Anthony Davis never wanted to leave the Los Angeles Lakers. He did not go to the front office and request a trade out of town like we have seen so many other superstars do within the NBA over the years.
Unfortunately, he was simply caught up in a situation where Rob Pelinka thought adding a younger star who could offset some of the ball-handling duties put on LeBron James was the right move to make. In the end, the move proved to be the correct one to make as Los Angeles finished the regular season on a tear and locked up the Pacific Division title and the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference while Davis and the Dallas Mavericks were eliminated from the Play-In Tournament on Friday night.
Following the loss, Davis took the opportunity to reflect on not only the trade from Los Angeles but also how things played out for him and his teammates throughout the stretch run in Dallas. While speaking with Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News, Davis made it clear that he is appreciative of the position he is in and just hopes he can continue to play at the best of his abilities and help contribute to success on the floor with his new team.
"I'm just very appreciative I get to play the game of basketball," Davis said. "Appreciative to Dallas and the fanbase and my teammates for accepting me and welcoming me with open arms, given the situation. It's part of basketball. You can't control what goes on. ... The injury happened, and I tried to do everything I could to get back on the floor to finish the season and try to carry us into the playoffs. I'm just appreciative."
While Davis was among the many one-and-done prospects to play for John Calipari at the University of Kentucky, fans cannot forget that the All-NBA big man came from rather humble roots in Chicago as it wasn't until a major growth spurt late in his high school career that Davis became the top flight prospect on the national level that he turned into.
During his six years with the Purple and Gold, Davis was the type of statsheet-stuffing beast that we've grown accustomed to seeing since he entered the NBA. In 312 total regular-season appearances for Los Angeles, 310 of which came with the big man as a member of the starting lineup, Davis owned averages of 24.8 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.2 blocked shots per game while also helping lead the Lakers to a championship in 2020.
Regardless of how his tenure in Los Angeles ultimately came to an end, Davis will always be a player that Lakers fans can be proud to call their own, no matter which franchise he is suiting up for.