From the moment Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka took over the front office for the Los Angeles Lakers, the ultimate goal was to attract multiple superstar free agents.
They landed their first big name this summer when LeBron James signed, but who that second superstar will be seems to be a major question mark.
Paul George didn’t even meet with the Lakers before deciding to re-sign in Oklahoma City, while both Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler have been dealt to top Eastern Conference teams where they could very likely stay.
Meanwhile, plenty of speculation continues to point to Klay Thompson re-signing with the Golden State Warriors.
Despite some options looking more bleak, the Lakers still have their eyes on some stars and according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, the name at the top of their list is New Orleans Pelicans big man Anthony Davis:
The New Orleans Pelicans’ Davis stands atop the Lakers’ list, but he won’t hit free agency until 2020. The Pelicans would have to trade him to Los Angeles, which should be considered a significant stretch unless Davis says he won’t re-sign in New Orleans.
Having eyes on Davis makes a ton of sense as he is a true superstar and has been one of the best players in the league for the last couple of years now. This season has been another ridiculous one for Davis as he is averaging 28.0 points, 13.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.7 blocks and 1.6 steals.
The issue for acquiring Davis, as noted above, is that he won’t be a free agent until 2020, so the Lakers would have to trade for him. Of course, New Orleans would have no reason to trade away their best player unless he lets them know he has no intentions of remaining there.
What this means for the Lakers’ plans for 2019 free agency remains to be seen. There doesn’t figure to be a shortage of options, and one could be Kevin Durant.