LaVar Ball: Lakers will never win title after trading my son
LaVar livid after swop deal involving Lonzo and New Orleans' Davis
LaVar Ball, the famously vocal father of Lonzo Ball, reacted to the trade of his son by insisting that the Los Angeles Lakers will never add to their collection of 16 NBA titles.
ESPN reported on Saturday that the New Orleans Pelicans agreed to trade All-Star big man Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers in return for Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and three first-round picks - including the No. 4 overall selection in the upcoming draft.
That decision left LaVar livid. He told ESPN: "I guarantee: Like I say again, it will be the worst move the Lakers ever did in their life and they will never win another championship.
"Guarantee it. They're going to regret it. I'm going to have fun with it. Because I told you all, it was crashing down.
"Now (the Lakers) completely crashed, but at least my son got off the boat before the thing exploded.
"I gave them a chance. You can rewind it and go back. I said if you get the three Ball brothers, you can survive this. You let him go, oh, it's going to be a cold day in hell. Trust and believe that."
TRADING PICKS
The deal, which cannot be made official until July 1, gives the Pelicans two of the top-four picks in the draft, after they won the lottery for the top overall pick.
According to ESPN, they will take Duke star Zion Williamson first overall and consider trading the fourth overall pick, with several teams already expressing interest.
The New York Times reported that Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker is expected to be a top target in free agency for the Lakers in the wake of the deal for Davis.
The Lakers also managed to keep forward Kyle Kuzma, one of the players mentioned earlier in a possible deal.
The Boston Celtics were also involved in separate talks with the Pelicans for Davis, ESPN reported earlier this week, and the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers had interest in Davis but didn't make much progress in discussions with New Orleans.
Citing league sources, ESPN reported that the Celtics resisted including Jayson Tatum in a trade package, ultimately leading to the Pelicans making the deal with the Lakers.
Earlier this week, Davis' agent, Rich Paul, who also represents the Lakers' LeBron James, told Sports Illustrated a deal to Boston would have resulted in a one-year rental agreement before Davis enters free agency in July 2020.
-REUTERS
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