A mammoth trade proposal has the Los Angeles Lakers trading one of their two franchise players to their longtime archrivals in exchange for another All-Star.
Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley proposed one trade idea for every NBA team to get out of their “worst contract.” When it came to the Lakers entry, Buckley proposed a massive blockbuster that has the Purple and Gold sending Anthony Davis to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Jaylen Brown and Robert Williams III:
“After signing a (historic) max extension this offseason, Davis, 30, can’t be dealt during the upcoming campaign. But if both L.A. and Boston fall short of expectations this season, maybe the storied rivals could come together on a blockbuster swap next summer.
It’s possible Brown, 26, never reaches the level of stardom Davis has already hit—hence the inclusion of Williams, a dominant defender with his own injury issues—but the former is younger and more durable.
Those traits could matter to the Lakers, who might need a sturdier foundation for their post-LeBron James era than the oft-injured Davis can provide.”
Brown’s $304 million extension with the Celtics set the record for the largest contract in NBA history. But if the Lakers were to offer Davis in a trade for the two-time All-Star, one would assume that Boston would at least listen.
Davis is the better player, but he’s three years older and carries far more injury risk than Brown. But if Boston wanted to shake up its core a bit, a Davis-Jayson Tatum tandem would undoubtedly make them the team to beat in the Eastern Conference.
Of course, there’s no indication that the Lakers are keen on trading Davis. He and LeBron James just led the Lakers to the Western Conference Finals as the No. 7 seed, so the club’s best bet is to give it at least one more go with this duo.
