Anthony Davis: 'I Was Shocked' by Lakers' Trade to Mavs for Luka Dončić

Add Anthony Davis to the list of people who was stunned to learn he was being traded by the Los Angeles Lakers to the Dallas Mavericks in a package for Luka Dončić.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday during the Mavs' shootaround in Philadelphia, Davis said "I was shocked" upon learning of the trade from the Lakers.

Now, Davis will team up with Kyrie Irving in Dallas, a partnership the big man is "very excited" about.

"Me and [Kyrie] talked about this, I think, in 2018 when I asked for a trade from New Orleans," Davis told reporters. "He was in Boston at the time. He ended up leaving and going to Brooklyn. But we have wanted to play alongside each other for a very long time. Now, we have an opportunity to do so."

Davis also told reporters why he waived his $6 million trade kicker to facilitate the deal.

"Trying to help the team," Davis said, per ESPN's Tim Bontemps. "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 [Harrison] and the organization on how we can continuously get better."

It's not an exaggeration to say no one in the world outside of Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, Mavs general manager Nico Harrison, the governors of both organizations and maybe a few other people had any insight into what was happening before it was announced.

One way we know this to be true is ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Tim MacMahon reported Utah Jazz CEO Danny Ainge, whose team was a third party in the trade to make the finances work, "didn't know Dončić and Davis were a part of the deal until about an hour before it was completed."

The Lakers had things on lockdown to the point that LeBron James didn't learn about it until he was out with friends and family in New York City following Saturday's game against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

Davis didn't seem to have too much of an issue with the trade. He waived his $6 million trade bonus that keeps the Mavs just under the luxury tax and gives them flexibility if they want to make additional moves prior to Thursday's trade deadline.

The wait for Davis to make his Mavs debut will take a little longer due to an abdominal strain he suffered in a 118-104 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Jan. 28. He said he could return for Thursday's game against the Boston Celtics or Saturday against the Houston Rockets.

Davis is averaging 25.7 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game in 42 starts for the Lakers this season. The Mavs have lost 13 of their last 19 games since Dec. 28, all without Dončić due to a calf injury.