Anthony Davis was in disbelief when he found out he had been traded by the Los Angeles Lakers to the Dallas Mavericks for Luka Doncic. Davis immediately FaceTimed LeBron James hoping to be filled in with details about what had happened and why. The trade discussions between Nico Harrison and Rob Pelinka were reportedly kept so confidential that the only other parties to have advanced knowledge were Patrick Dumont and Jeanie Buss.
“When it happened, I honestly didn’t know s-,” Davis recalled this week. “He’s been my running mate for six years … so the first thing I wanted to do was call him. … Obviously, I know there are going to be a lot of political things in the front office when they talk to me.
“The front office has to do what it has to do and obviously they’re going to do what’s best for the organization. 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 my counterpart 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.”
Davis also talked about the Lakers wanting Doncic over him and how he’s trying to move on with a new situation for himself and his family.
“They wanted who they wanted. They did what they had to do,” Davis said. “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.”