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Golden State Warriors: Examining impact of possible Anthony Davis trades

By Carlos Murillo

NEW ORLEANS, LA - MAY 04: Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans reacts after scoring against the Golden State Warriors during the second half of Game Three of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs at the Smoothie King Center on May 4, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. 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 Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - MAY 04: Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans reacts after scoring against the Golden State Warriors during the second half of Game Three of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs at the Smoothie King Center on May 4, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. 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 Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /
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Los Angeles Lakers

This is the likeliest move. If I was a betting man, I’d say that Davis ends up playing his home games in Staples Center fairly soon.

All the signs–including the fact that one of LeBron James‘ best friends is Davis’ agent–are pointing to this outcome. Despite the fact that they can’t create a package that is as enticing as Boston’s, Davis and Paul might just force the Pelicans’ hand.

Davis and the Lakers have been linked to each other since the moment that LeBron announced he was going to Hollywood last summer. Publicly, James has said that he trusts Magic Johnson, Rob Pelinka, and Luke Walton in their vision. He has made it a point to publicly support his teammates, namely the young ones like Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart, and Brandon Ingram.

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Patience is not one of James’ greatest skills and, at 34, throwing away seasons to experiment and develop raw talent just isn’t an efficient use of his time. There are rumblings that Walton could be on the way out and there are X-Files-level conspiracy theories that James’ current injury is being drawn out so that he and the front office can see who should be kept and who should be dealt.

While each of the Lakers’ young players has shown flashes of being a viable long-term option, there isn’t a clear-cut star-in-the-making there. Who gets sent is anyone’s guess though, according to Mark Heisler of the OC Register, Ball looks like he could be packing his bags.

Ignoring the remaining complementary pieces for a moment (because none of them is potent enough right now to really move the needle), let’s focus on just the pairing of James and Davis. After all, the NBA is a star-driven league. Top talent matters more than depth in the postseason and that tandem would feature two of the NBA’s Top 5 players.

James alone will probably carry the Lakers into the postseason. Adding Davis makes it a certainty if they both stay healthy. In a playoff series, those two will wear down most defenses. They can control the pace, attack mismatches, and force teams to play outside of their comfort zones.

While other teams, like the Denver Nuggets, would be better from top to bottom, it might not even matter. James and Davis could take the Lakers to the Western Conference Finals where the Warriors would likely be waiting for them.

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James doesn’t need a lot to make special things happen and he could really put the pressure on Golden State with the league’s best big man next to him. The Lakers aren’t a championship contender right now, but Davis gets them a lot closer. In a series between the two, I’d take the Warriors’ experienced core over a James/Davis combo that plays 50 games together, but they wouldn’t go down easily.

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