Anthony Davis breaks silence on blockbuster Luka Doncic-Lakers trade

Anthony Davis’ life took a significant turn on Feb. 2, 2025. 

Unexpectedly, the Dallas Mavericks traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers for Luka Doncic in a deal that no one saw coming. 

On Wednesday, Davis finally broke his silence on the blockbuster deal that turned his world upside down. 

“I said, who the (expletive) they gonna trade me for?” Davis said on the latest installment of the Draymond Green show. “Luka? I was like, ‘Who else could you trade me for on that team?”

“I had no idea this was happening,” Davis said. “And I couldn’t make sense of it. … From a business standpoint, I can’t be mad. But why? It just caught me off guard.”

“I still think I deserved much more respect than that,” Davis said. “All the time I’ve been here. (Expletive), I was there for six years. We won a championship. All this stuff, and I can’t get a phone call or a text of, ‘This is what we’re thinking.”

Davis made a fair point as he broke down his feelings about the historic trade to Green. The NBA is a business, meaning organizations shouldn’t hesitate to make moves they believe will help them reach new heights. 

In this case, Pelinka and the Lakers believed that swapping an injury-prone big man for a thriving point guard in his prime was a no-brainer trade. 

Considering Doncic (who’s currently dealing with a hamstring injury) has given the Lakers’ offense a significant boost, and Davis only lasted 29 games with the Mavericks before the franchise shipped him to the Washington Wizards, it would be challenging to argue that Los Angeles made a mistake.

That said, after everything Davis did with the Lakers, the least the franchise could have done was give him a heads-up before completing the deal. 

Simply put, Davis’ feelings are undoubtedly justified, whether individuals are fond of the 10-time All-Star or not.