Anthony Davis’ tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers came to a stunning end over the weekend when he and Max Christie were traded to the Dallas Mavericks as part of a blockbuster deal to land Luka Doncic.
In five-plus seasons with the team, Davis was named to four All-Star games and of course won a championship alongside LeBron James in 2020. The Lakers acquiring Davis to pair with James represented a new era of Lakers basketball that brought the organization its 17th title and plenty of other memorable games and moments.
While acquiring a 25-year-old superstar like Doncic wasn’t something the Lakers could pass up, it’s still extremely tough to see Davis go considering all he has done for the organization and community.
After processing the trade for a couple of days, Davis put out a farewell message thanking his teammates and fans for five-plus great years in Los Angeles, via ESPN:
The Mavericks are scheduled to play the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena on Feb. 25, so it won’t be long before Davis makes his return with his new team. He should and will get a massive ovation from Lakers fans and a tribute video from the organization, celebrating the great seasons he spent in L.A.
Davis was extremely close to all the players on the Lakers roster, but James in particular, which made this such a shocking trade. Now though, he will team up with Kyrie Irving in Dallas while James and Doncic will work to get the Lakers back into championship contention.