Anthony Davis has spoken out about his experiences at the end of his tenures with the Los Angeles Lakers and the New Orleans Pelicans. In an appearance on “The Draymond Green Show”, Davis discussed his feelings about how both teams handled his exits.
Davis’s Disappointment with Lakers Trade
Davis addressed the trade that saw him sent to the Dallas Mavericks. He admitted that he couldn’t understand why the Lakers didn’t inform him of the decision beforehand. “That’s what I couldn’t get over and I still can’t get over,” Davis said.
He felt he deserved more respect from the organisation, particularly given his six years with the team and their championship win. “I think I deserved much more respect than that. All the time I’ve been here — s***, I was there six years, — all the time I’ve been there and all the time, we won a championship, all this stuff and I can’t get a phone call or a text to tell me, like, ‘Look, this is what we’re thinking.’”
Davis did concede he understood the trade from a business perspective. He also admitted to having considered playing alongside Luka Dončić in Los Angeles after LeBron James’ retirement.
Pelicans’ Lack of Tribute Video
Davis was less understanding of his treatment by the Pelicans upon his return to the Smoothie King Center as a Laker. He cited the team’s decision not to show a tribute video as a breaking point in their relationship. This, he said, eliminated any possibility of him returning to the team later in his career.
“You know how it always goes, you get drafted to a team and when you’re done, it’s like, ‘Damn, toward the end of my career, I might want to go back.’ I’ve always had that mindset,” Davis explained. He recalled telling Pelicans owner Gayle Benson about his desire to leave, but also leaving the door open for a potential return.
“I was like, ‘This might not be the end, though. Later on in my career, who knows if I was to come back and we try to do something special as I’m older and a little mature, the game developed, win a couple of championships, like whatever, I don’t know.’ I left that door open. And when I went back, that first game, and got no trib, I said, ‘Oh, that door is closed.’”
Background to the Pelicans Trade
It is worth remembering that Davis’s agent had publicly requested a trade. The request was for Davis to be moved to “a team that allows him the chance to win consistently and compete for a championship.”
Before this week, Davis had been fairly diplomatic about the trade that sent him to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Luka Dončić. Injuries caused him to play only 29 games with Dallas across two partial seasons before getting traded to the Washington Wizards.
With the Lakers, Davis had been a mostly effective co-star to LeBron James and a champion in 2020.
Davis’s comments have shed light on his experiences with both the Lakers and Pelicans, revealing his disappointment with how his time with each team came to an end.