As the sun set on Saturday, June 15, 2019, the world was still celebrating the first NBA Championship to go North of the Border. But, something was coming that was going to be the next big story until the NBA Draft later this week. Anthony Davis, the 2nd biggest star in New Orleans, was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, instantly making the Lakers the heavy favorites to win the 2020 NBA Finals, having 7-2 odds to win it all.
But, while many have discussed that the Lakers have instantly gotten better, what should be considered is the severe risk that the Lakers have taken. In exchange for Davis, the Lakers traded PG Lonzo Ball, SF Brandon Ingram, and SG Josh Hart, along with 3 1st-Round Picks. The Pelicans now hold the 1st and 4th Overall picks in this year’s NBA Draft. Yet, while receiving all of this, there is a debate as to who got the better end of the deal.
The debate is that the Lakers will now be unstoppable with LeBron James and Anthony Davis and should plow their way to the title. However, there is a caveat to this perception. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the legendary Herschel Walker trade between the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings. Initially, the Cowboys went from bad to worse and everyone thought the Vikings had hit a slam dunk. But with the draft picks and decent players they received, the Cowboys established on of the NFL’s great dynasties and Minnesota went backwards.
The Pelicans received a decent supply of youth and have the chance to possibly land not only Zion Williamson, but maybe RJ Barrett or just about anyone else they want. With newly hired GM Trajan Langdon, the Pelicans could assemble a team that may contend in the Western Conference, possibly next year, but definitely by 3 years from now. But their counterparts may not be so fortunate.
The Lakers are in a much different boat, having two legitimate superstars and Championship aspirations for next year. However, how long will this last? LeBron James is already 34 years old and coming off a year in which he missed 16 games due to a groin injury. Davis is 26 years old and hasn’t had much success since leaving the University of Kentucky in 2012, but is still an elite player with Hall of Fame skill. But after these two, the talent drops off fast on the Lakers with the next best player being Kyle Kuzma, (who is a fine player, but not Davis and James).
Altogether, the projection should be that the Lakers will be a solid team next year and make the playoffs anywhere from the 5th to 2nd Seed. But the Pelicans will receive the long term success of the deal with their accumulation of youth and talent.
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