The basketball world is waiting on an Anthony Davis deal. Every single Woj tweet that has nothing to do with an AD trade is driving me insane. Yesterday, there was a bunch of news about a potential deal, but nothing happened. Per Woj, the Lakers and Celtics are both talking with the Pelicans as well as other teams to try and get a deal done. The Lakers have reportedly put the 4th pick in this year's draft, Lonzo Ball, and Brandon Ingram on the table.
More reports have stated that the Pelicans want to try and flip the 4th pick for a veteran player. With that in mind, we decided to have some fun with the trade machine and cook up three-team deals that would send AD to the Lakers and get the Pelicans some veteran help.
Please note that I'm going to Las Vegas immediately if any of these end up being correct. Also, the money works on these deals, but some of the filler players like Rajon Rondo could be interchangeable with other players. Just wanted to make the money work.
Bulls Get In on the Fun
In this trade, the Bulls end up with the 4th pick from the Lakers and send Zach LaVine to the Pelicans. AD ends up with the Lakers, while they also get to keep Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart. In this deal, the Pelicans get to build a core around Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, Jrue Holiday, Lonzo Ball, and LaVine. They could do a lot worse, TBH.
Kevin Love Gets Traded
David Griffin has traded for Kevin Love once, so why not again? In this scenario the Pelicans get some elite floor spacing to pair with Zion Williamson, which will be key for him in the NBA. The Pels also get the unique JR Smith contract, who they could immediately waive and clear his non-guaranteed money off of their books. For the Cavs, they continue their rebuild and add more draft assets for the future.
Steven Adams Is on the Move
The Thunder are in a tough spot heading into this offseason. They don't have a lot of financial freedom and can't really improve the roster. In this situation, they flip Steven Adams to the Pelicans and not only get the 4th pick in the draft, but another future first round pick from the Lakers. This would allow them to add immediate talent to the roster while clearing out Adams' contract. For the Pelicans, they add a legit center to play alongside Zion, as well as Ball and Ingram.
The Heat Get Active
The Heat are a sneaky team that could pop up in the Anthony Davis trade talks. In this scenario, they shed some money sending out James Johnson and his contract, but also get the 4th pick in return from the Lakers. For the Pelicans, they would get the haul from the Lakers, but also Josh Richardson from Miami, who is one of the most underrated players in the league.
The Pelicans Get Bradley Beal
This has been a popular deal on NBA Twitter, so why not? In this deal, the Wizards send Bradley Beal to the Pelicans and get the 4th pick from the Lakers. For the Pels, getting a player like Beal would be a great haul and give Zion an immediate second option on the floor.
