Anthony Davis has really come into his own as a leader for the Los Angeles Lakers both on and off the court.
Davis played second fiddle to LeBron James when he initially arrived, but has since taken over the mantle as the franchise’s primary superstar.
Davis and James’ partnership immediately resulted in a title in 2020, but the two have been searching for ways to get back to the NBA Finals. It’s no surprise then that both Davis and James have been pushing the front office to make trades at the deadline to give them a better shot of competing.
Amid growing concerns of the organization’s ability to upgrade the roster, Davis emphasized he and James are still highly motivated to win more championships in an interview with Shams Charania of ESPN:
“One we want to win it for the city,” Davis said. “Two, we never got a parade. We never got a parade. Three, it’s a lot of talk about an asterisk next to a championship which I believe is probably the toughest championship to win. “But we just think it’s time. We feel like we’re right there as far as the team and everything like that, but him and I are very, very motivated to win another championship. That’s what you play for every time you go into a season. It’s not like it’s just something that’s talked about or something just said just because you say it. We really want to win. I don’t want leave this game with one championship.”
Davis added that he knows James wants to add more hardware to his collection and that Michael Jordan looms large in the background:
“I’m pretty sure he, the whole debate…I know it’s in his head. We never talk about it, but I know it’s in his head with Mike. Four and six, I know it’s in his head. I’m pretty sure he wants more, I know he wants more. Not pretty sure, I know he wants more. Obviously Lakers trying to catch back up to Boston. They have 18, we got 17 like all these things matter and so we’re…I know us two for sure, and not saying our other guys aren’t at all or our organization isn’t, but Bron and I are for sure motivated to win another championship.”
Davis and James are still arguably the best duo in the NBA when it comes to playoff basketball, and the Lakers owe it to them to put them in position to win. There’s a delicate balance every front office must toe when it comes to trading assets to win now, but Davis and James have earned that right.
Anthony Davis wants Lakers to acquire center
Although Los Angeles has been one of the most active team in trade negotiations, it appears the front office is still not aggressive or willing enough to part with their first round picks in a deal.
Anthony Davis has once again made his desire to add another center clear though, so it will be interesting to see if the front office listens this time around.
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