NBA Rumors: Anthony Davis ‘Busy’ Recruiting Free Agents To L.A. Lakers, According To ‘ESPN’ Analyst
Despite failing to secure a deal before the February NBA trade deadline, the Los Angeles Lakers still succeeded to acquire All-Star center Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2019 NBA offseason. The successful acquisition of Davis made most people believe that the Lakers are finally ready to make a huge noise in the deep Western Conference next season. However, the Lakers’ offseason has just started and after getting their No. 1 target on the trade market, they have now shifted their focus on the 2019 NBA free agency.
When the 2018-19 NBA season has officially come to an end for the Lakers, LeBron James revealed his plan to help them recruit big names on the free agency market. However, now that Davis is already in Los Angeles, he won’t let James do all the work alone. In an appearance on The Hoop Collective podcast, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN revealed that Davis and James teamed up to bring a third superstar to the Lakers through free agency.
“Anthony Davis, we don’t know how he is as a recruiter, but I’ve certainly heard that he’s been busy with the text messages and phone calls already,” Shelburne said, as quoted by SB Nation’s Silver Screen And Roll. “This was what, last Saturday that this went through? So you have two recruiters now. It’s not just LeBron, it’s Anthony Davis, who hasn’t really ever been in a market or situation where his pull mattered, but we’re about to find out, and I think it’s an interesting referendum on who wants to play with LeBron, but also who wants to come play with Anthony Davis and LeBron.”
For some clarification, the Lakers can sign a single player to a $32 mil max – but if they are breaking that into two players, they can spend a combined $32.9 mil or 3 for $33.8 mil (assuming the Pels trade is expanded) https://t.co/jUX5aySDHx
— Eric Pincus (@EricPincus) June 24, 2019
Having players as great as LeBron James and Anthony Davis on their recruiting team will undeniably boost the Lakers’ chance of acquiring their third superstar this summer. Teaming up with James and Davis in Los Angeles will be a no-brainer for superstars who are aiming to win the NBA championship title in the 2019-20 NBA season. Less than a week before the 2019 NBA free agency officially begins, several NBA superstars have already been linked to the Lakers.
These include Kyrie Irving of the Boston Celtics, Kawhi Leonard of the Toronto Raptors, Kemba Walker of the Charlotte Hornets, Jimmy Butler of the Philadelphia 76ers, and D’Angelo Russell of the Brooklyn Nets. As of now, the Lakers are finding ways to open up enough salary cap space to sign a max free agent. Aside from going after incoming free agent superstars, the Lakers are also reportedly considering the possibility to use their salary cap space to sign multiple players that can complement LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
