The trade between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks that sent Anthony Davis to the Mavs in exchange for Luka Doncic is long gone, but the chatter around how it all went down is still ever-present.
Lakers owner Jeanie Buss recently did an interview with National Public Radio, where she discussed the trade and why the Lakers ultimately decided to move on from Davis. Part of the reason had to do with Davis being unhappy in his current role with the team.
“We gave up a lot to get Luka Dončić. We’re happy we have him. We have lost the last three years in a row to the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs, and we really didn’t have anything that was going to look different going into the playoffs again. Anthony Davis was complaining about where he was being played and he wasn’t happy. So I think this was a positive for both teams. They got what they were looking for; we got what we were looking for.”
While it is interesting to hear Buss call it like it is, this isn’t really groundbreaking news.
Anthony Davis Was Not Happy With His Lakers Role
Davis had publically complained about his role of having to play center and even pleaded just weeks prior to the trade that the Lakers add a big man to play next to him. Everyone knew that he preferred to play power forward, so he could use his skillset out on the wing as well, instead of being forced to play primarily in the middle.
The Lakers decided that was not what they wanted to do. Or, simply were not able to find a suitable center that would have pushed them over the edge as a true title contender.
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Instead, they went a different direction. While Davis was a great player during his time in Los Angeles, Doncic will become the face of the franchise for the next decade.
Jeanie Buss on trading AD for Luka:
— LAFB Network (@LAFBNetwork) March 5, 2025
"Anthony Davis was complaining about where he was being played and he wasn't happy… So I think this was a positive for both teams."👀 pic.twitter.com/EuebclBNB3
There were questions about how successful Doncic and LeBron James could be together. And not that they couldn’t play together, but more so, would their play be repetitive and what edge would it give them over their opponents?
Well, it’s still a small sample size, but the Lakers have won 8 of their last 10 games and have won seven in a row. They have climbed all the way to 2nd place in the Western Conference. We will see what this team looks like down the stretch, but currently, they are the hottest team in the NBA, and nobody wants to have to face them in the playoffs.