In the NBA playoffs Western Conference semifinals, the Lakers' defeat of the Warriors on the road gave a new definition of the team, and their championship odds this season are second only to the Celtics and Nuggets, ranking third among the 8 teams, of which the thick eyebrows cut 30 points and 23 rebounds against the Warriors, making Lakers fans believe that the team will go further. You know, just after the All-Star, the Pelicans' record has ranked among the top eight in the West, and the Lakers' record is still hovering outside the 10th, and the New Orleans media joked that this season we can not only win the championship but also grab the Wen Banyama. Because the Lakers' first-round pick swap in 2023 was given to the Pelicans in the original thick-eyed trade. But by the end of the regular season, the Lakers were accumulating and eventually advanced to the playoffs as seventh in the West through the playoffs, while the Pelicans were eliminated.
Due to the loss of the play-offs, the Pelicans' draft pick this year is likely to be the No. 14 pick in the first round, and the Lakers with a better record have confirmed that they got the No. 17 pick in the first round, so the Pelicans will not exchange the first-round pick with the Lakers. Obviously, for the Pelicans, this result is very disappointing. So, let's look back at the deal with thick eyebrows, who is the biggest winner? At that time, in order to get Anthony Davis, the Lakers sent almost all of the team's young talent, and they packed Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Hart and three first-round picks and a first-round swap to the Pelicans. There is no consensus on whether the deal will win or lose. Some believe that while the Lakers took Davis and helped him reach the top of the championship, they also lost leverage to rebuild over the next five years. Some people also believe that the Lakers managed to win a championship through this deal, while the Pelicans were reduced to the fringes of the Western Conference playoffs after losing Davis.
Four years into the deal, what is the current situation of the players who were used as chips in the deal? First of all, one of the most important players the Pelicans have acquired in this deal is Ingram, who reached the peak of his career after joining the Pelicans, acquiring the most improved player in his first year and being selected as an All-Star. Last season was a good opportunity for Ingram to turn around, he led the Pelicans to the playoffs without Zion, and faced the league's No. 1 Suns in the first round, Ingram averaged 27 points, 6.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game. On his first playoff trip of his career, Ingram impressed all fans with his performance, and firmly believed that he would become the league's top star in the future, and people saw the hope of the Pelicans' rise.
However, just when people thought he would continue to evolve, Ingram was unable to continue to make the All-Star due to injuries and other reasons. Ingram suffered another injury this season, playing a total of 45 games for the team. However, he averaged 24.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game, and while averaging a career-high number of points per game, he also shot 58.2% from the field. There is no doubt that Ingram has All-Star level strength and a big heart, and his performance in the final regular season and play-offs is no less than that of the league's top stars, but the problem is that he can't stay in good shape for a long time, which still puts him a gap between him and the real superstar.
In addition to Ingram, the Pelicans also acquired Ball and Hart in the deal, with Ball later traded to the Bulls for the Pelicans in exchange for Satoransky, Garnett Temple and a first-round pick. Hart was later traded by the Pelicans for CJ McCollum from the Blazers. However, given McCollum's current poor athletic form and his remaining three-year, $100 million contract, the Pelicans may still have some losses in this deal. The decisive factor for the Pelicans to lose money in this deal is that the purpose of their complete rebuild is to get Zion, an unborn top talent, but Zion has been labeled a glass player, and the Pelicans have also fallen short of the ceiling due to his injury, and the best record is the first round of the playoffs.
Let's look at Davis, as the core protagonist of this deal, he helped the team win a championship in his first season after joining the Lakers, and although he suffered injuries in the next two years, he averaged 25.9 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2 blocks and 1.1 steals per game this season, becoming the absolute pillar of the Lakers' offensive and defensive ends. If he can stay healthy, there is a good chance that he can lead the Lakers to another championship. From this point of view, the Lakers are the absolute big winners in this deal, and only Ingram played well when he sent away, and the Pelicans did not use their draft picks to select particularly outstanding players. However, after all, Ingram and Zion are still young, and if they can really lead the Pelicans to rise in the future, then the Pelicans still have room to stop losses in time in this deal. What do you think about that? Welcome to leave a message in the comment area to discuss.