Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James was furious following the blockbuster trade that sent Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Luka Dončić.
However, his anger wasn’t directed at the trade itself. Instead, it stemmed from a report by CBS NBA insider Bill Reiter, which suggested James played a role in his close friend’s departure.
“So, I have not been able to reach every source you would like to as this breaking news story unfolds. So Joe [Musso], I’m going to tell you something that was true a year ago, but I think it is pertinent now,” Reiter reported. “And I remember I talked to you about this on CBS Sports HQ last year at the trade deadline. Lakers fans got very angry, but at the time, there was talk within the Lakers organization that LeBron James had grown a little frustrated with Anthony Davis.
“It wasn’t necessarily that [Davis] was going to be traded. We obviously didn’t report that on CBS Sports. It was just, ‘Hey, there’s something to keep an eye on.’ LeBron is frustrated with [Davis]. He doesn’t think it’s working, and that’s because LeBron has very, very high expectations. And you fast forward a year later—obviously, that reporting, really, that information from Lakers sources, was accurate.”
Reiter defended his reporting.
“Check out the entire video to understand the context here. I stand by my reporting,” he wrote on X in response to James’ reaction.
LeBron James ‘Still Processing’ the Trade
James had just recorded a 37-point triple-double in the Lakers’ 128-112 win over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden when the trade was finalized.
After the game, he spoke about the team’s collective effort in Davis’ absence due to an abdominal muscle strain.
“There’s no way we can make up for [Davis] absence,” James told reporters after Friday’s win. “There’s no way, especially defensively, offensively. He’s our best player, so we all have to figure out how to do a little bit more, and I think tonight we did that.”
What he didn’t know at the time was that it would be his final reference to Davis as a Lakers teammate. Just minutes past midnight, Shams Charania broke the news of one of the most shocking trades in NBA history.
James, like Dončić and many others, was caught off guard, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
“LeBron James learned of the Davis-Doncic trade after the Knicks game when it broke while he was out to dinner with his family, sources close to James told ESPN,” McMenamin wrote on X. “James was surprised by the news, is processing it, and had no idea it was in the works, sources said.”
Lakers See Luka Dončić as the Next ‘Face of Their Franchise’
The Lakers seized the opportunity to secure James’ potential successor.
At 40 years old, James is nearing the end of his career, and the Lakers view Dončić as the franchise’s next cornerstone.
“The Mavericks approached the Lakers recently and offered Luka Doncic,” Charania reported on X. “Lakers brass met and believed the 25-year-old Doncic has the ability to be the face of their franchise for the next decade while giving Anthony Davis a win-now move in Dallas.”
Dončić, 25, is a perennial All-Star and All-NBA talent, fresh off his first NBA Finals appearance with the Mavericks last season.
