Hollywood Pipe-Dream Idea? A Mavs & Lakers Trade of Porzingis & Anthony Davis
As crazy as it might sound, the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers could likely help each other out and shake the NBA landscape by trade-swapping star big men Kristaps Porzingis and Anthony Davis. ... But when we look a little closer, is it really that crazy?
The Mavs and Lakers have been in similar situations this season when it comes to their records. Dallas, entering Wednesday's "Dirk Night'' at the AAC (vs. the Warriors), is 19-18 and currently occupying the sixth seed in the Western Conference standings, just percentage points ahead of the 20-19 Lakers. But although the records may be nearly identical, the long-term outlooks for both franchises are completely different.
The Lakers are the oldest team in the NBA, and outside of 37-year-old LeBron James' continued greatness, their roster really doesn't have much to be excited about. So far, the offseason trade for Russell Westbrook has panned out just like everyone expected it would—except for James, perhaps, who pushed for that trade over one that would've landed Buddy Hield in a Lakers uniform.
Although Westbrook's massive contract has been traded twice now, despite many people labeling it as being 'un-tradeable,' one has to believe that it's more un-tradeable now than it was the last two times.
Another issue for the Lakers is lack of draft capital, which also hampers their trade flexibility on top of the $120 million being split between James, Westbrook and Davis. The Mavs have somewhat of a shortage of draft capital themselves, but it's not to the extent of what L.A. is dealing with. So with LeBron not getting any younger, and the Lakers not having many ways to improve their stuck-in-the mud roster, what can they do?
Trading Anthony Davis to Dallas for a package headlined by Kristaps Porzingis could potentially help both teams, short-term and long-term.
Davis, has missed 10 of the Lakers' last 12 games due to a sprained MCL injury. That shouldn't be too hard of an injury for Davis to come back from, but it is another mark on Davis' already lengthy injury list for his career. Not only that, but even before Davis went out, he wasn't necessarily playing up to his standards, shooting just 18 percent from three-point range. And if we're being honest, Davis has been slightly disappointing for the Lakers' since their 'Orlando Bubble' title in the 2019-20 season.
Porzingis has his own history of concerning injuries, but he’s arguably been more successful than Davis has this season, averaging nearly 21 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks while playing five less minutes per game. Davis is viewed as the better defensive player, but this season, both he and Porzingis have a 105 defensive rating. Porzingis holds a three-point edge (115 to 112) on Davis when it comes to offensive ratings, though.
Another thing to consider here is length of contracts. Davis is set to make around $40 million per year through 2025, while Porzingis is set to make around $35 million per year though 2024 at the latest. Historically, the Lakers don't have many issues when it comes to luring big-name free agents. So maybe there could be some motivation for L.A. to get off of some big money one year sooner.
If the Lakers could get a guy who is currently putting up similar, if not better, production than Davis with one less year on his deal and a few other young assets, it's at least worth taking a look at.
Proposed deal:
Mavs receive: Anthony Davis
Lakers receive: Kristaps Porzingis, Dorian Finney-Smith and Dallas' 2025 first round pick (protected), 2027 first round pick (protected)
Although Davis' potential fit and upside next to Doncic would look promising, this kind of trade wouldn't be risk-free for the Mavs. As mentioned earlier, there's no guarantee that Davis can stay healthy, which is something that has been a worry with Porzingis as well over the years. Davis would finally be a true No. 2 next to Doncic, but Doncic might still end up having to carry the majority of the load throughout the regular season, just as LeBron has had to do lately.
Finney-Smith is also a vital part of the Mavs' newfound gritty defensive identity, and when he's also knocking down threes, it feels like Dallas is unbeatable. Although the team as a whole has been good on the defensive end, losing one of your veteran 'glue' guys, along with KP and draft picks, could really hurt if Davis doesn't live up to expectations.
There's nothing simple about NBA trades, and there will always be gripes from both sides when a new trade idea is proposed, but this particular one is very intriguing to us. Whether or not the Lakers are interested in such a deal from the Mavs, it feels like they'll need to do something big, sooner than later, with LeBron James' clock continuing to tick.
