Opinion: Why the Los Angeles Lakers should not have traded for Anthony Davis right now

For the past 6 months, there have been talks about Anthony Davis being traded to the Lakers. This is because Davis and LeBron share the same agent in Rich Paul. Finally, the trade has happened. The trade will be made official on July 6th.

The Lakers acquired Anthony Davis in exchange for Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and three first-round picks. The Lakers' 2019 first round pick was included in the trade. The Lakers traded the three first round picks to keep Kyle Kuzma.

With the injuries to Klay Thompson (torn ACL) and Kevin Durant (ruptured Achilles), there has never been more parity in the NBA than there is now. With these developments, the Lakers and every other team in the league should have waited until next summer to sign Anthony Davis.

If the Lakers had waited until next summer to sign Anthony Davis, they would have more depth and future assets. Depending on free agency, the Lakers could have had Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, and Brandon Ingram come off the bench. The Lakers would've made a deep playoff run next season, even if they did not trade for Anthony Davis. If the Lakers waited one more year, they would've gotten Davis without having to give up anything.

Let's say the Warriors re-signed Durant and Thompson. The only downfall for the Lakers not trading for Anthony Davis is giving Durant and Thompson time to fully recover, giving the Warriors a chance to be at full strength. Even if Durant and Thompson returned next season, there's no guarantee that they would be as lethal as they were before their injuries.

If the Lakers had waited until next summer to sign Davis, along with some good free agent signings, they would be able to go toe to toe with the Warriors who would have a healthy Durant and Thompson in the 2020-21 NBA season and be legitimate contenders.