Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
The Los Angeles Lakers trading Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks for Luka Doncic has been one of the biggest sports stories of the year so far. The trade was so shocking not only because of the caliber of players involved but because of how out-of-nowhere it happened.
Prior to the NBA trade deadline, the Los Angeles Lakers sent Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick in exchange for five-time NBA All-Star Luka Doncic. After the trade, Davis got injured in his first game and has been sidelined ever since (the Mavs also recently lost Kyrie Irving for the season due to injury, too). Doncic, on the other hand, has been lighting it up in Los Angeles, helping the Lakers turn into a legitimate contended in the Western conference.
During a recent interview, Lakers team owner Jeanie Buss provided some insight into why Anthony Davis was traded to the Mavericks by revealing the 31-year-old ten-time All-Star was “complaining” about the position that rookie head coach JJ Redick was playing him in.
Buss’ comments could certainly be construed as being back-handed, as she said the Lakers “got what they were looking for” by shipping AD to Dallas.
“Anthony Davis was complaining about where he was being played and he wasn’t happy,” Buss told NPR. “So I think this was a positive for both teams. They got what they were looking for; we got what we were looking for. And I didn’t realize it was going to be international news like it was, but that’s the power of the Laker brand and its ability to draw big names who want to write their own chapter in Lakers history.”
In nine games with the Lakers thus far (at the time of this writing), Doncic is averaging 22.9 points, 8.2 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game. The Lakers are 7-2 in those 9 games and have moved up to the #2 seed in the Western Conference after being the #4 seed at the time of the Doncic trade.