Lakers' Latest Offer for Anthony Davis Still Isn't Enough

The Los Angeles Lakers are dead-set on pursuing Anthony Davis via a trade, and have been so since Davis requested a trade from the Pelicans in February. Before the trade deadline, the reported offers coming out of Los Angeles were ludicrous, with just about every player other than LeBron James being named as part of multiple Lakers’ offers. It’s hard to parse out what’s true and what’s not, especially in a messy situation like this, but it’s safe to say the Lakers were willing to give up the farm to land their guy.

That doesn’t appear to be the case any longer. Marc Stein reported on Wednesday the Lakers are willing to offer Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, and the No. 4 pick for Davis at this juncture.

That simply won’t be enough for a top-five player of Davis’ caliber, especially after Ingram’s blood clot scare near the end of the year. Davis is good enough to demand a godfather-type offer from any team, and David Griffin is a savvy personnel guy who knows that all too well. Pair that with the fact that the

Pelicans have a good amount of leverage over L.A. because of their need to pair LeBron with another star, and this isn’t gonna get the job done.

The Pelicans have other suitors. The Lakers need to make them an offer they can’t refuse if they want to get this deal done, especially with Danny Ainge lurking in the shadows. Without Dell Demps in the picture, a New Orleans-Los Angeles trade seems likely if the Lakers are willing to put all their chips on the table. It’s the only way to get this thing done.