When Anthony Davis was first traded, it had a major impact on the Cleveland Cavaliers.
To be clear, the Anthony Davis trade in mind is not the one that just happened, although we will get to that in a moment. We are referring to the original trade, when Davis forced a trade out of New Orleans to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he would team up with ex-Cavalier LeBron James to win the 2020 NBA Finals.
Anthony Davis was traded for a massive package of players and draft picks. That included the No. 4 overall pick, which was one ahead of the Cavaliers' own pick. In the brief window of time that they held the pick, the Pelicans were often projected to draft Texas Tech's Jarrett Culver or North Carolina's Coby White.
Instead, they flipped the pick on the eve of the draft to the Atlanta Hawks, who traded up to No. 4 and drafted Virginia's De'Andre Hunter -- essentially swiping him from a Cleveland front office that had zeroed in one Hunter and his defensive versatility. They instead pivoted to Darius Garland -- and what a pivot it was, as Garland has been a two-time All-Star and Hunter merely a decent starter. That deal certainly worked out for the Cavaliers.
Things have come full circle now, with the Cavaliers trading for Hunter at this year's Trade Deadline as what is hopefully the finishing touch on a championship team. Yet that is far from the only trade that happened this year with connections back to that original Anthony Davis deal.
In fact, that 2019 trade, and its immediate shockwaves, essentially defined the Trade Deadline this year.
The Anthony Davis trade defined this year's Trade Deadline
The obvious support of that statement is that Anthony Davis himself was traded this year in an inexplicable deal for Luka Doncic. The former No. 1 overall pick played six seasons in Los Angeles, winning a championship but also struggling with injuries, and overall his tenure probably felt disappointing given how talented he and LeBron were and are.
It was a blockbuster trade given the names involved, as Doncic is a perennial MVP candidate and is only 25 years old. The Mavericks had enough concerns about his work ethic and leadership that they washed their hands of him, instead committing to Davis, a hard worker but someone who is continually injured. Three quarters into his Mavericks debut and he suffered a non-contact injury that will keep him out for weeks.
Such is life in the Anthony Davis experience.
To acquire Davis in 2019, the Lakers sent a wealth of draft picks and young players to the Pelicans. The centerpiece of the players sent out was Brandon Ingram, a recent No. 2 overall pick out of Duke and a player brimming with potential. He made a single All-Star Game with the Pelicans, proving himself to be an extremely talented scorer and underrated playmaker who never capitalized on his potential as a defender or shooter.
The Pelicans also failed to put in place a contender in New Orleans, with Zion Williams frequently hurt and the team cycling through veteran support for their young forwards, be that Jrue Holiday or CJ McCollum. With an expensive team going nowhere this season, the Pelicans made the decision to trade Brandon Ingram at the deadline.
Ingram very nearly was traded for De'Andre Hunter, but instead the Cavaliers won the bidding for Hunter and Ingram was dealt to the Toronto Raptors, where he signed a new extension. He wins the compass award, going from Durham, NC to Los Angeles to New Orleans, LA to Toronto, Canada.
Also included in the trade in 2019 was Lonzo Ball, another former No. 2 pick who would establish himself in New Orleans as a solid player, earning a big contract from the Chicago Bulls. He was a name many thought would be traded at this year's deadline, but then at the deadline itself he and the Bulls agreed to a new contract extension.
Did the Lakers keep anyone when they traded for Anthony Davis? They did -- Kyle Kuzma, a forward who played a key rotation role on the 2020 championship team before he was traded in the disastrous Russell Westbrook deal. Kuzma was also on the move at the Trade Deadline this year, going to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Now, as a corollary to the Anthony Davis trade was the Pelicans flipping that No. 4 pick to the Atlanta Hawks, the pick that would be used on De'Andre Hunter. The Pelicans moved back to the eighth pick and drafted center Jaxson Hayes -- who is now in Los Angeles and will be starting at center after the departure of Anthony Davis. The Lakers tried to upgrade on Hayes at the deadline, agreeing to a deal for Charlotte center Mark Williams, but then rescinded the deal after Williams performed his physical.
While Hayes didn't work out for the Pelicans, they did get future picks in the Davis trade. One of those they used on Dyson Daniels, who was sent to Atlanta this past offseason in the Dejounte Murray deal (along with Larry Nance Jr., another former Laker). With Daniels breaking out this year, the Hawks decided to reset their timeline by a few years and move on from the veteran Hunter -- making him available late in the process and allowing the Cavaliers to make a major addition.
The shockwaves of that original Anthony Davis trade go on for miles. One of the second-round picks involved in the deal ultimately became Vince Williams Jr., whose presence on the Memphis Grizzlies made Marcus Smart expendable at this year's deadline. Players and picks involved in Josh Hart and Lonzo Ball being flipped by the Pelicans continue to be spun out across the league. It was a unique trade in that not only is the star involved still relevant, but so many of the players, prospects and picks involved are still relevant.
For the Cavaliers, the deal initially seemed to block them from landing the player they wanted in the 2019 NBA Draft. Luckily for them, a better player was waiting at No. 5, and now they get to have their cake and eat it too with both Garland and Hunter on board for a run at the Finals. Unfortunately for the Lakers, the Pelicans and the Mavericks, it doesn't seem like they will be making their own such run anytime soon.