Emotional Turmoil Worsens For Anthony Davis’ Family After ESPN Stint Suspected As Cause For Trade

“It’s a huge adjustment. It’s just not what people see on TV when you go…. It’s hard to find your footing in a new city”. Sonya Curry, mother of Warriors star Stephen Curry and ex-wife of former player Dell Curry once highlighted the effect that a trade can have on someone other than a player. With the NBA world being a dynamic one, trades are a part of the game’s culture, undertaken to bolster the team for the next or ongoing season. Some of them are planned or expected, but several of them drop like a surprise bomb on others. In the span of just a few days, one would have to leave the place they called home for so many years. Due to this, if the situation wasn’t already bad enough for Anthony Davis and his family, recent shocking news has only increased the burden for them.

A few hours ago, Shams Charania sent the NBA world into a frenzy by announcing that the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks reached a trade deal. However, they didn’t just trade any players, but their star athletes! That’s right, the Mavericks agreed to trade Luka Doncic in exchange for Anthony Davis! Along with that, the Lakers also agreed to trade Max Christie in exchange for Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris. As Charania revealed “LeBron James had no idea this was coming. Anthony Davis had no idea this was coming. I’m sure Luka Doncic is still stunned about this trade.” From Joel Embiid and Bam Adebayo to Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Haliburton, no one could believe what happened. Unfortunately, nothing can change the fact that as of a few hours ago, Anthony Davis’s 6-year-long tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers has come to an end.

The trade now means that Anthony Davis and his family will relocate to Dallas or a nearby city in Texas. This shift is set to take place only weeks after the player, his wife, and his kids were among the affected people in the California Wildfires. According to reports, Anthony Davis and the Lakers were in Texas before mid-January to (ironically) compete against the Dallas Mavericks. It was there that head coach JJ Redick revealed that his family home was destroyed. Fortunately, nothing significant happened to Davis’s $31 million mansion. However, his family had to still evacuate, along with many others.

Recalling the incident after a San Antonio Spurs game, Davis said “Obviously, you have kids and a wife and started freaking out. You get home and you kind of see it as we’re flying in and you kind of hear about – the first thing I heard about was JJ’s house – and then my wife started telling me about some of my daughter’s classmates, their families losing home and my daughter, where she goes rides horses was gone and some of my son’s classmate’s houses are gone. It started getting tough, started getting emotional.”

Though no one from Davis’s family was hurt, going through an experience like that can be traumatic in itself. The best thing needed in such situations is to wind down, take things easy, and create an environment to help put the past behind. Unfortunately, the trade news has now invited more chaos less than a month later!

Anthony Davis was not a perfect player. Injuries affected his performance and availability on several occasions. Despite this, he was a valued member of the LA community. He seldom refrained from praising his teammates. He gave efficient support to LeBron James and carried the team in the All-Time Scorer’s absence. Davis wasn’t personally affected too much by the LA Wildfires. Despite this, he donated $20,000 to aid a Lakers video producer whose parents lost their homes. His connection with the LA Community and the Lakers makes this trade only more heartbreaking and emotional.

In light of this, one question would be asked by people. Why? While nothing has confirmed the main reason, it still hasn’t stopped others from speculating.

Did Anthony Davis’s ESPN interview play a role in his trade?

Amid all the turmoil on X after the Lakers-Mavericks trade was confirmed, Brett Siegel put out a news update. The NBA insider revealed that reports had indicated a rift forming between Anthony Davis and Lakers management. The term “especially” was used when citing Davis’s ESPN interview as a reason.

It is no secret that the 31-year-old has, for a while, wanted to get someone else for the Center role. He built on this belief during an interview with Shams Charania earlier this month. Around the same time, reports were emerging that the team was losing faith in the front office to make a move. AD stood out as a physical representation of that belief when he stated “I think we need another big. I feel like I’ve always been at my best when I’ve been a four and having a big out there. We know it worked when we won a championship with JaVale and Dwight, them at the five and I’m at the four.” When Shams Charania said “It sounds to me like you’re saying you guys are maybe a couple pieces away”, Davis added “We are. We are, though. I really feel like we are”.

Well, it seems that the front office may have gone full Michael Jordan mode and “took things personally”. Then again, all of this is just speculation. Whatever the reason may be, there is no denying that the upcoming days will be tough, emotionally, for Anthony Davis.