Anthony Davis reportedly plans to come back before the All-Star break. The Los Angeles Lakers hope it’s before the trade deadline.
Shams Charania from The Athletic reports that the Lakers’ injured big man is aiming for a return ahead of the NBA’s weeklong All-Star break, which happens from Feb. 17-22. It’s great that the Lakers will (hopefully) have Davis back, who was often dominant before his foot injury, but the timing is unfortunate.
The NBA moved the trade deadline to 10 days before the All-Star Game in 2017 after All-Star DeMarcus Cousins was traded from Sacramento to New Orleans just minutes after the game. To avoid making All-Stars deal with roster upheaval and trade rumors during the league’s showcase weekend, the league made sure deals had to be done a week before the break, which also gave teams and players a free week to adjust to the changes.
What this means for the Lakers is they’ll have little time to see how the team looks with a healthy Davis back on the floor before Feb. 9. Davis and LeBron James have played together in just 19 of the Lakers’ 44 games this year and only 127 out of a possible 269 regular-season games in their four years together.
James has been defying Father Time this year, scoring 40+ points in a game three times since turning 38 on Dec. 30. As a 38-year-old, he’s averaging 37 points, 9.7 rebounds and 8.6 assists, while shooting over 55 percent from the floor.
James is clearly still one of the best players in the league. The question is, are the 20-24 Lakers a true contender with Davis alongside James? After a 2-10 start, they’ve gone 18-14. That’s not great, but that winning percentage would have them fifth in the West.
However, the Lakers are about to enter a stretch of schedule where they face nine playoff teams in 10 games, with six of the games coming on the road. In fact, all but three of the 15 teams they face before the break are top-eight in their conferences, and both the Portland Trail Blazers (10th) and the Oklahoma City Thunder (11th) are still ahead of the Lakers.
The Lakers have been reluctant to trade future first-round picks so far this year — they can trade their selections in 2027 and 2029. Coupled with players on expiring deals like Patrick Beverley and Kendrick Nunn, they could deal for helpful veterans, even if Russell Westbrook is unlikely to be traded.
It all depends on what Rob Pelinka and the Lakers front office need to see before mortgaging their future. How good does this team’s record need to be for the Lakers to go for it? And how many games will The Brow have to convince them? James has to hope Davis’ “handful of games” in February include a few ahead of Feb. 9.
