Incoming power forward Anthony Davis waived his trade bonus to help the Mavericks complete the blockbuster NBA trade that is sending Luka Doncic to the Lakers, as relayed by Bobby Marks of ESPN.
Dallas was $5.1 million over the luxury tax before landing Davis, but is now $628,000 under the tax, Marks noted.
The Lakers are also receiving Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris. Along with Davis, they are sending Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick to the Mavs. The Utah Jazz are also involved in the deal and are receiving big man Jalen Hood-Schifino and two second-round picks.
Per Shams Charania of ESPN, the Mavs reached out to the Lakers “a few days ago” to gauge their interest in Doncic.
“The Mavericks went out, they knew exactly who they wanted. They wanted Anthony Davis,” Charania said. “That’s a player that if they were ever going to trade Luka Doncic … it was for AD. The Mavericks called the Lakers, and offered Luka Doncic, and that’s when the Lakers had to huddle internally. They’ve never offered Anthony Davis ever in a trade.”
The offer prompted a meeting between Lakers GM Rob Pelinka and team owner Jeanie Buss. They obviously decided that pairing Doncic with LeBron James would be a better match than Davis would be moving forward, though the Lakers did win the championship inside the NBA Bubble in 2020.
Doncic was reportedly stunned — and Davis and James had no idea the trade was even being discussed. Per Dave McMenamin of ESPN, James was at dinner with his family when he learned of the major breaking news.
“Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis, LeBron James, the players, coaches, a lot of people on both sides of the Mavericks and Lakers had no idea,” Charania said on SportsCenter. “I can assuredly tell you…LeBron James had no idea this was coming. Anthony Davis had no idea this was coming. I’m told Luka Doncic is still stunned about this trade.”
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