The Los Angeles Lakers completed one of the more insane, stunning and shocking trades of all time nine months ago, trading their superstar Anthony Davis for Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic.
It was a trade that no one saw coming and one that shocked not only the NBA world but the entire sports world. No one in the sport could grasp what exactly was going on, and months later, many still don’t understand the thought process behind it.
The trade itself was a shocking one, but it appears that the Mavericks weren’t the only team in on Davis. According to Brett Siegel of Clutch Points, Dallas was not the only team to receive a call about Davis; so did the Lakers’ bitter rival, the Boston Celtics.
Siegel shared that the Lakers and Celtics had discussed a trade involving Davis before the Doncic trade with the Mavericks.
“Of the teams that the Lakers spoke with when they were first putting out feelings for Davis, the Boston Celtics held a couple of calls with Los Angeles, sources said. Nothing ever progressed to where there was any actual momentum, but Los Angeles was receiving signals that Brad Stevens and his front office were receptive to the idea.
“The five-word message the Lakers got back from Boston was enough to let them know they would consider such a move in the summer: ‘We’ll keep it in mind.’ It is worth noting that the Celtics were next to the Lakers in terms of pursuing Davis when he was traded from the Pelicans in 2019.”
The expectation and hope for the Lakers’ last season was that they would get Davis some help in the frontcourt. Many expected the Lakers to trade for another big man to go alongside Davis; instead, the Lakers had other ideas.
Davis became very vocal on the necessity of having another big man alongside him. Weeks before the stunning trade went down, he appeared with ESPN’s Shams Charania and expressed the need for another big.
“I think we need another big,” Davis said. “I feel like I’ve always been at my best when I’ve been the 4, having a big out there.”
“We know it worked when we won a championship with JaVale [McGee] and Dwight [Howard] at the 5 and I’m at the 4.”
A deal between two long-time rivals like the Lakers and Celtics would've been strange to begin with - especially one that shipped a franchise star like Davis to Boston. Instead, it was Dallas that stepped in with an offer the Lakers couldn't turn down, and now Los Angeles has a superstar locked in for the next decade in Doncic.
For all the latest NBA news and rumors, head over to Newsweek Sports.
2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.