Odds of Anthony Davis Playing For Lakers in 2019-20 Set at 1-3; Brandon Ingram & Kyle Kuzma Favored to Be Traded

• The Los Angeles Lakers are favored to land Anthony Davis via trade
• The Lakers appear to be building a package around Brandon Ingram and the no. 4 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft
• Will the Boston Celtics risk acquiring Davis, even though his agent says he will test free agency next season?

The Kevin Durant injury has had a ripple effect through free agency. Combined with Kyrie Irving’s inclination to play in Brooklyn and Kemba Walker offering Charlotte a discount to stay, the landscape is becoming clearer.

On top of that, it looks like a Los Angeles Lakers-Anthony Davis marriage could happen soon. Is that where he’ll play at the start of the 2019-20 season, or is another team a better bet?

Where Will Anthony Davis Play Game 1 of the 2019-20 Season?

Davis Wants to Be in Los Angeles

Although the offseason hasn’t officially begun, we’ve already seen a lot of chess moves. One of those was Anthony Davis’ agent, Rich Paul, coming out and publicly warning the Boston Celtics not to trade for Davis. Other reports have suggested that Davis eventually wants to end up with the Lakers or the New York Knicks.

The challenge with the Knicks is they have almost nothing to trade back for Davis. On top of that, they had originally hoped to land Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Zion Williamson. At this point, it looks like they’ve lost out on two of the three, and if they get Durant he’ll be out next season.

That leaves the Lakers as the best fit for Davis. They have some interesting assets, they can compete for a championship next season (with LeBron James) and it’s where Davis wants to be. That’s why they’ve been the favorite to land him as far back as May 28th.

Where Will Brandon Ingram Play Game 1 of the 2019-20 Season?

Will Ingram Be Part of the Package?

The Lakers have a number of young assets that could be of interest to the New Orleans Pelicans and it seems like whatever trade package is talked about, Ingram is at the center of it.

The Lakers have made Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and the No. 4 pick in the June 20 draft available in trade talks with the Pelicans, league sources say. New Orleans has made it known it hope to assemble a three-teams-or-more deal before surrendering Anthony Davis

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 12, 2019

There had been talks at the trade deadline that the Lakers would give up Ingram, Kyle Kuzma and the team’s first-round pick. However, nobody expected the pick to be no. 4 overall. Now that the Lakers have such a good pick, that will be the centerpiece of the trade along with Ingram and someone else. I would expect him to be moved.

Where Will Kyle Kuzma Play Game 1 of the 2019-20 Season?

Will Kuzma Be Traded?

Kuzma was part of the original package but he hasn’t been mentioned in the most recent deals. Instead, the Lakers appear to be including Lonzo Ball, who would pair well in NOLA with Jrue Holiday.

Lakers making Kuzma more untouchable than Lonzo or BI pic.twitter.com/5R3SXBsguo

— Daman Rangoola (@damanr) June 12, 2019

I would bet on Kuzma staying with the Lakers. The Lakers would be giving up too much if they trade Ball, Ingram, Kuzma and the no. 4 pick. The New York Times has reported that the Lakers prefer to hold on to Kuzma.

Are the Celtics in Play?

The one thing that throws all of this for a wrench is if the Celtics are in play. Brian Windhorst of ESPN reported in May that the Pelicans don’t want to deal with the Lakers. The Celtics have the more attractive pieces – guys like either Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown – and they could make this work.

Windhorst on ESPN says David Griffin is using the Lakers to raise the price on the Celtics and that if he wanted to make the Lakers deal he already would have made the deal.

— Trevor Lane (@Trevor_Lane) June 13, 2019

Yes, Davis might only come for a year but we’ve heard that before. Paul George ended up staying in Oklahoma City and Kawhi Leonard looks like he’s leaning towards staying in Toronto. The Lakers look like they have no shot at anybody other than Davis, so they won’t be an attractive option next year – especially if Boston wins the title.

What’s the Best Bet?

It just feels like the Lakers are the best bet here. Boston would be risking too much – possibly losing Davis in a year, giving up excellent young talent – for one run at the championship. And what complicates things is Irving’s situation. If he was for sure staying, that would be one thing. He looks like he has one foot out the door, though.

Anthony Davis trade rumors: David Griffin loves Brandon Ingram; ‘several’ within Pelicans loved Lakers’ original offer.https://t.co/YYNZBWNnPb pic.twitter.com/uWjRk7sDEn

— CBS Sports NBA (@CBSSportsNBA) June 4, 2019

The Lakers are desperate because they missed out on George and aren’t getting Leonard, Durant, Walker, Klay Thompson or anyone else. It’s Davis or bust, which means I’d bet on Davis being a Laker next season, I’d bet on Ingram being off the Lakers roster, and I’d avoid the Kuzma bet. I don’t think they’ll trade him but if they get desperate enough, they will.