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Anthony Davis has now spoken out about the rather surprising rumors swirling about his potential exit from the Los Angeles Lakers. With this team now looking at an early summer vacation after being eliminated from playoff contention, Davis was one of the names that popped up as a potential trade candidate for LA as this team looks to overhaul their squad ahead of the 2022-23 season.
Davis has heard all the chatter and it appears that this isn’t bothering him one bit. According to the eight-time All-Star, this is simply something that is beyond his control:
“I can’t control those things,” Davis told Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “That’s an upstairs thing. A Klutch, Rich Paul thing. My agency.
“I mean, my job is to go out and play basketball. Obviously I love it in L.A. If that’s something that they’re considering, then we’ll have a conversation about it. I don’t know what they’re talking about, what’s the plan.”
Davis is basically saying here that he would love to stay with the Lakers, but if they’re thinking of letting him go then there’s nothing he can do about it. This is how bad things are for the Lakers right now, that they’re actually being linked to an extensive squad overhaul that could involve the best player on their roster outside of LeBron James. AD was supposed to be LA’s cornerstone superstar once LeBron hangs it up, but, apparently, there’s now a chance that Davis might not even get that opportunity.
Earlier in the week, none other than Lakers legend Magic Johnson brought up the possibility of an Anthony Davis trade. According to Johnson, LA could consider trading Davis next summer if he has another injury-riddled campaign in 2022-23:
“AD, you gotta change whatever it is,” Johnson stated. “You gotta stay healthy. Or the Lakers gotta say, after next season, if you don’t stay healthy, they gotta look at you and say, ‘Maybe you should be somewhere else.’ Because they need you on the court, not in your clothes sitting on the bench. So I think he’s gotta change some things.”
Injuries have been a major issue for Davis over the past two seasons, preventing him from helping his team achieve its goals. This year, Davis missed a significant chunk of the season, and it was only just recently when he returned from a foot sprain. It was too little, too late for the Lakers as AD was out of action during the team’s most crucial stretch of the campaign.
When he’s healthy, however, Davis is an absolute beast for the Lakers. Given a choice, LA would probably want to keep him on board. Russell Westbrook, who himself had a forgettable first season in Hollywood, would likely be the first one to go if the Lakers had a choice between him and Davis. However, Russ’ current deal makes him virtually untradable, which could force LA into looking at all their other options.
If you ask Anthony Davis, though, it seems that he’s confident that he will still be donning the Lakers uniform next season. Nevertheless, there’s also no denying that there’s some doubt lingering in his mind right now:
“I mean, I don’t think they’re planning on doing anything [with me],” he said. “I don’t know, man. F—, I don’t know.”
We’ll see what happens.