Fans are hoping that Anthony Davis is going to be in the long-term future for the Los Angeles Lakers, however, he does still have the power to leave after this season.
The Los Angeles Lakers paid a pretty penny to acquire the services of superstar big man Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans this past summer.
The Lakers traded their future in the form of Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and three first-round picks, but they received a generational talent — a deal that should be made ten times out of ten.
The only reason for pause with the acquisition of Anthony Davis is the fact that at this point, he is only a rental. The 27-year-old talent holds a player option for the upcoming season, but that is a lock to get declined with Klutch Sports super-agent Rich Paul eyeing a super-max contract for his star client.
Davis is poised to enter free agency at the conclusion of the 2019-2020 season. While it might seem like a long-shot that AD bolts elsewhere this summer, there is always that chance until he signs on the dotted line.
The All-Star big man is averaging 26.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game for the Lakers in his first season in Los Angeles. If he does leave, the Lakers will be hard-pressed to replace his production even considering the cap space he would vacate for the franchise.
We decided to look at five potential free agents that the Lakers can try to sign this summer in the unlikely event that Anthony Davis leaves Los Angeles.
5. Derrick Favors
Derrick Favors was someone who the Lakers were likely targeting last summer, but he was swooped up by a progressive organization in the New Orleans Pelicans. While Favors and Davis are players on very different ends of the talent spectrum, Favors is one of the best and most underrated role-playing bigs in the league.
He holds a 2.43 PIPM on the current season (1.77 D-PIPM) and is averaging nearly a double-double in 24.2 minutes per game. For reference, Davis is at 4.55 PIPM on the season. It is a large gap, but Favors is a positive asset on the floor.
Favors would likely slot in as the backup center while getting the majority of the minutes. Favors is capable of playing the four and the five but is best deployed as a five considering his lack of a shooting stroke.
The bottom line here is that you cannot truly replace Anthony Davis’s production with anyone else. However, you can provide a stopgap and shore up on excellent depth pieces to mitigate the loss.