The Anthony Davis-Luka Doncic trade caught everyone off guard, including league insiders. Despite a considerable time has passed since the deal took place, it continues to be the biggest talking among fans. The Mavericks fans immediately repudiated the decision, and the Mavs GM is still at the end of severe flak for giving the nod to send generational talent away. On the other hand, letting go Anthony Davis was not easy for the Lakers, and the Lakers boss Jeanie Buss has admitted that it was tough decision.
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On the Departure of Anthony Davis
"I said what's the most important is that if the conversations [about the trade] become public, it could blow up our season. Because now you have a player who thinks they're gonna get traded, it's hard for them to recalibrate. It was completely kept under wraps, and I think that's why it took everybody by such surprise." Buss said.
Explaining the expense of the trade, Buss continued, "Look what we had to give up, though. Anthony Davis, we won a championship [with him]. Do you know how hard that was? We were not looking to trade Anthony Davis. Dallas contacted us. And [Davis] had been making it clear that he wasn't happy, that he was having to play the [center]. He wanted to play the [power forward]."
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Luka Doncic Secures LA Lakers' Future
But, at the end of the day, it was all about business and keeping the roster full of top performers. Doncic certainly had advantages, especially his age. Bringing Doncic in proven to be a significant gain for the Lakers, who have had a successful run of games since the 26-year-old Slovenian star arrived.
"I think we need to get the right players around him," Buss said of Doncic. "It's very interesting to watch him play with LeBron. We don't have enough of a sample size yet. Wow, this kid can pass the ball. He sees the game like no one I've ever [seen]. I really had no idea how great of a mind he has for basketball."
She added, "The timeline started — just because you'll never forget that day — on Jan. 7. The Lakers were in Dallas. At that point, our GM, Rob Pelinka, was at the game, and he met with the GM of the Dallas team. And then, Rob thought about it for a day and then came to me and said, 'Here's something that was kind of talked about.' A framework. And I said, 'I hope you told him that we're not trading Anthony Davis.' We are not trading him. Then we talked more and more, [and] we figured out a framework that could work."