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Noted Lakers hater Bill Simmons makes wild Anthony Davis trade claim

Mike Luciano|
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 02: Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers during a 120-117 Lakers overtime win over the New Orleans Pelicans at Crypto.com Arena on November 02, 2022 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2022 NBAE (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 02: Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers during a 120-117 Lakers overtime win over the New Orleans Pelicans at Crypto.com Arena on November 02, 2022 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2022 NBAE (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

The Los Angeles Lakers are trapped in NBA purgatory. While they’re not good enough to compete for a championship, they lack the draft capital needed to rebuild with a bunch of young players. More than ever before, the rumors around Anthony Davis are reaching a fever pitch.

The Lakers have been trying to trade Russell Westbrook due to his sharp decline in play and massive contract, but the offers outside of the Myles Turner-Buddy Hield effort with the Pacers have been underwhelming. Davis, on the other hand, seems like a more valuable trade chip.

The Lakers made that trade with the Pelicans expecting Davis to e the team’s cornerstone once age got the better of LeBron James. Not only is that not happening, but the direction of the franchise has turned so far away from this future that Bill Simmons is getting AD trade season kickstarted in November.

On his titular podcast, Simmons mentioned that there is “some buzz” that Davis could be available in trade talks, with some viewing the Davis deal as a backup if they are unable to move off Westbrook. While unlikely, the idea of AD getting traded is certainly more realistic now than it was in the last few months.

Will the Los Angeles Lakers trade Anthony Davis?

Davis is still a double-double machine, but his game has some clear holes. On top of the durability concerns that have gradually eaten away at his consistency, he is one of the league’s worst jump shooters. If he picks up his player option, he will be owed upwards of $40 million in both 2023 and 2024.

While moves like the Rudy Gobert deal show how inflated the trade market is right now, what contender is going to completely tear their roster apart to acquire an aging big man who has an almost comical level of durability concerns? Barring extreme desperation, the market is looking very limited.

The Lakers are still technically in win-now mode, as it’s impossible to have James on your team and start a long-term rebuild. Trading Davis while still trying to win with James is the ideal scenario, but very few teams would be willing to give up those assets for Davis.

The Lakers should only consider trading Davis if things become so bad that the current lineup is untenable or they start a full-scale rebuild. While it seems like Davis and the team are going to stay the course and figure this out, that likely isn’t going to quiet all of the rumors.

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