A 3-Team Los Angeles Lakers Trade to Land a Center, Move Anthony Davis to PF

As we close in on the 2025 NBA trade deadline, Los Angeles Lakers center Anthony Davis is once again reiterating his desire to play more power forward.

"I think we need another big," he told ESPN's Shams Charania. "I feel like I've always been at my best when I've been the 4, having a big out there."

And while it's natural to start thinking about 5s who can shoot in the wake of that interview, longtime NBA insider Marc Stein reported that the Lakers may be out on Nikola Vučević.

Meanwhile, the rebuilding Brooklyn Nets, who've already dealt with L.A. this season, have a quality center who fits the Lakers' 2020 mold better than Vučević or other stretch bigs who may be on the market.

Five years ago, Davis and LeBron James won a championship playing real minutes alongside rim-running and -protecting centers like JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard. And while the fit may seem clunky on paper, L.A. could recreate some of that magic with Nicolas Claxton.

So, we figured out a way to get Claxton there. And just for fun, we expanded the trade into a three-teamer.

Before we break down why each team would do this deal, as always, it helps to see the entire framework at a glance.

Lakers Receive

Nicolas Claxton (from Brooklyn)

Simone Fontecchio (from Detroit)

Nets Receive

Tim Hardaway Jr. (from Detroit)

Gabe Vincent (from Los Angeles)

2030 top-five protected first-round pick (from Los Angeles)

Pistons Receive

Rui Hachimura (from Los Angeles via Brooklyn)

Jarred Vanderbilt (from Los Angeles via Brooklyn)

Jalen Hood-Schifino (from Los Angeles via Brooklyn)

2030 second-round pick (from Brooklyn)

Of course, each fanbase represented here likely believes it deserves a little more. Feel free to haggle over the picks involved. The foundation is most important. And the reasons everyone can get on board are below.

Lakers Receive: Nicolas Claxton and Simone Fontecchio

Lakers Lose: Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jalen Hood-Schifino and a 2030 top-five protected first-round pick

The obvious selling point here is the Nets center. Davis wants to start alongside a 5, and Claxton is obviously that. He's not a bad one, either.

His individual numbers have plummeted in 2024-25, but that likely has a lot to do with playing for a tanking team that dealt his starting point guard (Dennis Schröder) earlier this season.

In lineups with multiple playmakers (like LeBron and Austin Reaves), Claxton's production would likely bounce back (he averaged 12.3 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in 29.8 minutes over 2022-23 and 2023-24).

And the idea of a backline defense that includes both Claxton and AD is borderline terrifying. It could frustrate both slashers like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams and interior bruisers like Nikola Jokić.

The drawback, of course, is that this deal unloads four players for two. One (Rui Hachimura) has started plenty of games in L.A. and another (Jarred Vanderbilt) could theoretically check some of the center boxes AD wants checked.

But Gabe Vincent has been one of the worst rotation players in the NBA this season, and Jalen Hood-Schifino has only played 14 minutes in 2024-25 (he's already had his third-year team option declined, too).

In that context, this is more of a two-for-two. And the peak version of Claxton is a real upgrade over Vanderbilt.

Simone Fontecchio is no throw-in, either. His role has been slashed with the Detroit Pistons this season, but he has hit 38.5 percent of his three-point attempts since the start of 2023-24. With Hachimura heading out, L.A. will need to replace that three-point volume.

Is all of that worth a first-round pick? Some Lakers fans will surely bristle at that inclusion, and maybe the Nets could be talked into taking it with more protection in place, but no team is in a more clear "win-now" window than L.A.

LeBron is 40 years old. Davis turns 32 in March. And though the Oklahoma City Thunder are running away with the West's top seed, they can't match that duo's playoff experience.

And a Lakers squad with AD, Claxton and James may be big enough to bully their way to an upset.

Nets Receive: Tim Hardaway Jr., Gabe Vincent and a 2030 top-five protected first-round pick from Los Angeles

Nets Lose: Nicolas Claxton and a 2030 second-round pick

This doesn't require near as much as explanation as the Lakers' side.

The Nets' deals unloading Dennis Schröder and Dorian Finney-Smith signal their desire to rebuild, pile up 2024-25 losses and secure a 10-plus percent chance to land this summer's top draft pick. And this trade helps all those goals.

Tim Hardaway Jr. is on an expiring contract, and Vincent makes just $11.5 million next season. His expiring salary could be solid trade fodder in 2025-26, too. Claxton, on the other hand, though his salary declines over time, is under contract through 2027-28 (when he's set to make $20.9 million).

So, the financial savings and flexibility are real selling points.

But, of course, turning a second-rounder in 2030 into a first-rounder is the big get for Brooklyn. Given the respective ages of LeBron and Davis, there's a solid chance that pick is in the lottery.

Pistons Receive: Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jalen Hood-Schifino and a 2030 second-round pick from Brooklyn

Pistons Lose: Tim Hardaway Jr. and Simone Fontecchio

The Detroit Pistons getting involved here may not be totally necessary, but they're the only team in the league that currently has cap space (and thus, an ability to take on money that no other team can).

Expect to hear about them as a potential third party in plenty of trade rumors over the next several days.

Plus, Detroit has a couple players that the others in this framework could use. Hardaway's expiring salary brings an economic benefit to Brooklyn as early as this summer. Fontecchio's shooting mitigates the loss of Hachimura for L.A.

This doesn't undo the gains the Pistons have made this season, either.

Hachimura can fill THJ's role as a floor spacer while being a bigger, more reliable defender. Vanderbilt gives them a little more depth in the frontcourt while also being on a movable contract (which runs through 2027-28, when he has a $13.3 million player option). Hood-Schifino is still just 21 years old and worth a few months of closer evaluation.

And Detroit getting a second-round pick for its troubles is what puts this deal over the top for the Pistons.