Lakers News: Pundit Confident Anthony Davis Has Higher Trade Value Than LeBron James
As the NBA offseason gets set to move into full swing, there are many events at play including the draft and free agency.
Something that's not as talked about this time of year is trade negotiations, but that's surely something that many front offices around the league are thinking about.
In that same vein, The Ringer's Bill Simmons revealed his latest trade value list on the latest episode of his eponymous podcast, and the methodology behind his list is pretty straightforward.
He puts together his list of players that teams would be able to get the most value out of if they were to trade them. That does not mean that they will get traded by any means. NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic is on this list and I don't think the Nuggets are eager to move their franchise cornerstone any time soon.
So with that disclaimer out of the way, where Simmons put the Lakers' superstar duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis on his list may come as a surprise.
Simmons put James at No. 40 while he placed Davis at No. 20.
While the specific numbers may be up for debate -- especially LeBron's -- Simmons is right in his opinion on the stars.
James was performing as a number one option throughout the regular season and playoffs, and he played a significant part in the Lakers deep playoff run as well. For his part, Davis had a solid postseason along with James, even though his performances could be inconsistent on a game-by-game basis.
When looking at the two from a trade value perspective, you do have to consider their ages.
James is 38 years old and set to play his 21st season in the NBA next year. While he hasn't shown much decline yet (outside of slacking on defense and being more injury-prone than ever before), which is a remarkable feat in itself, he may only play for a few more seasons -- he's been vocal about trying to play with his son Bronny, who'll begin his freshman season at USC this November.
After those few seasons, no matter the level of play he provides, then what?
And therein lies the problem.
Davis is still very much an All-NBA type player, and while he continues to have some injury concerns, a team is much more likely to get a longer return on investment in the 30 year old Davis than they are the 38-year-old James.
Again, I'd be absolutely shocked if either of them were traded by the Lakers now or in the future, but when pondering the hypothetical scenario of two blockbuster deals, I can understand why Davis would carry more weight in trade negotiations.
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