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Even though it has been 14 months, something about that night still doesn’t sit right with Anthony Davis. Not the trade itself. Not even the player involved. For him, the problem was never Luka Doncic. It’s how everything went down internally, and how the NBA veteran couldn’t fathom what he heard on a phone call. What essentially happened was that Davis had dug his grave within the Purple and Gold ranks. His constant demand, which he eventually made public, for a new big man to help him did not sit well with the Lakers hierarchy. The higher-ups felt they were singled out for not putting the team in a position to succeed.
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In the background, Rob Pelinka was already in discussions with Nico Harrison over something unimaginable. We’ve heard the Lakers GM say in the past that he was surprised that the Dallas Mavericks were even contemplating trading Doncic. But it happened, and when things with Davis reached a point of no return, LA pulled the trigger. The ex-Laker star has finally opened up about the moment his world flipped, aka the trade that reshaped the league’s future.
“The first person I call my pop, like, ‘Yo, pop, I just got traded.’ Like, ‘Man, shut up,'” Davis said. “He looking, he can’t find that… I’m like, ‘Bro, I swear to God, it pop up on the ESPN.’ My phone starts blowing up. I’m in shock.” After he could confirm that the trade had actually gone down, that’s when the existential questions began to pour in.
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“Even though I didn’t understand it from my view, I understood it as far as a trade,” Davis said on The Draymond Green Show. “I’m like look from the business standpoint, like I can’t be mad, but like ‘Why?’ Like I just couldn’t fathom. I couldn’t understand it. And nobody told me, nothing. So you just catch me off guard like, ‘Yeah, you traded to Dallas.’ That’s what I couldn’t get over, and I still can’t get over, like I think I deserved more respect than that.”
Davis’ frustration wasn’t about being traded for Doncic. He made that part clear repeatedly. However, what he couldn’t accept was how the decision reached him only 10 minutes before the trade was announced. “So you already knew,” the Washington Wizards star reflected. That detail changed everything. Because in Davis’s mind, it confirmed what hurt the most. Conversations had happened. Decisions had been made. And at no point was he included.
In reality, Harrison had always been interested in Davis. In fact, he had spoken with Pelinka about the possibility of pursuing him after the 2022-23 season. But back then, the Lakers were committed to their LeBron-AD duo. Shortly after, the All-Star big man even agreed to a three-year $175 million contract in LA. He was sealed until the 2027-28 season…
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Mar 8, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Washington Wizards forward Anthony Davis (23) watches during the first half against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images
But then, when Davis said, “I think we need another big” in a sit-down with Shams Charania, along with making other direct comparisons with the 2019-20 Championship team, that’s when his trade discussions picked up steam behind the scenes. Davis’ stats, averaging 25.7 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 3.4 assists across 42 games, did not appear to matter after a certain point.
“At some point, a conversation had to start about me being traded for Luka, and it never got to me or like, ‘Hey, this is what we’re thinking, whatever, right?'” Davis continued. “So I think that’s the biggest thing that kind of like f**ked with me this entire time.” The NBA veteran also shed light on something he had manifested with the Slovenian and how exactly the opposite happened.
Anthony Davis once dreamed of playing alongside Luka Doncic; how has the blockbuster Lakers-Mavs trade panned out?
What makes this story land differently is what Davis revealed next. Before the trade ever became real, he had already imagined playing with Luka. “Luka is so cold, bro,” Davis said. “We used to talk about Luka all the time. Be like, imagine me with Luka. Like, oh my god.” At that point, it was just talk. Just two stars recognizing talent. “I wasn’t even thinking about being traded or asking to leave,” he continued. “I was just saying in general, like the next thing, as far as what what he can do, who can be close to Bron was Luka, as far the height, passing ability, he can score… all that helping my game.”
Then reality flipped the script. “I’m like, ‘What up Rich?’ He like, ‘Man, they just traded you to Dallas’ I’m like, ‘Shut up,'” Davis said. “I said, who the f**k they going to trade me for Luka?”
The deal itself was massive. A three-team blockbuster involving the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, and Utah Jazz completely reshaped the Western Conference overnight. Luka landed in Los Angeles. Davis went to Dallas. And just like that, two franchises changed direction. However, the aftermath didn’t unfold as many expected. Davis’ time with Dallas never fully stabilized. Injuries disrupted his rhythm. He appeared in just 20 games this season (nine last season), even though his production when available remained strong at 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game.
Still, availability mattered more than numbers. As a result, the Mavericks pivoted again, months after firing Nico Harrison, who facilitated the trade. In February 2026, Davis was moved once more in a multi-player deal to the Washington Wizards. The move signaled a reset in Dallas, shifting focus toward a new timeline built around younger talent and long-term flexibility. In reality, though, the team is about to miss the playoffs for the second year in a row.
In LA, Luka Doncic is currently sidelined with a Grade 2 hamstring issue, but is expected to return by at least the second round of the playoffs. From a trade perspective, it’s safe to say the Lakers got the sweeter end of the deal, as the Slovenian has taken JJ Redick’s team to a whole new level. Most recently, he broke Kobe Bryant’s 20-year record for the most points scored by a Lakers player in a calendar month, while leading the league in scoring overall this season.
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Ved Vaze