Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis made his trade wish known to the public, putting more pressure on their front office as the February 6 NBA trade deadline is fast approaching.
“I think we need another big,” Davis told ESPN’s Shams Charania before the Lakers trounced the weary defending champions Boston Celtics 117-96 on Thursday, January 23. “I feel like I’ve always been at my best when I’ve been the 4, having a big out there. We know it worked when we won a championship with JaVale [McGee] and Dwight [Howard] at the 5 and I’m at the 4.”
Davis pointed to that 2019-20 Lakers roster as the blueprint for his individual and team success.
“I think our 2019-20 team was like the perfect construction of a team,” Davis continued. “We had shooters, we had dogs defensively, we had scorers like everybody knew their roles.
Davis enjoyed his best season with the Lakers during that championship run, finishing sixth in the MVP voting and second in the Defensive Player of the Year race. McGee was the Lakers’ starting center in 68 games during the regular season and 11 games in the playoffs.
Davis flourished at power forward, enjoying his highest scoring average (26.1 points) and best 3-point mark (33%) as a Laker on top of 9.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.5 blocks.
He was more efficient in their championship run inside the Orlando bubble where he averaged 27.7 points while shooting a playoff career-high 38.3% from the 3-point line that went with 9.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.4 blocks.
Anthony Davis Doubles Down on Trade Wish
Currently, the Lakers only have Jaxson Hayes as their other legitimate center in their rotation with Christian Koloko and Trey Jemison III as their other fringe backups. Koloko and Jemison are ineligible to play for them in the playoffs since they are on two-way contracts.
Davis doubled down on his trade wish following their big win against the Celtics.
“Defensively, just bring another big out there,” Davis told reporters. “We’ve seen it with Jaxson. I’m a little bit more disruptive. Offensively, it just allows me to float around a little bit more.”
Through the first half of this season, Davis is putting up MVP-caliber numbers: 25.6 points, 11.8 rebounds 3.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.2 blocks but he’s only shooting 31.5% from the 3-point line.
Davis believes he could be more effective as a power forward than center.
“I only started playing 5 in 2021,” Davis continued. “I have stretches you know but I was primarily 4. My whole career, I’ve been playing the 4 and we’ve seen how I play, I just feel like a little bit more effective.”
Davis said his comments to ESPN were not news to the Lakers.
“It has its advantages and disadvantages but the front office knows,” Davis told reporters. “I told them that every year since I’ve been here so it’s nothing new.”
Pressure Mounting on Lakers Front Office
The Lakers have been linked to several centers, including Nick Richards, who was traded to the Phoenix Suns last week. Washington Wizards’ Jonas Valančiūnas sits atop their wish list dating back to the offseason. Chicago Bulls former All-Star center Nikola Vučević, Utah Jazz’s young center Walker Kessler and Portland Trail Blazers’ Robert Williams III were also reported to be on the Lakers’ radar.
But nothing concrete has come out of those reported talks.
Since The Athletic’s Jovan Buha reported on January 21 that the sense around the league is that the Lakers are “standing pat or making a half-measure trade (likely one or two second-round picks),” Davis and LeBron James have publicly exerted pressure on the Lakers front office to go all-in for another title shot.
“We feel like we are right there, you know, as far as the team and everything like that,” Davis told Charania. “[James] and I are like very, very motivated to win another championship.”
So far the Lakers have made one trade — acquiring 3-and-D wing Dorian Finney-Smith to improve their perimeter defense.
“I think our front office is obviously working, trying to better the team,” Davis told reporters after they beat the Celtics. “But for us, going out and playing whether something happens or not, we got to go out and compete with whatever is in this locker room like how we did tonight [against the Celtics].”
The Lakers are off to a six-game road trip known as the “Grammy road trip” and will return just in time for the February 6 trade deadline to host the Golden State Warriors at home.
“We’re going to be on the trip,” Davis told reporters, “not sure what’s going to happen.”
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Lakers’ Anthony Davis Makes Trade Wish Known as NBA Deadline Approaches