– Young enough to be a franchise cornerstone
When making a blockbuster trade as it would be with Anthony Davis, there are a lot of things both franchises have to consider. For the Lakers, it would mainly be about what they are giving up. Almost certainly, the team would have to part ways with three players from their young core of five, which now is looking like includes Ivica Zubac.
This is certainly a steep price. The Lakers have been very protective of their young assets the past few years, and it has resulted in them having some good young talent. With an ability to properly judge college talent, the Lakers have done a great job drafting the past few years.
There has certainly been a lot of patience building this young core, and trading them away would be something that some will not agree with. However, Davis is a bonafide superstar, and is quite young in his own right. Davis won’t be turning 26-years-old until March, and is currently playing at an MVP level. While guys like Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Kyle Kuzma are excellent young talents, they don’t scream MVP potential as of now. While that could change, we know exactly the type of player that Davis is.
With James signing up for the next few years, the Lakers would have two franchise players. Also, Davis would provide the Lakers will a superstar still in his prime after James’ contract is up. As a franchise that has had some of the best big men in the history of the NBA, Davis could provide the Lakers with a franchise player for close to the next decade.