The Anthony Davis trade didn’t come out of nowhere. According to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, the Lakers had serious doubts about Davis even before the 2024-25 season began. Behind the scenes, there were mounting concerns about his conditioning, effort, and overall commitment after another summer full of injuries and setbacks.
“There were moments in the preseason where we wondered if he had even worked out at all in the summer,” one team source said. “He would come back, go through warmups, and then either sit out to be with the training staff or basically half-ass what the team was doing.”
The version of Davis the Lakers saw last fall was nothing like the player they first acquired in 2019. At the start, he was known for pushing himself in practice and setting the tone with his work ethic. But according to some inside the building, that mentality slowly faded as the years went on.
“When he first got here, that wasn’t the case,” the source added. “He was always wanting to go above and beyond, and he was one of the first in the gym, last out of it. Over the years, that changed, and he almost became content in a way. It was clear he was out of shape and didn’t seem to care what the higher-ups were telling him. Something definitely changed.”
It’s no accident that Davis’ best years in Los Angeles were also his first. After specifically requesting a trade to the Lakers, he was locked in when he first arrived and the result was a dominant team that won the title in 2020. That season was the peak of Davis’ career, with averages of 26.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game on 50.3 percent shooting.
It was some time after that title run when things started to change. Davis grew comfortable in his situation and lost the urgency that powered him in his first few Lakers seasons. He was allegedly always out of shape and failed to live up to the standard he set in 2019-20. As injuries began to pile up, Davis became increasingly unreliable, and his value began to dip.
So when Mavericks GM Nico Harrison came calling to offer Luka Doncic, it was an opportunity Rob Pelinka couldn’t ignore. In one fell swoop, he took care of his growing discontent for Anthony Davis while securing a generational talent who is several years younger.
Today, that decision has proven to be the right one for LA. As Luka Doncic averages 34.9 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 8.9 assists per game, Davis has missed all but five games for the Mavericks, who are down to 3-9 on the season. He’s now on the trade block as Dallas re-evaluates its future.
The worst part is that Davis apparently has the same issues they traded Luka for, effectively rendering that entire deal pointless. For Pelinka, the signs were there for Davis and he stopped being “untouchable” long before his move to Dallas.
If the Mavericks don’t turn things around, the trade will go down as one of the most lopsided in recent memory. Luka is already back to MVP form in Los Angeles while Davis is struggling just to stay on the floor. That’s the gamble Nico Harrison made, and it’s one that cost him his job. For the Lakers, it’s a reminder of how far they’ve come and why they never looked back.
