Jeanie Buss hints at Davis’ frustrations, revealing why the Lakers moved on and landed Luka Doncic instead.

Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Jeanie Buss has never been one to speak too openly about the Los Angeles Lakers’ internal decisions, but in her latest interview with Texas Public Radio’s Alejandra Martinez, she made a rare, subtle jab at Anthony Davis, confirming what many had suspected—he was not happy in Los Angeles.

“You know, I learned from my dad — and I point to when the Lakers traded for Pau Gasol — people hadn’t heard about it.

Gregg Popovich in San Antonio and Mark Cuban in Dallas threw a fit that we ended up with Pau. They never got a chance to bid on him or probably talk Memphis out of trading him to us.”

“You realize in our business that a lot of the rumors are planted by people in the industry who are trying to curry favor with the media. There’s kind of this ‘write good things about me as general manager and I’ll feed you my inside information.”

“Then we both win.’In this particular case, I felt that if anybody heard about the trade through a rumor that there would be many parties trying to undermine it.

When Pau Gasol came from Memphis to L.A., we won two championships because of it.”

“And then there was the famous Chris Paul trade that was vetoed by the commissioner, that people feel somehow the Lakers have an unfair advantage. But that is not true. We gave up a lot to get Luka Doncic. We’re happy we have him.”

“We have lost the last three years in a row to the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs, and we really didn’t have anything that was going to look different going into the playoffs again.

Anthony Davis was complaining about where he was being played and he wasn’t happy. So I think this was a positive for both teams.” 

“They got what they were looking for; we got what we were looking for.

And I didn’t realize it was going to be international news like it was, but that’s the power of the Laker brand and its ability to draw big names who want to write their own chapter in Lakers history.”

Discussing the blockbuster Luka Doncic trade, which sent Davis to the Dallas Mavericks, Buss explained how secrecy played a crucial role in ensuring the deal went through without outside interference.

She compared the situation to the Pau Gasol trade in 2008, which blindsided the rest of the NBA and immediately turned the Lakers into title contenders.

She continued, addressing why the Luka trade was kept under wraps, making it clear that leaking trade negotiations can be dangerous.

But then, Buss made a statement that caught everyone’s attention. She directly addressed Anthony Davis’ unhappiness, essentially confirming that his complaints played a role in the trade.

While Buss’ comments were subtle, they made it clear that the Lakers viewed Davis’ dissatisfaction as a problem and that trading him was not just about acquiring Luka Doncic, but also about moving on from a player who no longer fit with their vision.

This aligns with the ongoing reports that Davis was unhappy about playing center full-time. Throughout his Lakers tenure, he has made it clear that he prefers to play power forward (the 4) rather than take on the physical burden of being a full-time center.

As the season progressed, his frustration grew, and just days before the trade, he doubled down on his request, emphasizing that he needed the Lakers to get him a true center so he could move back to his natural position.

Instead of making roster adjustments to accommodate Davis, the Lakers pivoted and made one of the biggest trades in NBA history.

Since the move, they have been red-hot, surging to a 38-21 record and taking the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. Since January 15th, they have been the best team in the NBA, going 18-4.

While it remains to be seen how Davis fares in Dallas, one thing is now clear: The Lakers were ready to move on from him, and Jeanie Buss just confirmed it.