The Los Angeles Lakers are attempting to expand on the Anthony Davis trade with the New Orleans Pelicans to open a max-contract slot, offering Mo Wagner, Jemerrio Jones, Isaac Bonga to additional teams, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Bobby Marks.
The Lakers are aggressively pursuing second-round picks in Thursday's draft to give them the ability to exceed the salary cap with minimum contracts, Wojnarowski reports.
If Los Angeles is able to trade its remaining young pieces, it'll be left with just Davis, LeBron James, and Kyle Kuzma on the roster, opening up the required $32 million in cap space - pending Davis' decision to waive his $4-million trade bonus.
Had the Lakers stalled the Davis deal until July 30, they could've had the proper space to pursue a marquee free agent. However, the Pelicans are reportedly uninterested in waiting to complete the deal, likely making it official on July 6. This gives the Lakers approximately $27.7 million in space if Davis waives his bonus.
It's apparent L.A. is aiming to land a third superstar to pair with James and Davis and have expressed interest in signing one of Kemba Walker, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard, or Jimmy Butler to a max contract this coming offseason.
The Lakers have already dealt away multiple assets and key rotation pieces to add Davis, parting ways with Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Josh Hart on Saturday.
