Anthony Davis Trades

The news that Anthony Davis will be seeking a move away from the New Orleans Pelicans is a momentous one. Davis is arguably the best power forward in a basketball and is a complete player who will improve a championship team to the nth degree. Rich Paul stated that Davis wanted to win championships to Adrian Wojnarowski and would seek a trade from the franchise in order to achieve this goal. The list of eligible suitors for Davis is arguably every single team in the league but there are few suitable packages which could pry Davis from New Orleans’ grip.

The package for Davis would have to be a combination of talent and draft picks that have very little protections. It should be noted that in these trade proposals, there is no definitive criteria. It is possible that New Orleans tear everything down and will rebuild from ground-up as per the Dwight Howard trade in 2012. However, recent trades of All-NBA players have suggested that retooling rather than rebuilding is a more suitable option. The Blake Griffin netted the Clippers an All-Star quality player which has ensured future contention, the George netted the Pacers an All-Star and the Kyrie trade was projected to obtain a MVP candidate for Cleveland.

Toronto Raptors send: Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam, 2020 unprotected first round pick and 2021 unprotected first round pick

New Orleans Pelicans send: Anthony Davis, Nikola Mirotic

In terms of trades, the Raptors trade is certainly interesting. It would provide the Raptors with the type of ceiling that would be unmatched in the Eastern Conference, they would have two premier level talents to stake against the Celtics, Sixers and Bucks. Davis and Leonard would be able to play basketball on both sides on the ball and could potentially provide the type of stopping power that is required to beat the Warriors in an NBA Finals series. However, there are a few issues with the trade on the side of Toronto. The trade of Lowry would mean that there are no high-level play-makers on the team who can create scoring opportunities, the point guard duties would fall to Fred VanVleet who is not experienced like Kyle Lowry. Moreover, there are some fit issues with the proposed trade. Davis would require the ball to score out of the post and in pick-and-roll situations. Kawhi mostly scores in isolation using dribble-drive moves and crafty finishing around the rim. It is entirely possible that both players do not fully maximise each other’s talents.

For New Orleans, this type of deal is desirable. New Orleans would receive a tough point guard who is incredibly talented and vastly experienced. Kyle Lowry has consistently proved that he is an elite point guard when healthy, there are very few one-guards who have multi-faceted games like Lowry does. Moreover, the Pelicans would receive Pascal Siakam who is a forward who has plenty of potential.

Over the current season, Siakam has elevated his game to being a crucial member of the Raptors, in many ways Siakam has become the de facto third option behind Kyle Lowry and Kawhi Leonard. He would be a promising young player for the Pelicans to pick up as Siakam is a late-bloomer, it is possible that his skills develop even further as a basketball player. A back-court of Lowry/Holiday with Siakam in the front-court would be competitive in the race for the play-offs in the West.

Los Angeles Clippers send: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jerome Robinson, Danilo Gallinari and a top-fifteen protected draft pick in 2020.

New Orleans Pelicans: Anthony Davis and Wesley Johnson

This trade is left-field to say the least but the Clippers trade assets need to be considered. The Clippers do not have much in the way of draft assets but they have two promising young talents who could feasibly act as a cornerstone pieces for a rebuilding Pelicans. Gilgeous-Alexander in his rookie season has shown a lot of promise. Shai is a long talented defender who has shown an ability to create opportunities for other places. The advanced statistics suggest that there is a high ceiling for Alexander, at present he has a TS of 54% and accounts for 1.3 Win Shares on a contending Clippers team. It is possible to see Gilgeous-Alexander projecting as a tall, gritty one-guard who can shoot the ball effectively. A close comparison to Gilgeous-Alexander would be Shaun Livingston in his early years when he was an ascendant force.

Jerome Robinson has not played much for the Clippers in his current season due to a large guard rotation and the fact that Doc Rivers likes to give young players time to develop into NBA players. However, Robinson showed a lot of potential with Boston College last season. Robinson shot 40.9% from three-point land and 53.3% from two which suggests that he’ll project as a talented shooter in the future. It would be natural to expect regression in efficiency as Robinson shoots in greater volume but he is a tempting prospect for a team to acquire.

Gallinari is flirting with a 50/40/90 and has proved himself to be an all-around forward who can operate in different situations. Gallinari is an efficient who can create his own shot and takes good shots. Gallinari rarely takes contested long twos and the majority of his shot diet comes from three. This is great news for any team that he plays on as Gallinari shoots 44.6% from outside. Gallinari would be an experienced player who can act as a stop-gap during the retooling process. It must also be noted that Gallinari’s contract will expire in the 2020 offseason. The Gallinari deal will become expiring from next season which will provide New Orleans with further options. It is possible that around the 2020 trade deadline, Gallinari is flipped for bad contracts and assets from a desperate team. Even so, Gallinari’s contract coming off the books in 2020 will mean that cap space opens up that New Orleans can use for another purpose.

