The Anthony Davis Trade Five Years Later

Today we are looking at one of the major blockbuster deals in Lakers if not all of 21st century

On July 6th, 2019, the Los Angeles Lakers decided to go all in on a championship while LeBron James was on their team. They figured LeBron’s amazing scoring, playmaking, and leadership, paired with another superstar, would make the Lakers a legitimate contender in the Western Conference. Trading for then-New Orleans Pelicans star Anthony Davis was the right decision. Though they gave up a lot of young talent, the Lakers were able to win a championship with Davis in his first season.

The Timeline

I already spoiled it. Yeah, the Lakers won the 2020 championship with Anthony Davis playing in the City of Angels. Here’s a recap of that season as the Lakers went through so much mentally and physically.

It all started on opening night, Lakers vs. Clippers, the battle of Los Angeles. The Lakers jumped to a 13-4 lead, but the Clippers came back and ultimately won. This game was close, and though the Lakers lost, their roster proved to have good chemistry. Players like Danny Green, Avery Bradley, and Rajon Rondo were all role players on that championship roster. However, they played an important role and were great when L.A. needed them the most.

Through the first few months of the season, the Lakers were playing brilliantly. On January 25th, 2020, LeBron James even passed franchise legend Kobe Bryant on the all-time scoring list. This put LeBron third all-time in points, but at the time I am writing this article, LeBron is first in NBA history.

What is even more meaningful is that James passed Bryant in Kobe’s hometown of Philadelphia! Bryant was there to watch and cheered James on.

However, it was the next day when everything changed.

After arriving back in Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna went on their helicopter to go to Gianna’s basketball game. Six of passengers who were friends of the Bryants, were with them on this flight. Tragically, the helicopter crashed in foggy conditions. All nine passengers were killed, and we lost Kobe Bryant the day after he was there to watch LeBron pass him on the scoring list.

It was a sad day for every NBA fan and person who knew who Kobe and Gianna Bryant were. It was a very sad day in NBA history. It changed the Lakers' mentality.

The Purple and Gold ended up canceling their next game and took a break to mourn the Mamba’s passing. Their first game after his death, against the Portland Trail Blazers, was special. Every player either wore an eight or twenty-four jersey for their introductions, and every team around the league took an eight-second violation to honor Kobe’s memory.

Now, the Lakers now needed to win the championship for Kobe because of his passing. Because they did, it made it extra meaningful and special.

But that wasn’t the only horrible thing to happen to the NBA. COVID-19 was on the rise to the point where the NBA had to suspend its season after multiple players tested positive. This shortened the season, and the NBA wouldn’t return until later that year. Only playoff teams made the bubble that was held right outside of Disneyland in Orlando. Many players, including LeBron James, hated this experience as they couldn’t go back home to see their families. Then-Clippers guard Lou Williams made a very poor decision. He left the bubble to go eat lemon pepper chicken wings resulting in his suspension.

So, now let’s talk about why the Lakers won the championship in the first place...

Anthony Davis.

The Full Details

Here are the full details of the trade because it is now officially complete.

Lakers:

• Anthony Davis

Pelicans:

• Brandon Ingram

• Lonzo Ball

• Josh Hart

• Jaxson Hayes

• Nickeil Alexander-Walker

• Didi Louzada

• Herb Jones

• Dyson Daniels

Yeah, the Pelicans got a lot. Except, only one of these picks (now a drafted player) and Brandon Ingram are still on New Orleans’ roster. The player I’m talking about is Herb Jones, who was drafted just a couple of years ago. That goes to show how many busts were drafted and traded to the Pelicans. Well, by “busts” I mean players who didn’t necessarily work out for the franchise. Players like Lonzo Ball signed with the Chicago Bulls, and now Josh Hart is living his best life with the New York Knicks. Hart was traded for C.J. McCollum back in 2022 but is now with the Knicks after he was traded about a year ago.

Ironically, Jaxson Hayes is now a Laker, and the rest of these guys other than Brandon Ingram are on a different team.

• Dyson Daniels? Traded this offseason to Atlanta

• Nickeil Alexander-Walker? Minnesota

• Louzada? Out of the league

These drafted players by the Pelicans are all gone, which shows how the Lakers won the trade.

Sure, Brandon Ingram is in trade talks as Dyson Daniels was a part of the trade to Atlanta that got Dejounte Murray, however, I think Ingram will stay for a few months.

If you really look at the trade, it looks more like this:

Lakers:

• Anthony Davis

• A championship

Pelicans:

• (A lot of guys, let’s just say)

These include…

• Brandon Ingram - still with the team

• Dejounte Murray - hasn’t played with the Pelicans yet

• C.J. McCollum - hasn’t played the best with New Orleans because he is getting older

So, when you look at it this way, it looks more like the Pelicans got three all-star level players and sent a championship in return.

If you ask me, my Lakers still won this trade.

Final Grades

Lakers: A-

Don’t have the brightest future, but hey, it’s a championship. Anthony Davis has been exceptional as a member of the Purple & Gold and is the perfect fit next to LeBron. Just hope the Lakers can acquire some more draft picks to help with their not-so-exciting future.

Pelicans: B

Hope Murray plays well with the Pelicans, but man, they gave Los Angeles a championship? Unlike LA, NOLA has a bright future ahead and will actually improve, whereas the Lakers may just sink after they lose LeBron to retirement.

That concludes the post. Thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts and please subscribe down below!