The Los Angeles Lakers’ ongoing discussions with the New Orleans Pelicans surrounding Anthony Davis will likely include heavy conversations about Lonzo Ball. The divisive second-year guard is seen by both sides as a valuable piece with the Lakers hoping to hold onto him and the Pelicans reportedly insisting in his inclusion.

The catch in the negotiations right now is that Ball and his camp reportedly are not interested in heading to New Orleans and would prefer a move to a third team. On Tuesday night, Los Angeles Times reporter Tania Ganguli reiterated the stance of Ball and his camp while also mentioning potential third teams.

Although Lonzo Ball has no say in where he lands in a trade, his preference would be for the Lakers to find a third team such as Chicago or New York as a landing spot for the second-year point guard if he were part of a deal for New Orleans Pelicans star Anthony Davis, according to sources not authorized to speak publicly.

As Ganguli notes, Ball has no say in the matter. Considering how New Orleans views him, it’s unlikely they’d be interested in moving Ball to a third team unless the return is very good.

The two mentioned teams would likely not be able or willing to provide packages that would intrigue the Pelicans enough to move Ball. For Chicago, while the likes of Lauri Markannen and Wendell Carter Jr., certainly have value, swapping either of them for Ball would not be intriguing to them unless they think very highly of the former UCLA guard.

As for New York, the Knicks simply do not have the assets to complete a deal for Ball unless they’re willing to take on massive salaries. Between the Lakers and Pelicans, the only bad salary is Solomon Hill and Ball would be too valuable an asset to include will Hill.

In the end, while Ball and his camp may want a move out of New Orleans, it’s unlikely he and his camp will get their wish. This could all also simply be a move by Ball’s camp to lessen his value and hopefully deter the Pelicans from trading for him, keeping him in L.A.

Fortunately, this situation will play itself out in little more than a week, further increasing the sense of urgency for both sides.