More NBA Trade/Draft Intrigue Building

With the draft just eight days away, even by normal standards, the NBA is getting weird and a lot of it centers (pun intended) around Anthony Davis.

The Pelicans according to some reports prefer a deal sooner rather than later, and Davis would prefer to be traded to the Lakers, the Clippers or the Knicks.

However some of the craziness around the Lakers is getting truly strange and may affect any potential deals.

Frankly the Lakers, a team managed so well for decades, are starting to sound more like the Clippers under Donald Sterling and that can’t be appealing to many people but Davis still seems game and regardless, most of the attention seems to be shifting to the Lakers.

In return for Davis, New Orleans is looking for an All-Star, a young player who is a potential All-Star and a couple of first round draft picks.

Pelicans exec David Griffith has said publicly that he really likes Laker and former Blue Devil Brandon Ingram but the teams may have to bring in another team to pull off the trade. If you see the link at the bottom of the list, there’s a good argument for that team being Phoenix and then the Pelicans would end up Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma and also the #1, #4 and #6 picks in the upcoming draft while Phoenix would get Lonzo Ball, who would also get to put some distance between himself and his oddball dad LaVar.

That’s probably good news for Zion Williamson, who will get a lot more support with the Pelicans than he might have expected and a great young core with Williamson, Ingram, Kuzma, Julius Randle, a somewhat older Jrue Holiday and whoever they might pick. That would be an amazing rebuild.

It might also be good news for Jahlil Okafor who played well when Davis was out and might benefit from his departure, assuming he’s not part of any trade.

It’s less certain for RJ Barrett.

The Memphis Grizzlies may be wavering on Ja Morant and if that’s the case, then they might either take Barrett or strike a deal of their own.

New York is still considering its options though, including a potential trade with Atlanta and Boston, with all its picks and outstanding young talent, already has problems with too much talent. They’re going to have to do something before their assets start to devalue.

So you can pretty much throw most of the mock draft scenarios out the window. Things are about to get really choppy.

• Anthony Davis Odds: Lakers Huge Favorites over Knicks
• Lakers’ Anthony Davis Trade Unlikely if Not Done in Immediate Future?
• How The Bulls Can Get In On Anthony Davis TradeTalks
• Sources: Pelicans open to multiteam Davis deal
• Woj: Lakers are ‘leader in the clubhouse’ to trade for Anthony Davis
• NBA rumors: Anthony Davis narrows trade wish list to Knicks, Lakers
• Lonzo Ball makes Suns ideal third team to join Lakers, Pelicans in Anthony Davis trade
• Los Angeles Lakers: The three-team trade to land Anthony Davis