Anthony Davis says he was as stunned as everyone else when he learned the Los Angeles Lakers had traded him to the Dallas Mavericks in the blockbuster deal that sent Luka Dončić to Los Angeles. Speaking on The Draymond Green Show, Davis recounted the moment his agent, Rich Paul, told him the deal had gone through — and how he initially assumed Paul was joking.
“So when he said ‘traded to Dallas,’ I was like, ‘Get the f— out of here,’” Davis recalled. He said he immediately asked, “Who the f— they going to trade me for Luka?” — incredulous that the Mavericks would part with a player coming off an NBA Finals appearance and widely regarded as a generational talent. Davis told the podcast he thought Paul was “playing” until the agent swore the move was real.
Davis said he turned to Shams Charania’s X (formerly Twitter) feed for confirmation and found nothing at first. He then began to receive calls from fellow players, including Joel Embiid, before Charania’s report finally appeared. Only after those multiple confirmations — from his agent, other players, Lakers front office members and Charania — did Davis accept that he was no longer a Laker.
The episode adds another firsthand detail to a trade that shocked the NBA when it happened and has continued to reverberate a year on. Earlier reporting captured the bewilderment inside the Lakers organization — including comments that President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka could not believe the Mavericks were willing to move Dončić — and accounts of stunned reactions in the locker room. Davis’s account underscores how unusual the transaction was: teams rarely trade a superstar of Dončić’s stature, especially one who had not demanded a move and who was entering his prime after a Finals run.
The consequences of the trade have already been dramatic. Dončić is now a Laker, Davis has since been traded again and is currently a member of the Washington Wizards, and the Mavericks have made management changes, including relieving general manager Nico Harrison of his duties. The deal has reshaped both franchises’ short-term outlooks and fueled ongoing debate about its long-term impact.
Davis’s remarks on The Draymond Green Show supply another piece of the trade’s backstory from someone at the center of the deal. As the NBA continues to digest the fallout, players’ personal reactions — like Davis assuming his agent was joking — help explain just how seismic the transaction felt to those inside the league.