Anthony Davis 'shocked' by trade that sent him to Mavericks, Luka Dončić to Lakers

Anthony Davis spoke to the media for the first time since the stunning trade that saw him sent to the Dallas Mavericks, in return for a package that netted the Lakers superstar guard Luka Dončić.

"I was shocked," Davis said, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN. "I had no idea."

"I had just sent the team a text about congratulations on the win against the Knicks, big win, and then looking forward to Tuesday's game against the Clippers, as far as standing purposes. And then, found out like an hour later I was no longer with the team. I was in shock, obviously. Had no idea that it was happening."

The move shocked the entire NBA, and the sporting world as a whole. There had been no rumblings that the 32-year-old center was even on the trading block this season, and reports indicate that very few people were aware this deal was even a possibility.

That Davis, one of the NBA's most dominant players, was fully unaware of the possibility he'd be traded underscores the level of secrecy that Lakers GM Rob Pelinka and Mavericks GM Nico Harrison kept throughout this process. Not telling a star player that they could be traded is a massive gamble in the modern NBA, albeit a necessary one in this case.

If Davis is holding any ill will towards Pelinka and the Lakers, he didn't express it on Tuesday.

"But, I mean, now I'm kind of over it, and just kind of getting ready to play with Dallas," he said.

"Nico believes in me, and what I can add to this team," Davis said. "We are both extremely excited about what we can do and I think we have a great opportunity to win a championship."

Davis' performance in Dallas is going to be the biggest storyline of the rest of the season. All eyes are going to be on the Mavericks' new power forward to see how he meshes with Kyrie Irving, how he meshes in Jason Kidd's system, and how the Mavericks fare down the stretch.

Giving up the 25-year old Dončić for such a scant return has drawn plenty of negative feedback, but Davis is ready to help the Mavericks prove the doubters wrong.

"Trying to help the team," Davis said when asked about his role. "Obviously you always want to get better and losing a monumental piece like Luka ... it's a lot, right? So I'm just trying to do my part and help Nico and the organization on how we can continuously get better. That's just always the right thing to do."

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