LeBron James apparently had no idea the Lakers were preparing to trade his longtime teammate and co-star, Anthony Davis.
James was “taken off guard” by the blockbuster trade sending Davis to the Mavericks for superstar Luka Doncic, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin said during a television spot Sunday morning.
McMenamin reported early Sunday morning shortly after the news of the trade broke that James was out to dinner with family and friends in New York following the Lakers’ Saturday night win over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden when he found out about the deal from ESPN’s Shams Charania, who first reported the news.
“James was surprised by the news, is processing it and had no idea it was in the works,” McMenamin wrote on X.
Once the trade was agreed to, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka first set up a joint call with Davis and head coach JJ Redick, then he called Davis’ and James’ agent, Rich Paul. Pelinka then called James, per McMenamin.
While James has yet to publicly address the trade directly, he did respond on X to a report that said he had “grown frustrated” with Davis.
“You a fkn lie!!! 🤥🤡,” James wrote.
Along with Doncic, the Lakers received Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris while the Mavericks got Davis, Max Christie and the Lakers’ 2029 first-round pick. The Jazz landed Jalen Hood-Schifino, a 2025 Clippers second-rounder and a 2025 Mavericks second-rounder in the three-team deal.
The Lakers acquired Davis in the summer of 2019, and he and James led the Lakers to an NBA championship in the 2020 COVID bubble.
