Los Angeles Lakers: How would they be if they hadn’t traded for Anthony Davis?

Rob Pelinka’s summertime trade for Anthony Davis has helped morph the Los Angeles Lakers into a championship contender. Where would the Purple and Gold stand if the front office hadn’t dealt the young core for “The Brow?”

The Los Angeles Lakers probably haven’t gotten enough attention for how good they’ve played during the regular season. The Bucks and Clippers are responsible. Milwaukee is threatening to break the 70-win threshold, one of the rarest feats in professional sports. At the same time, LA’s other squad features two MVP caliber wings in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.

Anthony Davis and company are on pace to finish with one of the best regular season records in Los Angeles Lakers history. They are also humming along towards one of the biggest one-year turnarounds in professional sports history. The Purple and Gold have gone from a bottom-dwelling lottery team with 35 wins to the top seed in the Western Conference.

The Anthony Davis trade has worked out well for the Lakers. But, the young core has also blossomed this season in New Orleans.

Up next, we’ll analyze how the Lakers would have fared this season if Rob Pelinka hadn’t traded Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, and the number four pick in the 2019 draft for Anthony Davis.