The Los Angeles Lakers shocked the world when they traded Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks for Luka Doncic.
Not only was LeBron James reportedly surprised by the transaction but so was Davis. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the big man had “no idea” that he was going to get moved to Dallas before the deadline.
However, per Andscape’s Marc J. Spears, the ten-time NBA All-Star is “good” with going to the Mavericks and starting this new chapter of his basketball career.
Word is new Mavs forward Anthony Davis is good with going to Dallas and has a solid relationship with team president Nico Harrison’s dating back to the latter’s Nike days. Now Davis also has centers to play next to him in Dallas.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) February 2, 2025
Marc Stein echoed similar reporting (via Substack):
“As I tweeted shortly after the news broke, Dončić made no such [trade] request and, according to sources, was completely floored when informed of the deal.
He found out not long before the world found out.
Davis and LeBron James, we would later learn, had little-to-no advance notice either.”
There are a few reasons why this is probably the case, including his relationship with Mavericks executive Nico Harrison. The general manager previously worked at Nike, where he collaborated with Davis.
Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd was also an assistant coach for the Lakers when Davis won a championship with Los Angeles in 2020.
Davis will get an opportunity to play alongside Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson, who he played alongside for Team USA in the 2016 Olympics.
He will also have a chance to play his preferred position of power forward as Dereck Lively II is the big man of the future for the Mavericks.
