Anthony Davis is still acclimatizing to his new team, traded to the Dallas Mavericks.
When Anthony Davis dropped 42 points and 23 rebounds in the LA Lakers win over the Charlotte Hornets last month, nobody knew it would be his final complete game on the team.
Davis was injured early into the loss against the 76ers, and days later traded to the Dallas Mavericks, part of a deal that blindsided the rest of the NBA, with Luka Doncic heading to the LA Lakers.
Along with Max Christie, Davis has landed in Dallas, and enjoyed a shootaround with his new team, ahead of the game against the 76ers, that he was unavailable for.
Anthony Davis is settling into life on the Dallas Mavericks, already assigned the same jersey number he wore on the Lakers.
Speaking to the Mavs’ media, he admitted the trade caught him completely unaware.
“I was shocked. I didn’t know. I was actually at home about to watch a movie with my wife.
“I got the phone call, I just sent the team a congratulation on the big win against the Knicks and then looking forward to Tuesday’s game against the Clippers.
“Then found out an hour later I was no longer on the team, obviously, I had no idea it was happening.
“But now I am kinda over it and ready to play with Dallas.”
Speaking about his emotions in Dallas, he said: “Excitement, Nico [Harrison] believes in me. I’m not going to put everything we talked about out there, but we are both extremely excited about what we can do, and it’s a great opportunity to win a championship.”
Davis talked about uniting with Kyrie Irving, admitting that the pair had been dreaming of playing alongside each other since 2018.
Speaking about the team’s roster, Davis said: “Not just myself, but Max Christie as well, who’s great defensively. You know you got PJ [Washington], who’s great defensively. You know Quen, who gets into the ball.
“You know Daniel Gafford, who’s great defensively, Dereck [Lively] when he comes back. So we have a lot of pieces defensively. They’re already a great defensive team, you know. So I think just adding someone like me just adds to their value.”
Unbeknown to Davis at this point, Quentin Grimes had been traded by the Dallas Mavericks in deal with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Grimes was traded in an exchange for Caleb Martin, who adds another defensive player to the team, reinforcing Davis’ point – but underlining the fast-moving situation in Dallas.
“I don’t know you got to talk to Nico, I’m not sure,” he admitted when asking about more additions to the Mavericks roster.
Dallas Mavericks acquire:
- Anthony Davis
- Max Christie
- 2029 first round pick
LA Lakers acquire:
- Luka Doncic
- Maxi Kleber
- Markieff Morris
Utah Jazz acquire:
- Jalen-Hood Schifino
- 2025 second round pick
- 2025 second round pick (via Clippers)