On the side of the Clippers, acquiring Anthony Davis would give LA the type of star that the Clippers is currently missing. The Clippers at present has a lot of depth in the form of Tobias Harris, Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell and Danillo Gallinari. This means that the Clippers have plenty of scoring but there is no de facto option where the ball falls to in a crunch-time situation. This can be issue against teams like Golden State and Toronto who have killers in the clutch who can clamp down defensively while also getting buckets. Anthony Davis would provide the Clippers with a simple option in crunch-time, give ‘The Brow’ the ball and let him work. It would also take the Clippers from being a team filled with good players to having a top-five player who can dominate the court.

Oklahoma City Thunder send: Steven Adams, Hamidou Diallo and 2021 draft pick

New Orleans Pelicans send: Anthony Davis and Solomon Hill

The Thunder could make another splash by acquiring Davis as he will provide the team with so many more options. Davis is more adept in the post in comparison to Steven Adams and can also handle the ball. In terms of play creation, this is significant for the Thunder as it spreads the pressure to create amongst three players rather than two. There are issues in regards to sharing the ball between Westbrook, Davis and George. All three players are talented creators with the ball and it could mean that on a game to game basis a player could be marginalised on offence.

The Thunder would lose a cornerstone type of player in the form of Steven Adams who epitomises the idea of intangibles. Adams is well-liked in the locker-room and his team-mates appreciate his sense of humour. Moreover, in terms of on-court impact, Adams plays hard and hustles on every play. He will consistently set hard screens and play physical defense. It is possible that by trading Adams, the hard-nosed qualities are lost.

A Big Three of Anthony Davis, Paul George and Russell Westbrook would be devastating and arguably the greatest collection of talent behind only the Warriors. There are other star-driven teams in the league but I struggle to see which other teams have the same level of talent with the type of offensive variety that the Thunder would display. The Thunder could feasibly run Davis pick-and-rolls with Westbrook that could result in a Westbrook dunk, a lob to Davis or an open three for Paul George. It would strain defences as there is nobody in the Thunder starting five who you can sag off on and would force a team like the Warriors to expend more effort on the defensive end.

The Pelicans would benefit from this trade in two distinct ways. Steven Adams would be a defensive presence who would massively improve the team from being 20th ranked in defensive rating. The Pelicans currently give up 111.4 PPG which is a far cry from being efficient defensively. Moreover, Steven Adams has flashed a burgeoning offensive game. In the past seasons, he has added post-moves and a fliphook shot from mid-range. He has been working on a three-ball which could make him invaluable for New Orleans in the future. Adams is not the type of finished article that Davis is, he is not a first-option for a play-off team and may struggle with his assertiveness on the court. However, Steven Adams is locked up until the 2021 off-season and the type of progression that he has already shown indicates that there is still further growth for him.

Moreover, a trade with Oklahoma City is attractive as a salary dump. Solomon Hill was signed to a 4/48 deal in the summer of 2016. 2016 was an interesting year for the NBA as it resulted in many role players being overpaid massively. Players like Bismack Biyombo and Luol Deng both commanded guaranteed deals that worth $70m. In the case of the Pelicans, the Solomon Hill contract remains on their books for $25m over the next two seasons. Hill’s contract has somewhat hamstrung the Pelicans and stopped them from making trades that would improve the team as Hill was not an asset that other teams wanted to acquire. The Thunder currently have a $10.9m that could be used to absorb Hill’s contract.

The benefits of moving Solomon Hill in a Davis trade is clear, New Orleans manage to get off a bad contract which would create around $13m in cap space. This type of cap saving is not insignificant and could come in handy in both the 2019 and 2020 off-season. Providing that players like Wesley Johnson, Tim Frazier and Darius Miller have their cap holds renounced, New Orleans could create up to $27m in cap space. This would be enough capital to sign a max-deal free agent.

Los Angeles Lakers send: Lonzo Ball, Ivica Zubac, Brandon Ingram, 2019 first-round pick and lottery-protected first round pick in 2020.

