After the historic trade that sent Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Luka Dončić, LeBron James, the star player for the Los Angeles Lakers, was incensed.
But it wasn’t the trade itself that made him angry. Rather, it was reported by CBS NBA source Bill Reiter that James was involved in his close friend’s exit.
Because of this breaking news item, I haven’t been able to get in touch with all the sources you would like to. I’m going to share with you something that was true a year ago, Joe [Musso], but I believe it is relevant today,” Reiter said. And I recall discussing this with you at the trade deadline on CBS Sports HQ last year.Although Lakers supporters were furious, there was speculation at the time that LeBron James was becoming a little irritated with Anthony Davis.
Luka Dončić is the Lakers’ next “face of their franchise.”
The Lakers took advantage of the chance to get James’ possible successor.
James is approaching the end of his career at the age of 40, and the Lakers see Dončić as the team’s next key player.
“[Davis] wasn’t necessarily going to be traded.” Obviously, CBS Sports didn’t cover that. All that was said was, “Hey, there’s something to watch.” [Davis] is the source of LeBron’s frustration. Because LeBron has such high expectations, he doesn’t think it’s working. And a year later, it’s clear that the reporting—in fact, the information from Lakers sources—was correct.
Reiter stood by the reporting he did.
“To grasp the context here, watch the complete video. In response to James’ comment, he posted on X, “I stand by my reporting.”
“Still Processing” the Trade, LeBron James
When the deal was completed, James had just delivered a 37-point triple-double in the Lakers’ 128-112 victory over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
He discussed the team’s collective effort after the game, while Davis was unable to play due to a strained abdominal muscle. After Friday’s victory, James told reporters, “There is no way we can make up for [Davis] absence.” “Offensively, especially defensively, there is no way. Since he is our best player, we must all find ways to improve, and I believe we did so tonight.
He was unaware at the time that it would be the last time he would mention Davis as a Lakers teammate. Shams Charania revealed one of the most startling moves in NBA history only minutes after midnight.
According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, James was taken by surprise, much like Dončić and many others.
“Sources close to LeBron James told ESPN that he was out to dinner with his family when the news of the Davis-Doncic trade broke after the Knicks game,” McMenamin wrote on X. According to insiders, James was taken aback by the news, is still processing it, and was unaware that it was planned.
According to Charania on X, the Mavericks just made an offer to the Lakers for Luka Doncic. “After meeting, Lakers executives thought 25-year-old Doncic could be the team’s face for the next ten years while giving Anthony Davis a win-now move in Dallas.”
The 25-year-old Dončić, who just made his NBA Finals debut with the Mavericks last season, is a consistent All-Star and All-NBA player.