NBA rumors: How Anthony Davis injury impacts Lakers' trade deadline plans
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Anthony Davis is set to be re-evaluated in a week after suffering an injury in the Los Angeles Lakers game against the Philadelphia. Funny enough, the trade deadline is also in a week, and the Lakers have been exploring options to add depth next to Davis, but they haven’t been as aggressive as fans would like.
Well, in a recent update, fans won’t be happy with their trade deadline plans with Davis’ injury, according to Lakers reporter Dan Woike.
“One note – I’m hearing the belief is Anthony Davis’ injury isn’t serious enough to change the Lakers’ approach to the deadline,” Woike wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Since the beginning of the season, the Lakers have been in trade rumors in trying to acquire another center, but they have yet to make a move. The two centers that have been on their radar is Nikola Vucevic and Jonas Valanciunas, players that can stretch the floor alongside Davis but also play on the floor without him.
More recently, the Lakers were in talks with the Indiana Pacers to check the availability of Myles Turner, another stretch big but is also a rim protector. As the trade deadline approaches, it will be interesting to see what the Lakers do and if they make it a priority to get their stars some help.
Anthony Davis wants Lakers to add a center
In an interview with ESPN’s Shams Charania, Anthony Davis noted that he wanted the Lakers to trade for a center before the deadline. A day after the interview aired, Davis spoke about it in the locker room.
"Defensively, [adding a center] would bring another big out there," Davis said. "We’ve seen it with Jaxson [Hayes]. We’re a little more disruptive. Offensively, it allows me to float around a little more. I only started playing [center] in 2021. I’d have stretches, but I was primarily a [power forward], so my whole career I’ve been playing the four… I feel like, personally, I’m a better player at the four."
When the Lakers won the NBA championship in 2020, Davis played at the four and either Dwight Howard or Javale McGee was at the five. That was when the Lakers were most dominant, but since then, Davis has had to move to the five because they haven’t had another real option to put beside him. Adding someone like Myles Turner would be a great move because he can stretch the floor and protect the paint, which means Davis can maximize his skills as a defender in other areas of the court besides the paint.
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