The Los Angeles Lakers gave up plenty of capital to get superstar big man Anthony Davis three years ago, but it paid off.
The dividends started showing up fast, as they won the NBA championship in his first season with them.
The past two campaigns, however, Davis has missed roughly half of the team’s games with multiple injuries, causing plenty of fans to question whether the team gave up too much for him or even if it should trade him.
Believe it or not, there are reportedly some within the organization who would like to explore Davis’ value on the open market, but only in a certain scenario.
Via Lakers Daily:
“Rumors continue to swirl, and there are reportedly some within the Lakers organization that want to see what the team could get for Anthony Davis on the trade market. It seems like everything depends on what happens with LeBron James.
“‘A lot of that depends on where LeBron (James) winds up,’ an anonymous Western Conference executive told Sean Deveney of Heavy.com. ‘If he stays in Los Angeles and he stays a Laker, he had a lot personally invested in A.D. being there so, yes, in that case, Davis stays. But it is not a sure thing. There are some in that organization who would not mind seeing what they can bring back for A.D., but they would not do it with LeBron there. You get to 2024, though, and maybe things change.’
“‘The Lakers have A.D. for two more years for sure, and they can only hope he stays healthy. But after that, they have to think, is this guy really our future? He can’t stay on the floor. And he has to think, do I want to be here without LeBron? That’s why the Lakers do not want to give up those future picks.'”
Davis may be injury-prone, but he has had multiple seasons in which he has remained relatively healthy. In the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons, he played in 75 contests each, and during the Lakers’ championship season, he appeared in 62 of a possible 71 games.
He could have yet another injury-riddled campaign this coming season, but he also could play in over 70 games.
The University of Kentucky product has proven an ideal 1B option for James, and as long as the latter remains in L.A. beyond this season, the former will continue to play his role ably as long as he’s healthy.
