TL;DR
- Anthony Davis was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Dallas Mavericks in February.
- The trade involved Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 pick for Doncic, Kleber, and Morris.
- Davis expressed that Nico Harrison played a huge part in getting him to Los Angeles.
- He acknowledged the business of basketball and moving forward after trade conversations.
Former Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis didn’t choose to depart the franchise in February.
This experienced 32-year-old center was one of the pivotal players who led the Lakers to a championship in 2020, and he probably thought he had more opportunities to assist Los Angeles in winning another title.
But general manager Rob Pelinka had different intentions, as the 54-year-old collaborated with Nico Harrison (Dallas Mavericks’ general manager) to arrange a trade that surprised everyone (Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick were sent to the Mavericks in exchange for Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris).
As expected, the Mavericks dismissed Harrison following a 3-8 beginning to the present season (November 11th), and Davis didn’t take long felt compelled to express his genuine thoughts on the noteworthy decision by the front office.
“Nico is my guy,” Davis told the Athletic’s Christian Clark on Thursday. “He played a huge part in getting me here and wanting me to fulfill his vision that he saw. It was definitely tough.”
“Me and him had a conversation. Me and (Mavericks governor) Patrick (Dumont) had a conversation. You know, it’s the business of basketball. Once I had those conversations, I was able to move forward.”
“This is basketball. “This is what comes with it. I think everybody in their career has been involved in trade talks. Been traded. Or some type of move. That doesn’t affect me. I’ve been in trade talks for a while. My job is to do what I do on the floor. Play basketball. Try to lead this team.”
Davis is absolutely right; the Mavericks executed a strategic business decision they felt would elevate their franchise to unprecedented levels.
Despite Harrison's likeability, he orchestrated the most illogical trade in NBA history, resulting in Dallas dismissing the 52-year-old ex-Army guard.
Given Dallas's early struggles, it's understandable to imagine Davis reflecting on his potential impact in Los Angeles had the Lakers not traded him just before the playoffs began.
More NBA: Lakers' LeBron James breaks own scoring record twice