Surprise Ignorance: Lakers Owners Confusion Over Draft Pick Trade Rights Revealed in Davis Deal

Former vice president of the New Orleans Pelicans, David Griffin, revealed that during negotiations for the trade of Anthony Davis to the Lakers, the team’s owner, Jeannie Buss, was unaware of what the draft pick exchange rights entailed.

«Rob Pelinka told me that Jeannie Buss didn’t know what pick swap rights were. At first, I thought he was joking or using it as a negotiating tactic. General managers often say, ‘The decision is up to the owner’ when they want to stall. But then he asked me, ‘If you were in my position, how would you explain this to your boss?’ That’s when I realized he was serious. I relayed this to my team, and everyone in the room just burst out laughing—the situation seemed utterly unbelievable,” Griffin said, as reported by The Athletic.