On February 25th, the Los Angeles Lakers paid homage to Anthony Davis with a video tribute chronicling his near six-year stint with the franchise. Davis was shipped to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for All-Star Luka Dončić prior to the trade deadline in a move that sent shockwaves throughout the league.
The narrative surrounding the trade maintains that the front office for both franchises kept negotiations of the star-studded swap close to the vest. The secrecy not only caught Davis off guard, but he also believes former teammate LeBron James didn’t know the move was imminent.
Anthony Davis isn't buying that nobody knew about him being traded
“Everybody’s saying nobody knew and all this other sh*t. I just don’t believe it."
(via @BA_Turner) pic.twitter.com/lScAcYXS2b
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) February 27, 2025
“The front office has to do what it has to do and obviously they’re going to do what’s best for the organization,” Davis said according to the Los Angeles Times. So I don’t know if I ever got the ‘real’ about any of it. I don’t know what’s true or what’s not, coming from upstairs. So, my thing is I’m gonna go to [LeBron] who I’ve been running with and see what’s going on, get his reaction and that’s all it was. We had a conversation. That was it.
“Everybody’s saying nobody knew and all this other s—. I just don’t believe it. But, hey man, I’m past that. I’m ready to move forward with Dallas, try to get a championship there with these guys. First off, getting back on the floor and get ready to compete. All the emotions, that s— lasted that night when it was just a shock.”
How Has Anthony Davis Performed with the Mavericks Since the Trade?
The Mavericks defeated the Lakers 107-99 on Tuesday night. Dončić posted a triple double versus his former team in the victory, while Davis watched the game from the bench in street clothes.
“They wanted who they wanted,” Davis said. They did what they had to do. I don’t know if they had to, but it’s what they wanted to do. I moved on. I got a wife and kids to worry about, you know what I’m saying? And I’m figuring out how I’m going to get them to Dallas and get adjusted to that.
“It’s over with, and I’m moving on with my new team and what we got going on.”
Davis’ new team has only enjoyed the big man for one game and a total of 31 minutes since the move. Davis suffered an adductor injury and has remained sidelined since.
However, the Mavericks did get a glimpse of what the former NBA champion could do when healthy. Davis scored 26 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and blocked seven shots in his lone contest, giving Mavericks fans hope after losing Dončić in the surprising move.
