Lakers Trade Rumors: Buzz on Anthony Davis, Lonzo Ball, Jabari Parker and More
Any Laker not named LeBron James is on the trade block, it seems, as L.A. reportedly continues to push to acquire New Orleans Pelicans star forward Anthony Davis.
On Monday, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Los Angeles Lakers' most recent offer to the Pelicans includes Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Lonzo Ball, two first-round picks and "a willingness to absorb the remaining $12.7 million on Solomon Hill's contract in the 2019-20 season."
Wojnarowski continued:
"Johnson delivered the offers in multiple phone conversations with New Orleans general manager Dell Demps on Monday, sources said. If nothing else, the Lakers have embarked on a more ambitious bid for Davis than they had made for Paul George and Kawhi Leonard in recent seasons after those players asked for trades with a full year left on their contracts.
"The Lakers are fighting both the clock on Thursday's trade deadline and the Pelicans' ability to hold on to Davis into the offseason, when there could be several new scenarios available to them."
Later Monday night, ESPN NBA reporter Ramona Shelburne expanded on Wojnarowski's reports by tweeting the following: "So far, the Lakers have felt conversations with New Orleans have been one-sided and they are growing increasingly pessimistic about the Pelicans' willingness to do a deal with them."
Since Davis requested a trade on Jan. 28, headlines have been dominated by his and the Lakers' wishes. However, it's the Pelicans who hold all of the cards as the Thursday trade deadline quickly approaches.
Continue on to read the latest on the Pelicans' reported point of view, where Lonzo Ball could fit in all of this as well as a surprise player now linked to the Lakers.
Will the Pelicans Hold Onto Anthony Davis?
According to Tania Ganguli and Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times, Davis has a shortlist of teams he would sign with long-term:
"Davis' representatives at Klutch Sports informed the Pelicans that there were only four teams with which Davis would be interested in signing long-term if they trade for him: the Lakers, Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks. Among those teams, only the Lakers are engaging with the Pelicans in trade talks.
"The Clippers had not reached out to the Pelicans when Davis' list became public. The Knicks tried last week but were rebuffed by the Pelicans. They then turned their attention toward trading star Kristaps Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks."
Wojnarowski adds that the Knicks haven't engaged again with New Orleans since trading Porzingis. While Davis can't become a free agent until July 2020, "he has no plans to sign an extension with any team this summer."
All these teams listed, but the only one that matters prior to Thursday is New Orleans.
Wojnarowski tweeted an update from the Pelicans' point of view, in which he paints a bleak picture for L.A.
It seems the Pelicans would rather let the trade deadline pass and bet on getting overwhelmed with offers from multiple teams in the offseason than rush into something with the Lakers.
LaVar Ball Speaks Out About Where Lonzo Should Be Traded
Countless people in and around the NBA are chiming in on Davis' market and L.A.'s pursuit of the six-time All-Star.
However, one voice consistently booms above the rest, and it belongs to Lonzo Ball's father, LaVar, who told ESPN.com's Ohm Youngmisuk that he wants his son to go to the Phoenix Suns should a trade actually come to fruition.
Youngmisuk further explained Ball's thinking to Burns & Gambo on 98.7 FM Arizona Sports Station: "At this point there's not much control the Ball camp is going to have over where Lonzo goes. At least them trying to state his preference of seeing Lonzo in Phoenix, perhaps they are trying to create any leverage that they have."
All of this follows Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium tweeted on Jan. 28 that Ball's camp "prefers Ball to be moved to a third team that doesn't have an established point guard" should a trade between the Lakers and Pelicans actually take place.
Ball has been out since suffering a Grade 3 left ankle sprain on Jan. 19 at Houston. At the time of the injury, the Lakers expected him to miss four to six weeks.
The No. 2 overall pick of the 2017 NBA draft is averaging 9.9 points per game, 5.4 assists per game and 5.3 rebounds per game in 47 games so far this season.
Lakers Viewed as Suitors for Former No. 2 Overall Pick Jabari Parker
Two years after Anthony Davis was selected first overall by the Pelicans, Jabari Parker was taken No. 2 overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2014. Parker's career has not soared as high as Davis', but the 23-year-old forward is still viewed as a commodity—just not by his current team, the Chicago Bulls.
Parker signed a one-year, $20 million contract with the Bulls ahead of this season, but Bleacher Report's Ken Berger wrote on Jan. 26 that Chicago is already wanting to part ways with Parker:
"'They'll try to trade him for anything they can get," one of the rival execs said. "It's going to have to be an expiring contract, but how many teams have expiring contracts that can stack up to [$20 million]? Not many. I think they'll just buy him out.'
"According to a person familiar with the dynamic between Parker's camp and the Bulls, a buyout is not currently on the table. But that could change if the Bulls haven't found a trade partner by the Feb. 7 deadline."
The Bulls may have a trade partner in L.A., according to ESPN NBA reporter Brian Windhorst. During his Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective podcast with Jackie MacMullan and Tim MacMahon, Windhorst hinted at a potential trade before the deadline involving Parker and 25-year-old Lakers guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope:
"[KCP] is available and has been floated out there for some spots. One place that they have talked to—now I’m not saying this deal is going to get done—but one place they have talked to is Chicago for Jabari Parker. And the thing about this is that Caldwell-Pope has to approve of a trade.
"I'm not sure that's going to get done, but that's been discussed. The Bulls really like Caldwell-Pope. ... Jabari Parker could be a Laker within the next few days. Jabari is a polarizing player, but he might be interesting on the Lakers."
Windhorst went on to note the Lakers are 10th place in the Western Conference and simply want pieces to help them make the playoffs this season.
Parker's NBA career has been hampered by injuries, including suffering a torn left ACL twice in his first three seasons in the league. This season, Parker has played in 39 games, averaging 14.3 points per game and 6.2 rebounds per game on a 12-41 Bulls squad.
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