Rich Paul reportedly ‘likes the idea’ of Anthony Davis in New York if Lakers ‘implode’

The Los Angeles Lakers placed a big bet on Anthony Davis when they traded Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, the No. 4 pick, two future first-round picks and two pick swaps to the New Orleans Pelicans for his services.

While most people assume Davis will re-sign with the Lakers when he hits unrestricted free agency next summer because of his ties to LeBron James, there’s always the possibility of things going awry and Davis bolting in 2020, a la Dwight Howard in 2013. In the event that happens, Davis and his camp would reportedly consider signing with the New York Knicks, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post:

The 2020 free-agent pool is short on stars, but they could be one of the favorites for big fish Anthony Davis if the Lakers implode. Rich Paul, Davis’ agent, likes the idea of his client in New York, according to a source.

Considering Davis has yet to play a single game in the purple and gold, it’s probably a little too soon to worry about what he’ll do in free agency. However, it is a reminder of just how important this upcoming season will be for the Lakers.

The expectation for James, Davis and the Lakers next season is to compete for a championship as soon as next season. If they don’t come anywhere near that goal in Davis’ first year, he might second guess his decision to stay in Los Angeles.

Would the Knicks be the team to lure him away from the Lakers? Probably not, unless he wants to be in a similar or worse position than he was in New Orleans. However, if Davis is unhappy and wants to play in Brooklyn with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, for example, it’s hard to imagine the Nets wouldn’t do everything they could to clear cap space.

Again, it is probably way too soon to be thinking about this kind of stuff, but it will be worth keeping in mind as the season gets underway.

For more Lakers talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts. You can follow this author on Twitter at @RadRivas.