Alternative Anthony Davis Trade Destinations Revealed
A recent article published by Brett Siegel of Clutch Points revealed that Anthony Davis was being shopped to teams well before the Luka Doncic trade.
The marriage between Anthony Davis and the Lakers was fractured before Luka Doncic was even an option.
After months of gathering intel, here is what I found out about AD’s relationship with the Lakers, including secret AD trade talks before Luka: https://t.co/YcjGBDuXHY
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) November 14, 2025
Unhappy with Davis’ lack of fitness coming into training camp, as well as his demands of playing the four, the Lakers reportedly received interest in preliminary trade talks from three teams.
Boston Celtics
Boston was the most talked-about team in Siegel’s article. They reportedly told the Lakers, “We’ll keep it in mind”. However, since the Lakers wanted to make a deal in the summer after the 2024-2025 season, the Celtics’ outlook likely would have changed after the injury to Jayson Tatum.
The Celtics this summer also offloaded multiple big contracts due to the restrictions of the new CBA. This would have made trading for a contract as big as Davis’ a puzzling move.
However, the Celtics had pursued Davis before when he was in New Orleans. Therefore, there may be a world where they would have sent Kristaps Porzingis or Jrue Holiday to LA. That is, of course, if Rob Pelinka and co. were comfortable with sending the All-NBA big man to their biggest rival.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The idea of Cleveland trading for AD seems much more realistic than the Celtics. The Cavs already had two core big men with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. They also had multiple assets required to make an offseason trade.
Jarrett Allen had been in Lakers trade rumors for a couple of years, so he probably would have been the one to go. Draft compensation or another piece would likely have been added to finalize the trade. Overall, though, it would have made sense for the Lakers. They would have saved a good chunk of money and possibly gotten another piece.
Milwaukee Bucks
An AD trade to the Bucks would have had a huge ripple effect. This is because the Bucks signed Myles Turner to be their big man during the summer. They also let Damian Lillard go.
If Davis is on the market and the Bucks strike a deal, they likely never go after Turner. This also means Lillard would be a trade candidate to go to LA. Other players possibly dealt would be someone like Bobby Portis.
Depending on how much money is saved, maybe the Lakers even opt to go after Turner in free agency themselves. They could also have tried to work out something with Brook Lopez. The possibilities are endless.
Overall, Siegel’s article provided insight into an alternate universe that could have very much been reality. That is, of course, only if the Mavericks had not traded their generational superstar in his prime.
Given how things are going now, though, with Luka Doncic, the current version of reality is certainly one the Lakers and the front office can live with.