Pelicans send: Anthony Davis

This trade has been floated around by all of the talking heads but it needs breaking down as it is possibly the best offer that the Pelicans will get. The Pelicans will get three young players that a youth movement can be started around along with the possibility of two more talented draft picks. Lonzo Ball certainly has flaws as a point guard. Ball is reticent to shoot and is inefficient from the field. However, he has something that many young point guards do not have, a distinct feel for the game. The sophomore player has consistently displayed an ability to get team-mates involved and make the right pass. Lonzo for all of his faults has shown aptitude when operating as a play-maker for a team, in an Alvin Gentry system Ball should fit well.

Brandon Ingram would provide the Pelicans with an isolation scorer who can be relied upon to get a bucket. Ingram being drafted to the Lakers in 2016 has affected the development of his skills. At the time, New Orleans had plenty of nice young players but they did not have a consistent scorer. Over the last two seasons, Ingram has moulded into an isolation scorer who can create his own shot. This is a great skill to have when the offence breaks down and motion offence cannot create a bucket. For New Orleans, Ingram would provide a focal point on offence who still has plenty of room to grow. The Laker forward is also physically gifted, he stands 6'9 and has a 7'3 wingspan. He could develop into an enveloping defender who could lock players with his physical abilities. There is a lot to like for New Orleans if they acquire Brandon Ingram

Ivica Zubac would be a supplementary player in this trade but as a player, Zubac projects incredibly well. Ivica’s per 36 numbers have him averaging 20.3/11.6/2.0. These numbers need to be taken with a grain of salt given the fact that there will be regression in efficiency when players play a certain amount of minutes. However, there are some statistics that indicate that the per 36 numbers are not overly optimistic. Zubac has a TS of 65% and WS of 1.8 shares. These numbers suggest that Ivica is an efficient offensive player who consistently makes winning plays. In addition to this, Zubac is an experienced player who has been playing professional basketball for six years, a lot of his game is polished and will provide an instant impact.

For the Lakers, acquiring Anthony Davis is the endgame. LeBron James turned 34 and has played more minutes that anybody else in the NBA. James has consistently played over ninety games for eight straight seasons. It is unknown how long that James can sustain his body in order to perform at the highest level. At the best, the Lakers have three years to win a championship with LeBron. They simply do not have the time to wait for players like Lonzo and Ingram to develop, they need to win now. Anthony Davis provides the best chance of this for the Lakers as it means that two top-five players are on the same team.

It is easy to imagine LeBron operating as a point forward who is creating scoring opportunities for Davis. In that regards, it is possible to see LeBron deferring as the primary scoring option as he did on occasion with Kyrie Irving in Cleveland. The benefits of this is that LeBron will be saving his body which would prolong his career even further while also placing Davis with the greatest play-maker that he will have played with in his career. The type of partnership would cause a headache for the Warriors. LeBron and Davis both require tremendous defensive attention and the size of both players means that both Draymond Green and Kevin Durant will have their hands full on the defensive end. The Lakers could potentially exploit the Warriors’ only vulnerability. In the 2016 NBA Finals, Cleveland proved that Golden State could be beaten if the game were slowed down and Golden State were physically beaten up. Davis and James can both dominate physically and wear players like Draymond and Curry down.

The other key effect of the Lakers acquiring Davis could be that the combo of LeBron/Davis will attract other talented free agents who may be interested in joining a super-team. Players such as Klay Thompson and Jimmy Butler who are in the prime of their careers may be interested in getting a ring that can be used to fill out their resumes. Thompson has already won three rings with the Warriors but it must be considered that the Warriors’ future may not be as rosy if Durant and Cousins both leave. Jimmy Butler craves a ring and it is possible that he will join the King in LA to form the type of talent collective that could feasibly contend with the Warriors.

New York Knicks: Updated

The trade relating to Anthony Davis and Kristaps Porzingis is now completely off-the-table given the fact that Porzingis has been traded to the Dallas Mavericks. The Porzingis trade is obviously shocking but it means that the Knicks do not necessarily have the assets necessary to acquire a player of Davis’ calibre. The Knicks have valuable draft picks that could be worth a lot to a team like the Pelicans. It could have potentially meant that the Pelicans could acquire a franchise cornerstone like Zion on a team-controlled deal. However, the Knicks have no players that are worth a fuck. Ntilikina is too raw, Mudiay is inconsistent, Enes Kanter cannot play defence. There is possibility that Kevin Knox and Noah Vonleh could be of value but these are not trade centerpieces in a trade for an MVP-candidate.

Golden State Warriors send: Klay Thompson and Draymond Green

Pelicans send: Anthony Davis, E’Twaun Moore and Solomon Hill

The Golden State requires Klay Thompson to be re-signed in the 2019 off-season and then traded to the Pelicans as part of a package deal with Draymond Green. This type of deal would require a lot of cold rationalisation on the part of the Warriors’ front office. Klay and Draymond are Day Ones for the Warriors, both players were at the start of the dynasty and have been key members of the Warriors. It can be very difficult to think objectively towards players who the coaching staff and front-office have close relationships with.

