Anthony Davis is likely still trying to process the blockbuster trade that occurred in February.
The 6-foot-10 forward was a few months away from leading a potential championship run with the Los Angeles Lakers (franchise won a title with Davis in 2020) when Rob Pelinka completed the wildest deal the league has ever witnessed.
The 55-year-old traded Davis to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Luka Doncic, solving their well-documented point guard issue but leaving the franchise with a high-level low-post weapon.
While Davis is no longer representing the Lakers, though, he’s continued to play high-level basketball, enabling him to make history with his new team less than a year after the mind-blowing transaction.
"Anthony Davis is the fastest player in Mavericks history to reach 300+ points & 150+ rebounds," 'Real Sports' stated on X/Twitter after Davis' 32-point, 13-rebound performance against the Denver Nuggets on Monday.
Although it’s safe to assume the 10-time All-Star is well-aware of his lengthy and concerning injury, there’s no question he was under the impression that the Lakers would never consider trading him.
Davis, who arrived in Los Angeles in 2019 from the New Orleans Pelicans, was a two-way cheat with the Lakers for 4.5 seasons.
Davis routinely bullied smaller defenders in the paint before elevating for soft jump hooks and drove past bigger/taller defenders with below-average lateral footwork and quickness.
Defensively, the Kentucky product didn’t make it easy for opponents to finish over him in the lane or get clean looks on the perimeter, thanks to his gifted physical tools and instincts.
Davis was a consistent 20-point, 10-rebound, and one-block contributor in Los Angeles. Still, Davis finishing his career with the 17-time NBA champions wasn’t meant to be, forcing him to continue his NBA journey with the franchise’s Western Conference foe.
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