Recent Lakers rumors are that the team has Anthony Davis sitting atop their wish list.
With the season well underway for the Los Angeles Lakers, recent Lakers rumors are still about who the next superstar to come to Los Angeles will be. With a star-studded free agency class in 2019, the Lakers could very well pair one of the All-Stars with LeBron James.
Due to some great work from the front office, the Lakers will have the cap space to pursue elite players like Kevin Durant this offseason. While the Lakers have certainly improved with just the addition of James, they will need another superstar on the team if they are going to be serious contenders for an NBA Championship.
While we are still a while away from the start of the 2019 NBA free agency, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report has Anthony Davis on the top of the Lakers’ wish list. Here’s what Pincus had to say.
"The New Orleans Pelicans’ Davis stands atop the Lakers’ list, but he won’t hit free agency until 2020. The Pelicans would have to trade him to Los Angeles, which should be considered a significant stretch unless Davis says he won’t re-sign in New Orleans."
As one of the best players in the NBA, adding Davis would be a huge addition for the Lakers. Davis is quite possibly the best big man in the NBA, but he is still under contract with the Pelicans until after the 2020 season.
Since Davis is one of the best players in the NBA and is under contract, the Pelicans likely have very little desire to trade him. The only way that could become a possibility is if Davis makes it clear like, Paul George recently did with the Indiana Pacers, that he won’t re-sign.
The Lakers might have considered waiting to take a shot at Davis in 2020 if they didn’t already have James, but the pressure will certainly be on to get him a star to play alongside this offseason. Los Angeles also hasn’t shown a desire to trade their young core, as the franchise is trying to build for sustained success and not just championship chase for a few seasons with James.
As this season and the upcoming summer move on, it will be interesting to see what happens for the Lakers. A lot can change in the NBA overnight, and with the assets and the cap space the Lakers have, they can be players to add another star.