According to NBA insider Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports, Anthony Davis is “OK” going to the Dallas Mavericks to play with Kyrie Irving.
Goodwill also reported that Luka Doncic is “shocked” the Mavericks traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers.
“According to sources, Davis is OK with going to Dallas and teaming with Kyrie Irving — and this is a big show of confidence for Irving,” Goodwill wrote. “Davis can play his desired position of power forward alongside Daniel Gafford and promising big man Dereck Lively II at center.
“This feels more about Dallas and Dončić than even Davis and the Lakers — a shock in and of itself. Dončić is shocked with the move, sources told Yahoo Sports. And that could very well be in response to how serious he took the organization’s concerns about his conditioning and diet.”
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.
Davis appeared in 312 games with the Lakers. He averaged 24.8 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.2 blocks and made four All-Star teams.
The Mavericks acquired Doncic from the Atlanta Hawks on draft night in 2018 for Trae Young. Doncic has career averages of 28.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists. He is third in NBA history in points per game.
Dallas’ best players are now Davis, Irving and Klay Thompson, while Los Angeles is led by Doncic, LeBron and Austin Reaves.
The Lakers are in fifth place in the West with a record of 28-19. Their head coach, JJ Redick, played with Doncic in Dallas.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks are in eighth place in the West with a record of 26-23. Their head coach, Jason Kidd, was an assistant coach on the Lakers in 2020. Davis has a close relationship with the Hall of Famer and Irving.
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