Jan 23, 2015; San Antonio, TX, USA; Los Angeles Lakers power forward Ed Davis (21) shoots the ball as San Antonio Spurs power forward Boris Diaw (33, L) defends during the first half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Will the Lakers trade Ed Davis by the trade deadline? For what?
Kulik – A month ago I never thought the Lakers would trade Davis, but now I’m not so sure. Still, I expect he will finish out the year with the team unless he is packaged with someone else in a larger deal. For one thing, it costs the Lakers nothing to keep him. For another, he has played pretty well this season and has become a bit of a fan favorite, though he has never been given big minutes whether he starts or comes off the bench. One sign the team considers him expendable is that Robert Sacre is starting ahead of him and playing many more minutes, which either means Scott has no idea what he is doing or he doesn’t value Davis very highly.
Patterson – Davis showed early into the season that the Lakers got a steal in free agency. In the beginning of the season, when the Lakers were actually trying to win, Davis was a very effective rim protector, and a solid finisher. His minutes have decreased as playing Ryan Kelly and Carlos Boozer will probably help the whole tanking thing. A very good fit for Davis would be the Cleveland Cavaliers, as rim protection is their biggest weakness. Mosgov has really helped, but there is still a big whole to fill at the backup center position. Davis’s energy and shot blocking could bring an energy similar to that of Chris Andersen’s on the 2013 Miami Heat team. A possible deal could be Davis for Joe Harris and maybe a second rounder. Harris had a pretty big role early in the season, but now with J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert, his minutes have diminished. This may not seem like much, but if the Lakers hold onto Davis, he will very likely opt out of his contract and test free agency. Harris is a 6’6” guard who is a nice floor spacer, at a cheap price too.
Burden – Davis has swiftly become my favorite Laker of our summer haul (sorry, Julius Randle, your time will come). Given his role within the team and the minutes that he’s been allocated, it’s hard to fault too much of what Davis has been doing this season. His energy and efficiency are fantastic, but his activity on the boards is what really sells the ticket. I value Davis highly – his 12/11/2 per-36 statline really is laudable. To the right suitor, I think that he’s worth one or two second-round picks, but I think that the Lakers will hold on to him until the end of the season. He’s sure to be a hit on the open market, so perhaps it’s best to cash in our chips now, but Davis could get paid, and I imagine that the Lakers will be eager to keep him.
Gilbert – No. I base this mostly on the fact that, despite being the most tradeable of these three given his salary, there has been absolutely no buzz about teams inquiring on Davis’ availability. Plus, I think the Lakers would like to bring Davis back next year which would be easier if they just held on to him, as opposed to trading him and then hoping to sign him back in the off-season.
Morales – He has outperformed his contract and just about every playoff team needs an offensive rebounder. He has a player option for next year and will likely opt out; he’s earned more than the $980,000 he is making this year. Signing with the Lakers was a brilliant strategy on his part. If the Lakers trade him they can still bid for him in the off-season. The worst offensive rebounding team in playoff contention are the Spurs. Trade Davis for Corey Joseph. The Spurs would hate to part with Joseph but they have Patty Mills in the backcourt to sub in for Tony Parker. Joseph is a combo guard who is shooting 50% and who the Lakers could take a look out as someone for their bench next year.
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