It's official: The Lakers have landed Anthony Davis.
Los Angeles has acquired the All-Star center from the Pelicans for Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Brandon Ingram, the draft rights to De'Andre Hunter, two first round picks and a first-round pick swap right, the team announced Saturday.
"Anthony Davis is arguably the most dominant all-around young player in today's NBA," general manager Rob Pelinka said in a statement. "Anthony represents everything we stand for, with his unwavering commitment to excellence as both a person and athlete. This is a historic moment for the Lakers franchise, and we couldn't be more proud to have him."
It was rumored the Pelicans did not want to trade Davis to the Lakers because the team did not like the way agent Rich Paul handled the center's demands in the press, but ultimately it appears the package was too good to pass on.
The Celtics also wanted Davis, but could not land him.
Paul told ESPN in January that Davis would not re-sign with the team and would prefer to be traded. He listed the Lakers as a preferred destination.
Los Angeles immediately tried to acquire the All-Star putting together packages that included every player on its roster at some point other than LeBron James, but a trade never happened at the deadline.
The Celtics were reportedly unwilling to include Jayson Tatum in a package for Davis which put a halt on the deal for New Orleans.
Davis now joins James with the Lakers and will likely try to sign some kind of contract extension with the team.
According to Yahoo Sports, that may be the exact plan, however, he could also play out the season and go into free agency next year, the report says.
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