Maybe the Los Angeles Lakers just didn't have the right phone number for the New Orleans Pelicans?
A report Wednesday said Pelicans general manager Dell Demps was "not picking up his phone" for Anthony Davis trade talks. The situation apparently has changed, as ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday.
The Lakers have every incentive to acquire Davis before the Feb. 7 trade deadline as opposed to in the offseason. The Boston Celtics cannot trade for Davis during this season because of the league's designated player rule (explained here), but they can trade for him in the summer.
Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday an update on the Lakers' plans, saying they wouldn't get into a bidding war with Boston in the summer.
The Celtics have better trade assets than the Lakers to offer the Pelicans. For example, Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is a better trade chip than any of the Lakers' best young players, a group that includes Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma and Lonzo Ball. Boston also has a treasure chest of first-round picks to dangle in trade talks.
The Pelicans have to hit a home run with this trade. If they don't, the franchise could be non-competitive for a very long time. It would benefit the Pelicans to wait until the summer to trade Davis so more teams, including the Celtics, can join the bidding war for the superstar center. The Lakers should absolutely try to acquire Davis now, but the odds of them pulling it off before the deadline appear to be slim.
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