Anthony Davis gave up a $6 million bonus as part of the huge trade that brought him to the Dallas Mavericks and sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, marking a rare swap of superstar players.
This move may have been Davis’ way of showing he understands the importance of the trade, which angered many of his new team’s fans.
Most of the frustration has been aimed at Dallas general manager Nico Harrison. However, Davis is at risk of being seen as the player who came in exchange for the beloved Doncic, no matter what the Mavericks do with one of the NBA’s top 75 players.
“Losing a monumental piece like Luka. It’s a lot, right?” Davis said about the five-time All-NBA first-team player. “So I’m just trying to do my part and help Nico and the organization on how we can continuously get better. That’s just always the right thing to do.”
Davis spoke to reporters in Philadelphia before the Mavericks faced the 76ers. He had already been ruled out for the game due to the abdominal injury that kept him sidelined in his final days with the Lakers.
Of course, Davis didn’t know that his last game with LA had been a week ago against the 76ers, just as Doncic had no idea that his final game with the Mavs would be on Christmas after straining his calf.
Davis was speaking to reporters on the East Coast while Doncic was holding a press conference on the West Coast. Both players confirmed their surprise and shock over the trade.
“I was actually at home, about to watch a movie with my wife and got the phone call,” Davis said. “I had no idea. I just sent the team a text about congratulations about beating the Knicks, big win, and looking forward to Tuesday’s game against the Clippers. And I found out an hour later I was no longer with the team.”
Luka Doncic speaks at the NBA basketball conferenceDoncic won’t be playing against the Clippers on Tuesday, but his return from the calf injury could happen soon.
Davis expects to be back on the court first. He mentioned he might play Thursday in Boston, or if not then, perhaps Saturday against Houston in the Mavs’ first home game since the trade.
There’s some familiarity for Davis with his new team.
Dallas coach Jason Kidd was an assistant when Davis played with LeBron James to help the Lakers win their 17th championship in the 2020 “bubble.”
Davis has known Nico Harrison since high school, and Harrison worked for Nike for two decades before joining the Mavericks in 2021. Davis eventually signed with Nike.
“Nico believes in me and what I can add to this team,” Davis said. “We are both extremely excited about what we can do, and I think we have a great opportunity to win a championship.”
The most crucial relationship now is with Kyrie Irving, who was traded to Dallas from Brooklyn to team up with Doncic. Their pairing led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals last season, the team’s first appearance in 13 years, although they lost to Boston in five games.
Now the Mavs have a new set of co-stars. Davis mentioned that he and Irving had discussed playing together six years ago, when Davis left New Orleans to join the Lakers, and Irving went to the Nets.
Now they’re finally teammates, both still processing the shock of the trade that brought them together. Irving, who hasn’t spoken to reporters since the trade, joked with the media to “take it easy” on Davis in his first press session.
“Had no idea that it was happening,” Davis said of the deal. “But, I mean, now I’m kind of over it, and just kind of getting ready to play with Dallas.”
And understanding the weight of replacing a player like Doncic.
