Trading away so much young talent
The Lakers spent months of the season trapped in a whirlwind of rumors centered around interest in trading for Davis, which had been started by LeBron James and his/Davis’ agent, Rich Paul. Reports kept coming out about who James wanted to send to New Orleans for Davis, which understandably put a wedge between James and his young teammates.
When a deal was finally made, many of those young players LeBron had mentioned were shipped to New Orleans. Many people would say when trading for one of the top players in the league, you can’t give up to much. However, the Pelicans look to be set for the future thanks to actually giving up Davis.
Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Josh Hart will help greatly in the rebuild it seems the Pelicans have begun. Also, Jaxson Hayes was another addition added to the Pelicans rebuild, thanks to bringing in the 4th overall pick from Los Angeles, which they sent to Atlanta in a deal which brought New Orleans the 8th pick, which is where Hayes was drafted.
With all of these additions brought to the Pelicans in the trade, it is clear that New Orleans is set to win over the next few years, but the Lakers have mortgaged their entire future for a “win now” plan they’ve decided to pursue.