Anthony Davis Trade Rumors: Lakers Need to Open Offer with Lonzo, Kuzma and More

If the Los Angeles Lakers want to pair Anthony Davis with LeBron James, it's going to cost them most (if not all) of their young core.

Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times reported any Lakers trade has to "start" with a package of Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Ivica Zubac and a first-round pick.

Agent Rich Paul told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski that Davis will not sign an extension in New Orleans and has requested a trade.

"Anthony wants to be traded to a team that allows him a chance to win consistently and compete for a championship," Paul said. "Anthony wanted to be honest and clear with his intentions, and that's the reason for informing them of this decision now. That's in the best interests of both Anthony's and the organization's future."

Tania Ganguli of ESPN reported that in recent weeks, the Lakers had been "adamant internally" they wouldn't deal Ball but added it's "unclear if that has changed" now that Davis has requested an exit from New Orleans.

On the surface, that trade package for Davis looks underwhelming. Anything that does not involve Brandon Ingram will likely be a nonstarter. Ingram has lost a bit of his luster this season around the league, but he still has the highest ceiling of young Laker. It may take all of Ball, Kuzma and Ingram to get a deal done by the time the bidding war is over—and that would certainly be a trade off Lakers fans would make.

Davis is a generational superstar who can not only pair with LeBron James not but can also lead the franchise post-LeBron. Anyone with deductive reasoning skills could put together Davis and the Lakers even before this trade request. Paul is LeBron's agent and good friend. While Klutch is Paul's company, James has helped him build it and the pair work together on other business ventures.

Getting Davis to the Lakers to pair with LeBron would be a perfect scenario from a marketing, basketball and friendship standpoint.

The Lakers have spent the last half-decade building up their young core for a moment like this. None of the Ingram-Ball-Kuzma trio is a surefire future All-Star. They've all intermittently struggled this season, and their shortcomings have been all the more apparent with LeBron out of the lineup due to a groin injury.

If L.A. can get New Orleans to an agreement before the Boston Celtics get in the mix this summer, they should run, not walk, to get the job done.