In early February, fans got to know that Lakers owner Jeanie Buss wasn’t happy with the growing dynamic between Anthony Davis and LeBron James. Both the stars were concerned about their team’s inability to improve the roaster, which was also confirmed by Davis’ interview, where he candidly disclosed his dissatisfaction with having to play as a center as opposed to his preferred position of a power forward. And then came the news of Davis getting traded to the Dallas Mavericks and in came Luka Doncic.

As surprising as the news was, fans quickly wanted to know James’ thoughts about what happened. After all, not only were Davis and James close, but the former being shipped in exchange for a young star, who had a similar skillset as James, pushed NBA fans to wonder if another Lakers star was about to mark an exit.

In fact, as reported by Sam Amick from ‘The Athletic’, “There were signs of strain in this partnership between James and the Lakers, with questions looming about whether either party would want to continue beyond this summer if there was no real hope in sight. It was fair to wonder how James might handle this new chapter ahead.”

However, from what is visible, the 40-year-old seems to have embraced the change in order to create another dynamic duo with Doncic. Together, they are playing better than what anyone would have imagined. Surely, part of the credit goes to first-year Lakers coach J.J. Redick as well as his coaching staff. But none of this means James wasn’t shocked about Davis’ exit.

In early Feb., he had stated: “Just knowing that he was going to be gone, that was very, very difficult. Very challenging. I can see how in shock he was, obviously. And he probably saw it from my face as well.” After all, James and Davis were far more than just teammates. They supported each other through one of the most difficult seasons of their career, which included Kobe Bryant’s shocking death and later during the COVID pandemic, spending 93 days inside the NBA bubble in Orlando.

2019-2025 also witnessed a transformation in their relationship from mentor and mentee to James metaphorically, handing the torch to the younger player.

Beyond the court, Davis would attend Taco Tuesday at James’ house. The former even supported LeBron James’ son, Bronny, as he sat courtside when the kid made his G League debut.

Davis and James’ lockers were next to each other…
They would banter after games…
Make fun of each other in interviews…

None of that exists now. So it isn’t difficult to believe that Davis’ departure could have caused a strain on James’ relationship with the management. When he got to know about the trade news, LeBron James thought it was a fake hoax. Even after getting on a call with Davis, it just didn’t seem real to him!

But these concerns now seem like they were from a lifetime ago. The Lakers are now riding high as the second seed in the Western Conference on a 7-game winning streak. James and Luka Doncic’s partnership could not be any better if they tried. Just recently, they combined for 64 points and 21 assists against the New Orleans Pelicans.

On top of that, they’re just so much fun to watch! Rob Pelinka and JJ Redick have struck gold with the signing of Luka Doncic. However, Anthony Davis may be regretting being so candid about his former team’s failings.

Is Anthony Davis the biggest loser in the Luka trade?

“Anthony Davis was complaining about where he was being played, and he wasn’t happy. So I think this was a positive for both teams,” said Jeanie Buss a day ago in an NPR interview. As we alluded to earlier, it seems AD’s apparent displeasure regarding his role at the Lakers was one of the primary reasons that Rob Pelinka and Buss moved him.

But it hasn’t worked out so well for the former NBA champ. He has not played an NBA game in nearly a month. And the man slated to link up with him, Kyrie Irving, just had his season ended by a gruesome ACL injury. What’s worse is their team now languishes as the 10th seed in the Western Conference.

Meanwhile, Luka Doncic just made history by dropping a 30-point, 15-assist game for the Lakers. Do you know who else did it? The man who’s the silhouette for the NBA logo, Jerry West; arguably the greatest point guard ever, Magic Johnson, and of course, the only person to ever reach 50,000 combined points in the NBA, LeBron James. Elite company, indeed!

And unlike the Mavs, the Lakers look like real title contenders. Even Stephen A. Smith admitted that on his podcast. And the man seems to despise the Lakers. Clearly, Rob Pelinka did well in this trade. The Lakers are now running wild, and AD is at risk of getting shut down for the rest of the season.

So, it’s not a stretch to claim that AD is the biggest loser in this trade. Well, unless you count Nico Harrison. What do you think?