Why the Pelicans might have actually won the Anthony Davis trade

Lonzo Ball’s emergence is huge.

Back when the Anthony Davis trade finally happened last July, I declared that everyone was a winner.

The Los Angeles Lakers got a top superstar to play with LeBron James, one who happened to have one foot out the door already with the New Orleans Pelicans, a franchise that failed time and time again to surround Davis with the talent needed to compete for a title.

The Pels ended up with Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart as the centerpieces, some really good young pieces that appeared to have flaws. Would Ingram really take the next step? Would Ball and his weird-looking shot ever get fixed? Was Hart more than an end-of-bench option?

We now have answers. Ingram did take the next step and became an All-Star. Hart has become a key member of the rotation, providing shooting and size from the backcourt.

And I bring this up now, because Ball has started to figure it all out:

He’s had back-to-back 20-point, seven-three-pointer games. He’s hitting career-highs in points, threes and in both field-goal and free-throw percentage. Sure, having Zion Williamson spacing the floor helps a lot. But Ball’s shooting form looked much improved before the season and it looks even better now. His confidence is off the charts, and he’s playing to his strengths.

Thanks to this explosion, it’s actually possible the Pelicans WIN this trade. The Lakers could end up winning a few titles with Bron and the Brow. But think about what teams with disgruntled superstars usually end up with in a situation when a player very publicly wants out. Sometimes, it’s a player with potential and a salary dump, or some draft picks that depend on the prospect picked or they’re low in the first round.

Thanks to this trio, the Pelicans have a nucleus right away to surround Williamson. I would assume they’re going to re-sign Ingram to a huge deal in the offseason to keep them and Williamson together, and if New Orleans is a playoff team next year and Davis falls short in this year’s postseason, you could actually declare the Pels winners of this one.

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