Lakers News: Latest Buzz on Anthony Davis, New Signings

The Los Angeles Lakers are doing their best to recover from losing out on the Kawhi Leonard sweepstakes by making moves to fill out the rest of the roster around their dynamic duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

At the height of this year's free agency period, most NBA fans were waiting to hear Leonard's decision.

Would it be the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers or was he returning to the Toronto Raptors?

But once he decided to sign with the other L.A. team, Lakers fans zeroed in on who their team's front office would sign and finally hear from Davis about why he demanded the trade that brought him to the City of Angels.

Davis touched on a litany of things in his interview with Arash Markazi of the Los Angeles Times, including how he'd always looked up to his new superstar teammate.

"I always looked up to him," Davis said. "As a kid, [James] and Michael Jordan were the two guys I [admired]. I didn’t get a chance to watch Michael Jordan live, but I watched LeBron a lot after he entered the league and he was the guy that I looked up to."

The six-time All Star revealed that he lived in the L.A. during the summers and the city fits his personality.

But for Davis, the move wasn't about the weather or the $4 million trade bonus he waived to help the Lakers' efforts to clear salary cap space to pursue Leonard.

"Money comes and goes; your legacy is forever," Davis added. "I think how you establish yourself in the NBA and what you do on and off the court is something that people will remember forever. Obviously, our money is public and people know what we make, but at the end of the day no one cares about how much money you make.

"Anthony Davis is not going to be a great basketball player because of the amount of money he makes, it’s going to be about what he achieved on the court and also off the court. That’s all part of my legacy, and I think that’s way more valuable than any monetary value."

The Lakers made the Davis trade official on July 6, sending Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, Lonzo Ball, two first round picks, draft rights to De'Andre Hunter, a first-round pick swap and cash to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for their former franchise cornerstone.

"Anthony Davis is arguably the most dominant all-around young player in today's NBA," Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said in a press release via NBA.com. "Anthony represents everything we stand for, with his unwavering commitment to excellence as both a person and athlete. This is a historic moment for the Lakers franchise, and we couldn't be more proud to have him."

James was so elated to have Davis join him that he relinquished his No. 23 jersey number to him as a welcome gift.

"Obviously, Jordan wore it and me being younger, watching LeBron, that number just stuck with me," Davis said. "It was definitely exciting to know I had that number to follow Jordan and LeBron, who wore that number as well."

Davis, who played limited minutes by the Pelicans last season after he voiced his desire to leave, still averaged 25.9 points, 12 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 2.4 blocks and 1.6 steals per game.

He's looking to improve on those numbers next season and help L.A. get back in the playoffs after missing them in 2019.

"My goal is to win a championship," Davis said. "I expect to win every time I step on the court, every game. I want to win a title. That’s what it’s about — winning titles. That’s the only thing on my mind."

 

Lakers sign Devontae Cacok and Aric Holman

After getting the short end of the stick waiting for "Kawhi Watch" to end, the Lakers have been forced to scramble to find players that they hope will make their final roster.

To that end, L.A. has signed two undrafted rookies: former UNC Wilmington forward Devontae Cacok and Mississippi State forward Aric Holman.

Both players were added to the Lakers' summer league roster last month.

Terms of the deals were not disclosed, but they are both Exhibit 10 contracts.

According to Larry Coon, an Exhibit 10 contract gives a team the right to convert a player to a two-way deal. The contract has to be for the one year minimum with no bonuses or compensation protection.

The deals pave the way for Cacok and Holman to at least be at the Lakers' training camp where they can try to earn a roster spot or be sent to the team's G-League affiliate, South Bay Lakers.

In three summer league games, Cacok is averaging 13 points and 9.3 rebounds per contest.

"Because he’s more of an undersized guy, he’s probably gonna have to play like a small-ball five, like a Kenneth Faried type," Lakers summer league coach Miles Simon told SB Nation's Harrison Faigen.  "I think he can really flourish in that role because he rolls to the rim. He runs the floor, he defends at a pretty good level right now. And then he’s an elite rebounder.

"I think he’s a guy that will have a chance to play in the NBA one day if he just continues to develop. And I think he’s a guy that will relish that role. Being a screener, a rebounder, a defender, and a finisher around the basket."

Holman has averaged 5.3 points and 4.3 rebounds over the course of three games and projects to be a stretch-four as he develops into a pro.

Follow Maurice Bobb on Twitter, @ReeseReport