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Each hour that passes without an update on the trade talks between the Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans over Anthony Davis feels like a day, but luckily for everyone involved, the saga is expected to end sooner rather than later.
During an appearance on ESPN’s “Get Up,” NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski said that the Pelicans are expected to get a deal done well before the draft, which is a week from Thursday:
Question: What are the Lakers trying to offer for AD?
Woj: “Well, as little as possible. That’s what negotiation is. But I do believe this: I think the Lakers have enough to get a deal done for Anthony Davis. But it’s going to be a question of how much are they willing to give up? Will they add a Kyle Kuzma to a bigger package. Will they include future first-round picks beyond this fourth overall pick in next Thursday’s NBA Draft?
“But when these two teams engaged prior to the trade deadline, it was a different general manager in New Orleans. New Orleans was never going to to do that trade, but they’re serious now about moving Anthony Davis (and) getting maximum value for him. And they would like, in a perfect world, to have that done ahead of next Thursday’s NBA Draft.”
Does that mean a deal between the Lakers and Pelicans is imminent? Probably not, especially since New Orleans is reportedly canvassing the league to see if they can get an established young player for the No. 4 pick, a negotiating process that could take several days.
However, it does mean that teams that are interested in trading for Davis, like the Boston Celtics, are running out of time to make an offer for Davis. If the Lakers are lucky, the Celtics will continue to sit on their hands until it’s too late.
For more Lakers talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts. You can follow Christian on Twitter at @RadRivas.