Davis joins Mavericks, offers nod to magnitude of deal that sent Doncic to Lakers

Anthony Davis gave up a $6 million bonus as part of the seismic trade that brought him to the Dallas Mavericks and sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in a rare swap of superstars.

Perhaps it was the first small step for the 10-time All-Star in trying to illustrate his understanding of the magnitude of a move that infuriated fans of his new team.

Most of the ire has been directed at general manager Nico Harrison. Still, Davis is at risk of being viewed by Dallas fans as the guy in the deal that cost them their beloved Doncic, no matter what the Mavs do with one of the members of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team.

"Losing a monumental piece like Luka. It’s a lot, right?" Davis said of his fellow five-time All-NBA first-team player. "So I'm just trying to do my part and help Nico and the organization on how we can continuously get better. That's just always the right thing to do."

Davis spoke Tuesday at shootaround in Philadelphia, a few hours before the Mavs played the 76ers. He already had been ruled out with the abdominal injury that sidelined him in his final days with the Lakers.

Of course, he didn’t know when he sustained the injury a week ago against the Sixers that he had played his last game for LA. Just as Doncic never imagined his final game with the Mavs would be on Christmas, when he strained a calf.

Davis spoke to reporters on the East Coast while Doncic was doing the same at a packed news conference on the West Coast. And both confirmed the obvious shock and surprise over one of the biggest trades in NBA history.

"I was actually at home, about to watch a movie with my wife and got the phone call," Davis said. "I had no idea. I just sent the team a text about congratulations about beating the Knicks, big win, and looking forward to Tuesday's game against the Clippers. And I found out an hour later I was no longer with the team."

Doncic won’t play Tuesday against the Clippers. His return from the calf injury could some soon, though.

Davis should be back on the court first. He said he might play Thursday in Boston, and if not then, perhaps Saturday against Houston in the Mavs’ first home game since the trade.

There is some familiarity for Davis with his new club.

Dallas coach Jason Kidd was an assistant when Davis teamed with LeBron James to bring the Lakers their 17th championship in the Florida "bubble" in 2020.

Davis has known Harrison since he was in high school. He ultimately signed with Nike, where Harrison worked for two decades before the Mavs hired him in 2021.

"Nico believes in me and what I can add to this team," Davis said. "We are both extremely excited about what we can do, and I think we have a great opportunity to win a championship."

The most important relationship will be with Kyrie Irving, who came to Dallas in a trade from Brooklyn to co-star with Doncic, a pairing that paid off a year later with the Mavs’ first trip to the NBA Finals in 13 years last season. Dallas lost to Boston in five games.

Now the Mavs have a new set of co-stars. Davis said he talked with Irving about joining forces six years ago, when Davis was on his way out of New Orleans and ended up with the Lakers while Irving landed with the Nets.

Now, they’re together, both dealing with the shock of the trade that made it happen. Irving, who hasn’t talked to reporters since the trade, joked with them to "take it easy" on Davis in that first media session.

"Had no idea that it was happening," Davis said of the deal. "But, I mean, now I'm kind of over it, and just kind of getting ready to play with Dallas."

And understanding the gravity of who he replaced.