Anthony Davis did not see the blockbuster trade for Luka Doncic incoming and certainly didn’t have a clue that he would be shipped. Speaking on the Draymond Green Show, Davis broke down the exact night his career flipped. No warning, buildup, or conversation. Just one phone call that changed everything.
“When I first got it, first of all, I had no idea that I was even traded. Zero idea this was happening. We play in Charlotte, I have like a 40-20 or something like that. Team goes to Philly, play in Philly, I hurt my abdomen. I go see the doctor in Philly, and the team is going to New York after, but I wasn’t going to play.”
“So I’m like, you know what, let me go back to LA, rehab, get ready. We play the Clippers on Tuesday. At the time, we beat Philly, we beat New York. We beat the Clippers, we’re going to be in the fourth seed. We’re in fifth already. So I’m like, all right, this is the plan. I fly back to LA, watching the game downstairs in the basement, watching the Knicks game.”
“I’m like, good job, fellas, good win. Tuesday, I’ll be ready, let’s go get this fourth seed. Now I’m in a dilemma. I’m like, should I watch the game for a little bit or go upstairs and watch a movie? I go upstairs. I’m like, you know what, I’m going to watch a movie, get in bed. My wife is next to me, I’m trying to find something to watch.”
“Then I see Rob Pelinka calling me. It’s like 8:45, 9 in LA, so it’s 11:45, 12 in New York. So I’m like, I’ll hit him back tomorrow. Then he texts me, “AD, when you get a chance, hit me back. Coach got something to run by you.’ So I’m like, all right, it could be a trade. I did just say we need a big. Then Rich said he tried to call me. I didn’t get his call. He calls my wife and says tell AD to call me.”
“So I call him. She tells me to take it outside the room because it’s probably going to get loud. I go downstairs, my chef is there. I’m like, what up, Rich? He says, ‘AD, they just traded you to Dallas.’ I’m like, man, shut up.”
“But I’ve talked to Rich before about Luka Doncic. I used to say, imagine me with Luka, that would be crazy. At the time, I didn’t know what LeBron James was going to do, play or retire. I wasn’t thinking about being traded. I was just thinking about the future. Luka was the closest thing to Bron in terms of size, passing, scoring.”
“So when he said Dallas, I was like, get the f**k out of here. Who are they trading me for, Luka? He said, they traded you for Luka. I’m like, Rich, shut the hell up. At the same time, Rob is calling me. I’m like, all right, let me call you back. Then Nico calls me. I answer. He says, ‘I told you I was going to come get you one day. I wanted you.’ I’m still thinking it’s a joke. I tell him I’ll call him back.”
“Now I call Rob back. He tells me everything, basically I got traded for Luka. Some of the stuff he was saying, I didn’t understand. Talking about going younger, rebuilding, finding someone after Bron. I didn’t understand. And as he’s talking, I’m checked out. I hear you, but I’m not listening. I hang up.”
“My chef is right there. I’m like, I just got traded to the Mavs. He starts laughing. I go on X, check Shams. Nothing. I’m like, they playing. I walk upstairs. Joel Embiid calls me. I don’t answer. Another player calls. I go back to Shams’ page. There it is. Breaking news. I run upstairs. “Baby, I just got traded to Dallas.” Now my heart is in my stomach. I’m like, what the f**k just happened?”
“I call my dad. He doesn’t believe me. Then it pops up on ESPN. My phone starts blowing up. I’m in shock. I’m genuinely in shock. I tell everyone with me. Nobody believes me. I had no idea this was happening. I couldn’t make sense of it. Why?”
“We had conversations at the beginning of the season. We were playing well. I was playing great. I just had a 40-20. Everything was built around me. Bron was saying it too. Even though I didn’t understand it, from a business standpoint, I get it.”
“Luka is Luka. He was 25 or 26. I was 31, 32. From that angle, I get it. But why? Nobody told me anything. Nobody said a word. That’s what I can’t get over. I feel like I deserved more respect than that. Six years. A championship. I couldn’t even get a call or a text saying, this is what we’re thinking.”
“The call I got was 10 minutes before the trade was announced. So you already knew. At some point, there had to be conversations about trading me for Luka, and it never got to me. That’s the biggest thing that f**ked with me this entire time.”
During his time on Los Angeles Lakers, Davis played 312 games and averaged 24.8 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.2 blocks while shooting 53.2 percent. He earned four All-Star selections, three All-NBA nods, and three All-Defensive First Team selections. Injuries were part of the story, but his impact was undeniable.
The next chapter did not go as planned. His stint with the Dallas Mavericks was short and uneven. He played just 29 games before injuries hit again.
Now, Davis is preparing for a fresh start with the Washington Wizards, expected to return next season alongside Trae Young. The shock has faded, but the questions remain. For Davis, it was never about being traded. It was about how it happened.
