LA Lakers Rumors: NBA exec names Khris Middleton as ideal trade candidate for Anthony Davis

Anthony Davis has struggled to stay on the court ever since joining the LA Lakers in 2019. It would be understandable if the Lakers decide to trade Davis for a more reliable player. The latest rumors suggest that a former NBA champion is the ideal acquisition in exchange for Davis.

In an interview with Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports, an anonymous Western Conference executive named Khris Middleton of the Milwaukee Bucks as a target. The executive explained that Middleton compliments LeBron James, but that could lead to a big hole down the middle for the Lakers.

"Khris Middleton, he might have to opt into his contract next year," the exec said. "And that could make him a trade candidate in Milwaukee. He is not the player Davis is when healthy, but his contract has one less year if Davis eventually opts in, too. Middleton would be a good complement to LeBron, but they'd really be lacking in the rest of the roster."

The problem with Khris Middleton this season is that he's only played seven games due to injuries. Middleton missed the early part of the campaign while recovering from offseason surgery. He's currently recovering from a knee injury and has not played since Dec. 15.

Anthony Davis, on the other hand, was having a monster season before suffering a freak injury last month. If the LA Lakers trade Davis to Milwaukee, he'll be teaming up with Giannis Antetokounmpo. It might not be a perfect fit, but Davis and Giannis on the same team could do some damage.

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LA Lakers release update on Anthony Davis

Anthony Davis of the LA Lakers

Anthony Davis suffered a stress injury to his right foot last Dec. 16 against the Denver Nuggets. The LA Lakers then ruled out Davis indefinitely a few days later and it seemed like he'd miss a lot of games.

A month into Davis' recovery, Shams Charania of The Athletic revealed on Monday that the eight-time All-Star has started on-court activities. The Lakers are reportedly hoping that Davis can make his return before the All-Star break next month.

"Anthony Davis is expected to start running now," Charania said. "So once that happens, and he's back onto the floor running full speed at that point, he's gonna progress to contact work in the relative near future.

"I'm told that the hope is that Anthony Davis is gonna be able to get back out on the floor with a handful of games left before the All-Star break that puts you at about early February for a potential return for Anthony Davis to get back on the floor."