Anthony Davis knew something was urgent the moment Rich Paul called his wife to track him down. He just had no idea how urgent.
The blockbuster trade that sent Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers for Davis in February 2025 stands as one of the most shocking moves in NBA history, blindsiding the entire league. Now, more than a year later, Davis pulled back the curtain on what that night looked like from his perspective, and his first reaction was as incredulous as everyone else’s.
Anthony Davis Details His Unfiltered Emotions From the Shocking Luka Dončić Trade Night
Speaking on “The Draymond Green Show,” Davis recounted the chaos that unfolded while he was in bed watching a movie with his wife. Lakers GM Rob Pelinka called. He let it ring.
Pelinka texted, asking Davis to call back when he could. Rich Paul tried next.
Davis missed that, too. Then Paul called Davis’ wife and asked her to get him on the phone.
When Davis finally spoke to his agent, Paul dropped the bomb: “Man, they just traded you to Dallas.”
Davis’ response was pure disbelief.
“I’m like, shut up,” he said. “But like, I know because I spoke to Rich before, like, man. Luka is so cold, bro. We used to talk about Luka all the time. Be like, imagine me with Luka, like, oh my god. I was like, Luka man. If I ever got with Luka, oh my gosh.
“And so when [Paul] said traded to Dallas, I was like, ‘Get the f*** out of here.’ And I said, ‘Who the f*** they going to trade me for Luka, n****?’ Who else can you trade me for on that team? Mind you, [the Dallas Mavericks] just went to the Finals. And there was never no discussion we might get AD out of here, or it was nothing,” Davis explained.
“He was like, ‘They traded you for Luka.’ I’m like, ‘Rich, shut the hell up.’ I’m really thinking he’s just playing. And he was like, ‘Man, I swear.'”
In fact, Davis revealed that shortly after hearing about the trade, then-Mavericks GM Nico Harrison called to personally welcome him to Dallas, but Davis didn’t buy it.
“I told you I was gonna come get you one day, I wanted you,” Harrison said.
Davis still thought it was a joke and hung up. It was only after seeing Shams Charania’s tweet that reality set in.
“By this time, I’m not shaking, but it’s like my heart is in my stomach,” Davis said. “Because like, what just happened?”
MORE: Luka Dončić Trade Revisited: What Did the Lakers Send to the Mavericks in the Stunning Blockbuster?
The emotional toll went beyond shock. Davis admitted he understood the trade from a basketball standpoint.
“Luka is f**king Luka,” he said. “From the business standpoint, I can’t be mad.”
But what he couldn’t accept was the lack of communication from an organization he’d spent six years with, winning a championship along the way.
“Nobody told me nothing,” Davis said. “Nobody said a thing to me. You’re just catching me off-guard like, ‘Yeah, you’re traded to Dallas.’ That’s what I couldn’t get over, and I still can’t get over. I think I deserved much more respect for all the time I’ve been there.”
The aftermath has been predictably messy for all parties. Dallas fired Harrison in November, and the Mavericks shipped Davis to Washington at this season’s deadline. He hasn’t played a single game for the Wizards due to a lingering finger injury and has been shut down for the remainder of the season.
Dončić, meanwhile, led the NBA in scoring at 33.5 points per game and carried the Lakers to third in the Western Conference before suffering a Grade 2 hamstring strain that has him seeking specialized treatment in Europe, with playoff availability uncertain.
