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Lakers send Anthony Davis home in this potential trade with the Bulls

By Jason Reed

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 15: Zach LaVine #8 of the Chicago Bulls shoots a three-point basket against Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the first quarter at Staples Center on November 15, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 15: Zach LaVine #8 of the Chicago Bulls shoots a three-point basket against Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the first quarter at Staples Center on November 15, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

Why the Los Angeles Lakers could say yes to this trade:

If the Los Angeles Lakers are going to trade Anthony Davis when LeBron James is still with the team then it is going to have to be for another star. The Lakers are not going to trade Davis for draft capital when they still have the semblance of a championship window with LeBron in LA.

Granted, if the Lakers think LeBron is going to leave after next season anyway and they decide to trade him too then we can have the conversation about the Lakers trading Davis for an asset haul. However, realistically, the Lakers are going to be looking for another star.

Many of the proposed Anthony Davis to the Bulls trades include something along the lines of Nikola Vucevic and Patrick Williams. That just is not enough. While it would be good depth, it decreases the team’s championship chances and does not give it a future star to replace AD with.

In LaVine, the Lakers are not only getting a perimeter scorer who would fit really well next to LeBron James but they get a star who can be in LA post-LeBron. That is an important part of this equation. The Lakers need something to convince other stars to come to LA in the future once LeBron leaves. If that is not AD then it must be someone else.

LaVine is only 27 so the Lakers would be locking him down in his athletic prime. While he may not have the ceiling that Anthony Davis has, he can absolutely be the second-best player on a title-winning team.

Add in the draft capital the Lakers would get since the Bulls are improving from LaVine to AD and this could be a no-brainer for the Lakers if they actually are concerned about AD’s durability.

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