Ever since he was drafted #1 overall in the 2012 NBA Draft, New Orleans Pelicans superstar Anthony Davis has proved time and time again that he is one of the elite players in all of basketball. He’s consistently been in the conversation for the NBA MVP since making his career debut. One thing you may not know though is that he is the most important player in our league right now.
Last season, Davis showed off his immense talent, eventually finishing in the MVP conversation. After the injury to fellow all-star Demarcus Cousins, Davis completely took over and led the Pelicans to both the playoffs and a first round series win over the Portland Trail Blazers. But, after an offseason in which the Pelicans lost a number of key players to free agency (the aforementioned Cousins and Rajon Rondo to be exact), there is a growing idea that Davis should be on the move, primarily to a championship contender. Now, if Davis were to be mentioned in trade talks, this would be some monumental stuff. He would immediately become the best player available by trade in a very long time. With the second highest Vegas odds to win 2018-2019 NBA MVP, it would be in the interest of just about every single team in the league to go out and get this guy. Add on the fact that he has three years left on his current deal at only 25 years old. He is already hands down the best PF in the league, so his next destination could cause a shift in power among the many superteams that rule over the NBA right now.
When it comes down to it the overwhelming majority of rumors believe that two teams, the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, and even the Warriors could realistically acquire Davis. A trade to any of those teams could have such a huge impact on the state of the NBA. Adding Davis to the Celtics would have enormous repercussions. First, it can be used as a building block to rebuilding a lackluster Eastern Conference. Davis would immediately become the best player in the Conference, if not top 3, with a breeze into the Finals. As it is, the Celtics seem to be Finals bound already with LeBron leaving for the West himself. Also, the Celts have a pretty nice foundation with stars (Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, Al Horford) and young studs (Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown) that may be good enough to knock off the Warriors themselves and be a great team for years to come. A Celtics team with Anthony Davis should make the Finals competitive again. The other possible destination, the Los Angeles Lakers, isn’t that bad of a destination either. Rumors about Davis to the Lakers are not anything new. I mean just about any star has seems to have some connection with the Lakers. Bringing in LeBron James this offseason, the undisputed best player in the world, already made the Lakers a top three seed in the West. Imagine two top-5 MVP finishers tearing it up on the court together. Not only that, but the Lakers also have an impressive crop of young guys. Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, and Josh Hart headline this group, that is ready to show their stuff. The Lakers even just acquired Davis's former teammate Rajon Rondo from New Orleans this past offseason. And the appeal of playing in a huge market like Los Angeles is undeniable. The guy would be
worshipped right alongside LeBron. He even has the chance to immediately win a ring next year alongside the Golden State Warriors. No matter what the Warriors would have to give up in order to get the star Forward, they will still win a Championship. It would not matter to a team that could potentially roll out Curry, Durant, Cousins, and Davis at the same time. In short, it would be monumental if Davis were to be moved to either of those teams.
There are not many players like Anthony Davis. A big man who can excel at pretty much any aspect of the game and is a perennial MVP contender, his addition to another superteam could even strike fear into the mighty Warriors. Not only that, but his move to another highly skilled team could shape the NBA for years to come. Anthony Davis could single-handedly change the direction of the NBA, making him the most important star right now.