This is a good deal for the pelicans but the lakers still win because they get Davis. At the end of the day a superstar that is guaranteed to sign for the next 5 years or so is the premium asset in the nba.
I don’t know if they had a choice but I would have chosen lonzo over Kuzma. Ball to me seems like the ideal 4th guy on a title team. Plays great team defence, is a great passer and loves to make the extra pass.. and I feel like he will be able to knock down open threes going forward. Kuzma fills it up but seems kind of erratic at best defensively.
I also think they shouldn’t blow their load on Kemba with their space. If butler or Leonard(!) want to opt in that would be cool but otherwise using that money to fill it out might be wise.
At the end of the day though, Davis is a superstar in his prime and this is the kind of gamble you have to make.