make the change. He made it happen. The Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans worked strictly around Davis’ agenda. The futures of all three parties involved in this summer’s blockbuster deal are still unclear. There is a path, however, for both teams and the superstar to all come out of this deal as winners. 

How Anthony Davis wins

Let’s start with Davis. There are very few paths that can lead Davis away from success. He is in full control of his free agency next summer. While he can sign with any team in the league that can afford him, it makes little sense for Davis to look elsewhere. The Lakers are currently sitting at 16-2 and have won nine straight. LeBron James is under contract until 2021, at which point he can opt in to an additional year. The window for a big paycheck and a championship or two has never been bigger for Davis. 

Even if Davis did opt to leave Los Angeles at the conclusion of this season, he still wins. His decision to jump ship would undoubtedly be motivated by a better opportunity. If a team can offer Davis and his brand more than the Lakers can in Los Angeles, then that organization deserves the superstar. That is a tall order and not one that is likely to be filled by any franchise. Anthony Davis will be paid like an MVP and the 2020’s will be characterized by his pursuit for a championship. 

How the Lakers win

The 2020 NBA Finals will mark ten years since the Lakers last competed for a title. In a city like Los Angeles, patience does not last much longer than this. The Lakers, and LeBron James, need to raise at least one more banner in the next few years. The path to winning the trade for the Lakers is singular. Win now. 

New Orleans controls most of the Lakers’ future assets. After paying Anthony Davis, Los Angeles will have to approach every season thereafter filling the rest of their team with players on rookie contracts and low-salary veterans. There is no time to waste. If James and Davis are still under contract with this team by the time they have a first round pick again, then the Lakers have won the trade. If not, the Lakers might resemble the Brooklyn Nets of the mid-2010’s. 

How the Pelicans win

The Pelicans have the most challenging path to walking out of the trade winners. They also, however, have the most time before a judgment can be made. Evaluations have to be made quickly for Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Josh Hart. Zion Williamson’s development will heavily sway this result. Most importantly, New Orleans will have to hit on the draft picks that they have stashed. 

That is a long list of tasks. However, they have the luxury of time to make decisions about their current players. Ball, Ingram, and Hart have all flashed potential and they are all still extremely young. Williamson, if healthy, could one day single-handedly replace Davis. Add to this the opportunity to find at least one other star in the draft with their pool of picks, and New Orleans can also walk away from this trade as winners. 

If all parties win, the Lakers’ championship runs over the next few years should be followed by Pelicans’ title runs. If the timing works, those Pelicans’ runs might even be led by a veteran Anthony Davis playing the role that LeBron is currently playing in Los Angeles. And, if that happens, we arrive at the point that was made at the start of this piece. In the era of player empowerment, the biggest winner when two teams trade can often be the player who is being traded. Good for you, Anthony.