Davis had not played since Jan. 18 because of a finger injury followed by the team not wanting to risk an injury. “Ultimately, Anthony made it clear to us he wants to play and he gives our team the best opportunity to win games,” Demps said in a statement. The Lakers on Thursday were left trying to recover from the instability wrought by their pursuit of Davis as they seek to make the playoffs in James’s first season in Los Angeles. They entered Thursday’s play at 27-27, good for just 10th place in the West, after falling to a humiliating 42-point defeat in Indiana on Tuesday night. Gasol, though, can become a free agent at season’s end, so Memphis had to trade him now or risk losing one of the game’s best two-way players without compensation this summer.

Source: New York Times February 08, 2019 01:15 UTC