Pelicans Want Two Things In Potential Counteroffer To Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers and the New Orleans Pelicans are still juggling with the future of Anthony Davis. The Lakers have submitted five offers for the superstar big man. While the Pelicans have yet to respond, reportedly they are considering a counterproposal. In it, they are demanding two first-round picks in this deal and for the Lakers to take on at least one more player.

The picks should not be a deal-breaker. A team consisting of Davis and LeBron James would qualify to be a championship contender for the duration of their partnership, so the Lakers would only be giving up draft picks in the late 20’s. Their own pick this season is currently slated to be No. 13 overall, but with Davis and James on the same team, that pick would probably lose a fair bit of value. However, considering the direction of their franchise, there shouldn’t be any problem for the Lakers to give up multiple first-round picks.

Taking on another Pelicans player, though, would be a bit more troublesome. New Orleans would probably pin the final year of Solomon Hill’s deal to the Lakers, which would be $13.3 million in virtually dead money, as Hill is hardly even a rotation player anymore. E’Twaun Moore is a bit more palatable at $8.7 million next season, but the Lakers would try to avoid taking on any bad money. The reason for acquiring Davis is to set themselves up to add a third star in free agency this summer. With Klay Thompson, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard, Kemba Walker and Jimmy Butler all potentially in their price range, every penny is going to count.

If this money-issue is a deal-breaker for the Pelicans, the Lakers could re-route it to a third-team, but that would stretch their asset base even further. It is yet to be revealed how much the Lakers will have to give the Pelicans or if they would even be able to pay someone off to take Hill. They might need a third first-round pick or an extra young piece in order to seal the deal.

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