Davis would have a serious impact on the Golden State Warriors within the type of motion offence that Steve Kerr preaches. Golden State would suddenly have the ability to run plays through Davis, Durant and Curry. All three players are efficient scorers in isolation, in the pick-and-roll and other scoring opportunities. Davis would also be important in terms of shoring up the Warriors defence. Durant and Curry are both defenders who can play team defence but they are not supremely talented in terms of stopping another player in an one on one situation. Anthony Davis is a skilled rim protector and has much success when it comes to pick-and-roll situations. Davis is also laterally fast enough and lengthy enough to guard smaller players on the perimeter effectively.

The Pelicans would benefit from trading Davis to the Warriors as it would both weaken the Warriors position as a team while also improving the Pelicans as a team. Draymond Green is a DPOY-calibre talent who reads the game effectively and uses his knowledge to be a lock-down defender. Green is not necessarily the fastest or largest forward but he has uncanny defensive instincts and the experience to play at the highest level. Moreover, acquiring Green would relieve some of the play-making duties from Jrue Holiday. Green averages 7.3 assists from the forward spot which could potentially give Holiday a chance to take a breather on offence. The purpose of this would be to reduce Holiday’s fatigue and keep him fresh for the play-offs.

Klay Thompson would provide an All-Star shooter who can score from different spots on the floor. Thompson has consistently proved that he is an efficient scorer who can put up around twenty points a game per season. In terms of shooting, Klay has still been white-hot even in a down year. Thompson has shot 51.8% from two and 38.0% from three. This type of efficiency is welcome for any basketball club as it means that there is a reliable scoring option who does not waste countless possessions. Moreover, Thompson is a superb defensive force at the wing spot. Klay could take on the toughest defensive assignment and would slow down a player like Lillard or Bradley Beal while also scoring efficient offence.

In terms of remaking the New Orleans Pelicans side, it would provide the team with an identity that all of the players can rally around. Holiday, Green, Thompson would be filthy defensively. All three are arguably top-five defenders at their position, New Orleans would be a crew of defensive stoppers. The trade with the Warriors would also rid New Orleans of both Hill and Moore’s contract. This could create cap space that can be used for new players who can be positive forces for New Orleans.

Boston Celtics

The Celtics can provide many different trade packages that can get a trade done for Anthony Davis. The trades could involve Gordon Hayward, Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum and multiple draft picks among others. The type of trades will be outlined below.

Celtics send: Gordon Hayward, 2019 Kings Pick, 2020 Grizzlies Pick and 2019 Clippers Pick

Pelicans send: Anthony Davis and E’Twaun Moore

At present, Hayward’s value is in the tank but it is should be an easy sell for ‘Dealer’ Danny Ainge. Gordon Hayward was a multi-faceted star in Utah who was arguably one of the best pick-and-roll operators in the league. He proved himself to be adept and efficient when operating as both the screener and the play-maker. Hayward’s contract is lengthy enough that there is no initial pressure of Hayward to perform instantly. It is possible that New Orleans could re-tool in the medium-term and be a balanced roster. Hayward would go a long way in terms of establishing a solid building block for a roster full of young recent draftees.

The draft picks would also be very desirable. The Kings Pick and Clippers will likely convey as late-lottery picks or mid first-round picks. The assets have depreciated given the fact that the Sacramento Kings have made strides with their young roster and the Clippers have not completely fallen off a cliff as they killed the ‘Lob City’ Era. That being said, two first-round draft picks provide New Orleans to use totally liquid assets.

Draft picks are the most liquid currency in the NBA, there is no need to salary match or provide any consideration for specific provisos like trade kickers. For this reason, draft picks are valued highly as commodities. These draft picks could be used in further trades down the line that could be used to move up in the draft or acquire other talented young players. The draft picks in the 2019 draft could also be used to select players like Tre Jones and Rui Hachimura who could potentially be franchise-type players.

Boston Celtics send: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Terry Rozier, the 2019 Kings Pick and the Memphis Pick

This type of trade would appeal to the New Orleans Pelicans providing that they want to take on a full-scale rebuild. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown would go a long way in order to form the type of young core that could be serious contenders in three to four years time. Jaylen Brown has flashed a lot of BBIQ, he consistently makes the smart play on the Celtics. Brown is a talented defender in only his third season and has learned how to use his frame to beat players off the dribble. Brown has struggled in his third year with his shooting and role on offence but this can be chalked down to the fact that Boston have had to re-integrate both Kyrie and Gordon.

