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Adrian WojnarowskiESPN
The Los Angeles Lakers reached an agreement to acquire three-time All-NBA forward Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans for three players and three first-round draft picks on Saturday, league sources told ESPN.
The Lakers paid a steep price to partner Davis with LeBron James: sending Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and the picks — including the No. 4 overall selection in Thursday’s NBA draft — to the Pelicans, sources said. The Lakers were able to hold on to forward Kyle Kuzma in the trade, which cannot be finalized until July 6.
New Orleans’ trade package from the Lakers represents one of the most substantial returns on a single star player in modern league history.
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Davis, who had requested a trade to L.A. in January, joins James in Los Angeles to create one of the most powerful duos in the NBA. James welcomed his future teammate on Saturday night, writing on Instagram: “AD on da way!! Let’s get it bro! Just the beginning.”
Davis has long indicated privately that he plans to sign a new contract with the Lakers once he becomes eligible for free agency in 2020, sources said.
The Pelicans’ return for Davis was substantial and perhaps even more impressive given that the market had shrunk on New Orleans, based upon rival teams believing he would ultimately become just a one-year rental before leaving for the Lakers next summer.
| Team | Title Odds |
|---|---|
| Lakers | 7-2 |
| Bucks | 6-1 |
| Clippers | 6-1 |
| Raptors | 8-1 |
| Rockets | 8-1 |
| Warriors | 11-1 |
| 76ers | 12-1 |
| Celtics | 13-1 |
| Nuggets | 15-1 |
| Nets | 20-1 |
| Knicks | 22-1 |
| — Caesars Sportsbook | |
The Pelicans now will have two of the top four picks in Thursday’s draft — No. 1 and No. 4. New Orleans will select Zion Williamson at No. 1 and now has the flexibility to select a player at No. 4 — or trade it at auction in the next several days.
New Orleans has had significant interest in talks with teams in recent days on the fourth overall pick, and those talks are expected to continue over the next several days, sources said. Teams are pursuing point guards Darius Garland and Coby White high in the lottery, giving New Orleans a chance for an even bigger haul from the deal.
The future picks going to the Pelicans include a 2021 pick that will go to New Orleans if it is in the top eight in that year’s draft — and will become an unprotected pick in 2022 if it isn’t — sources told ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.
In addition, the deal includes a pick swap in 2023, which is unprotected, as well as an unprotected first-round pick in 2024 that the Pelicans will have the right to defer until 2025, sources told Bontemps.
Ingram and Ball were the key players in the trade for the Pelicans, who imagine them in a starting lineup with Williamson and Jrue Holiday. Ingram has been recovering from a blood clot in his right shoulder that ended his season prematurely. He is expected to be back on the court in July — and ready for training camp in the fall, sources said.
If both sides agree to push back the trade call until July 30 — which is 30 days after first-round picks sign their contracts — Los Angeles will have $32.5 million in room to use in free agency.
By waiting those 30 days, Los Angeles would be acting like a team over the cap and would be allowed to use the fourth pick in the draft as salary. If the trade is finalized on July 6, that number will shrink to $27.8 million.
Davis also has a 15 percent trade bonus worth $4 million that would see the Lakers’ cap space shrink to $23.8 million if the trade is completed in the first week of July. Davis will have the right to void the bonus.
However, if the Pelicans wait 30 days from July 1 to complete the trade, they would have only $15 million in cap space rather than $19 million if the trade was completed July 6.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks contributed to this report.
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