Anthony Davis Breaks Silence On Lakers Trading Him To Mavericks: ‘The Business Of Basketball Is A Business’

NBA star Anthony Davis broke his silence on the Los Angeles Lakers trading him to the Dallas Mavericks for Luka Doncic

The Lakers acquired Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans in 2019. Davis and LeBron James helped Los Angeles win the 2020 championship against the Miami Heat at the Walt Disney World bubble. 

In 312 games with the Lakers, Davis averaged 24.8 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.2 blocks. He will go down as one of the best players in franchise history. 

According to NBA insiders Fred Katz, Sam Amick and Joe Vardon of The Athletic, LeBron was “shocked” the Lakers traded for Doncic. 

After the trade went through, LeBron was worried about Davis’ emotions since the two All-Stars are close friends and share the same agent.

“That’s why James was not upset by the trade, a league source said,” Katz, Amick and Vardon wrote. “He was shocked when he was informed of the trade by his agent Rich Paul, who also represents Davis, while at dinner with his family in New York after recording a triple-double in a win over the Knicks on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. James’ chief concern, according to the same league source, was Davis’ emotions following the trade. Otherwise, James viewed it as a ‘business decision’ the Lakers needed to make, and not just because he wanted roster changes. The future will soon be here in which James is no longer involved.”

The Mavericks now have a “Big 3” of Davis, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson. The three NBA champions were teammates on the FIBA USA team in 2014. 

A future Hall of Famer, Davis has career averages of 24.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.3 blocks with the Pelicans and Lakers. He was the first overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. 

It’s unknown when Davis will make his Mavericks debut. He’s currently dealing with an abdominal muscle strain

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