Last season, Jaylen Brown became important in the Celtics offence by default, Kyrie and Gordon both missed large periods of time due to injuries which has meant that Jaylen Brown grew into being a reliable contributor. It is arguable that Jaylen displayed his ability to contribute in a play-off environment. Brown averaged 18.0 PPG over eighteen play-off games while having an eFG of 54.9%. This suggests that Jaylen Brown has a high floor and an even higher ceiling. Providing that Jaylen develops play-making chops, he could potentially be a five-way player who can score in different situations while also playing hard defense. There are very few players in the association who have these talents and the majority of these are All-NBA talents. Jimmy Butler, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard are all well-rounded forwards who are five-way players, Brown projects as this quality of player.

Jayson Tatum is an even better young player for a rebuilding team to acquire. Tatum is still on his rookie-scale contract and demonstrated an ability to be the lead-scoring option in pressure situations. The troubles that the Celtics have had with chemistry this season has somewhat hidden what Tatum achieved in the play-offs last year. Tatum was a key component of the Celtics run to the Eastern Conference Finals and went toe to toe with LeBron James while averaging 18/4/3 as a rookie. His performance as a rookie is paralleled by only a few other players in the NBA.

Tatum still needs to improve as an NBA player in terms of developing a better feel for the game at the NBA level. Jayson Tatum has developed a shooter’s mentality in this current season after training with Kobe Bryant in the off-season. The shooter’s mentality is not a bad thing as it indicates that Jayson is aggressive and is willing to improve his ability exponentially. However, it has meant that Tatum has developed an inefficient shot diet over long contested twos that are analytically the worst shot to take. An eighteen foot jumper requires a lot of effort in order to generate very little reward. This type of improvement needs to come around for Jayson Tatum in order for him to taking another leap but it is likely that he just needs time.

The Celtics can put the best collection of assets together for the Pelicans. The Celtics offer two distinct offers that the Pelicans could use in different ways. The Pelicans could go for a retooling that ensures play-off contention or opt for a rebuild with two talented young assets.

Philadelphia Send: Ben Simmons, Wilson Chandler, 2019 first-round draft pick and 2021 Heat Pick

New Orleans Pelicans Send: Anthony Davis

The trade for Philadelphia is incredibly tempting as it provides the opportunity to stack another star on the roster. The only difference being is that Davis can shoot the ball in comparison to Ben Simmons who plainly refuses to shoot the basketball. Philly have serious spacing issues and when the primary play-maker refuses to even countenance the idea of shooting the ball, it means that offensive options becomes even more limited. Players will simply sag off Simmons and allow him to shoot, Boston did this last year in the play-offs which was a key reason for the Sixers were knocked out of the play-offs. The road-map that Boston provided could be an Achilles Heel for this Sixers team. Trading Simmons for Davis would be a fix to this problem as Davis will shoot the ball.

The type of spacing that a big who can shoot the ball is paramount to a team’s success. Davis or Embiid being able to step out on the perimeter will mean that there is greater space to operate for players like Jimmy Butler. The simple mission of this is that this will mean that there is greater offensive fluency as lanes are not clogged and players like Embiid are not as targeted on the defensive end. Moreover, Davis/Embiid is a twin towers front-court that we have not seen for at least a few decades. That combination would be strong defensively while also being able to create out of the post and in other situations. They are two of the most talented unicorns in the NBA and putting both players together would mean that defences will struggle to stop both Embiid and Davis.

New Orleans will gain a coveted asset who has shown an ability to function as a basketball at a high-level. Ben Simmons is a talented distributor and has the size to bully his way to the rim and score. Simmons currently shoots 74.4% on shots that are within 3 feet on the rim. Simmons as a player does have his flaws, he does not have a functional jump-shot and shoots 58.2% on FTA. Ben Simmons as a player can survive as a basketball without being a good outside shooter providing that he can knock free throws down at a regular rate. Simmons shooting 58.2% is not good enough for a point guard who cannot stretch defences out at all. It means that defences will collapse and foul Simmons knowing that he’ll only make 5.8 free throws out of 10. This is not enough free points from the line in order to be an efficient and productive player. The issues with Simmons can be fixed providing that there is enough work put in. The free throws issues can be fixed providing that Simmons practice free throws relentlessly in the off-season.

The trades outlined are just a few proposals that could be used to acquire Davis. The trade rumours and proposals will likely escalate into a full-scale bidding war so it should be interesting to see what proposals come out.