There are often times when fans create mock trades for their favorite teams and try to imagine scenarios where their team acquires a certain player, usually a star. Sometimes, analysts end up doing that as well.
While a lot of people try to be objective when making mock trades, there are times when the trades suggested are simply unrealistic. Analyst Chris Broussard recently suggested a trade for the Lakers and the Heat, where the Lakers would send out Anthony Davis for Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.
“Somebody who works in the league, works with a lot of players, we talked after the deadline, said he would’ve done Anthony Davis for Bam Adebayo. I disagree…I would do him for Bam and Jimmy...we know Riley likes stars. He might do that.”
It is definitely hard to see the Miami Heat agree to this. They would be giving up two really good star players in Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo for Anthony Davis, who has durability concerns and is currently having a down season by his standards. The Butler-Adebayo duo notably made the Finals in 2020 together, and it seems counter-intuitive to trade away a duo that can get you that far.
On the Los Angeles Lakers' end, acquiring Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler makes sense if you're going for more all-around talent across the roster, but it doesn't make sense to give up Anthony Davis, since when he's healthy, he is a perfect fit next to LeBron James. Some have even claimed that he's the best big man in the league when healthy.
While it is clear that this is a trade that both sides would have reservations about, this trade was simply a hypothetical that was presented by Chris Broussard. It is highly unlikely that a deal with this framework would ever happen, but nothing is impossible in the NBA.
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