The LeBron James and Anthony Davis era of the Los Angeles Lakers has come to a shocking end with the team trading the latter to the Dallas Mavericks in a blockbuster deal to acquire Luka Doncic.
In five-plus seasons together, James and Davis won a championship and reached another Conference Finals, building an extremely close relationship in the process. They share an agency with Klutch Sports and came together to bring relevancy back to the Lakers franchise over the last half-decade.
LeBron had no idea this trade was going down and was said to be caught off guard like everybody else. Shortly after the deal went down, it was reported that James had grown frustrated with Davis, although the former took to social media to refute that point.
There is no rift between the two now-former co-stars, and James posted an Instagram story to bid farewell to his close friend and wish him well in Dallas:
LeBron James posted an IG story wishing Anthony Davis well: pic.twitter.com/Ild7nAiCb6
— Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand) February 2, 2025
A trade of this magnitude going down without anyone suspecting it, especially James, is hard to fathom. Rob Pelinka pulled it off though and received credit from Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison for keeping everything under wraps until the deal was done.
Now, Davis will get a fresh start in Dallas alongside Kyrie Irving and some familiar faces on the coaching staff like Jason Kidd and Jared Dudley. He is in the midst of another All-Star season and will surely have a chip on his shoulder after being traded, even if it was for a special talent like Doncic.
LeBron James intends to stay with Lakers
Considering how close LeBron James is to Anthony Davis, many speculated about the King’s future with the Lakers after they caught him off guard with the trade. The 40-year-old is in the twilight of his career and has na full no-trade clause to be able to navigate himself to his next destination if he wants.
It appears that James is excited about the possibility of playing with Luka Doncic though as reports have indicated that he plans to stay with the team and will not be dealt before Thursday’s trade deadline.
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