The one part of the NBA-shattering Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers trade that has somehow gone under the radar is the Dallas Mavericks acquiring Anthony Davis. A consensus top-10 NBA player, Davis has been a consistent 25 points-per-game scorer while providing Defensive Player of the Year-caliber defense for the better part of a decade now.
However, with all the focus on the 25-year-old generational franchise cornerstone, some of the focus from AD has shifted. But as he made his way to his first media session since becoming a member of the Mavericks, Davis was open and honest about the trade and what the future holds for him in Dallas.
Anthony Davis on the Trade and His Future
Making his first appearance in front of the media, the conversation was going to begin with Davis’ initial reaction to the seismic trade and the treatment from the Lakers. AD admitted that the move was shocking before explaining his entire thought process.
“I was shocked. I didn’t know. I was actually at home, about to watch a movie with my wife, and got the phone call. I had no idea. I had just sent a text to the team, congratulating them on getting us a big win and then looking forward to Tuesday’s game against the Clippers for standing purposes.
“Then, found out an hour later, I was no longer with the team. So, I was in shock, obviously. I had no idea that it was happening.”
Anthony Davis on his initial reaction to the trade:
“I was shocked. I didn’t know. I was actually at home, about to watch a movie with my wife and got the phone call. I had no idea….Now I’m kind of over it and just getting ready to play with Dallas.” pic.twitter.com/IVdzsHFzGA
— Mike Curtis (@MikeACurtis2) February 4, 2025
However, in the two days since then, Davis has accepted the reality of the situation and is looking forward to having a strong run with Dallas where he unites with a scoring point guard like Kyrie Irving for the first time in his career.
“Now I’m kind of over it and just getting ready to play with Dallas.”
Davis went on to talk about the conversations he had with Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison, who’s been the root of the entire ordeal, and head coach Jason Kidd, who was a member of the Lakers staff when Davis first got there and during their run through the NBA bubble to a championship.
“Obviously, excitement. Nico believes in me and what I can add to this team. I’m not gonna tell you everything that we talked about out there, but we were both extremely excited about what we can do and think we have a great opportunity to win a championship.”
It is the reasoning Harrison gave in his initial media appearances explaining the move, and already, Davis has shown his commitment to the team. Coming over, he chose to decline his trade kicker worth around $6 million.
AD on why he gave up his $6 mil trade bonus: “Trying to help the team. Obviously you always want to get better & losing a monumental piece like Luka … it's a lot, right? So I'm just trying to do my part and help Nico and the organization on how we can continuously get better."
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) February 4, 2025
When asked about it, Davis’ reasoning was simple.
“Trying to help the team. Obviously, you always want to get better, and losing a monumental piece like Luka … it’s a lot, right? So I’m just trying to do my part and help Nico and the organization on how we can continuously get better.”
Simultaneously, there is a ton of excitement from the 2020 NBA champion to compete alongside Irving, who he reveals he planned on teaming up with way back in 2018 as well.
“I’m very excited. Me and (Kyrie) talked about this, I think, in 2018, when I asked for a trade from New Orleans. He was in Boston at the time. He ended up leaving and going to Brooklyn. But we have wanted to play alongside each other for a very long time. Now, we have an opportunity to do so.”
The circumstances that brought Davis to Dallas are going to make it extremely difficult for him to be embraced by the city. Nevertheless, both he and Harrison have made it clear that the goal is to win a championship.
But with their two superstars reaching 32 and above in just a month, the window of opportunity is considerably smaller for the Mavericks than most other teams.
