Anthony Davis may be wearing a different uniform now, but the Lakers chatter around him is still loud enough to shake up social media.
The latest spark came after Los Angeles finally went out and traded for Walker Kessler on Wednesday, a move that sent the NBA world into overdrive because it brought the exact kind of center help the Lakers had long gone without during the LeBron James and Davis era. That omission has been a sore spot for years, and Davis himself made that clear more than a year ago when he said the team needed another big.
“I think we need another big," Davis told ESPN's Shams Charania over a year ago. "I feel like I've always been at my best when I've been the 4, having a big out there."
That old quote resurfaced in a big way when Fox Sports Radio’s Cuffs the Legend fired off a blunt criticism of Rob Pelinka on social media. The post took aim at the Lakers general manager for not adding a true center while Davis and James were in their prime together, then doing so only after the duo had already moved on.
“Anthony Davis practically begged Rob Pelinka to get him a CENTER alongside him for YEARS… Rob didn’t budge. AD got back doored.. Bron lowkey got back doored.. and NOW he wanna be a competent GM now that the duo that won you a championship is gone.. you can’t make this sh*t up LOL,” he posted.
Davis answered with laughing emojis.
The reaction only added another layer to the long-running tension between Davis and Pelinka. Davis and James did bring a championship to the Lakers, but the roster around them often lacked the steady support Davis had been asking for.
Davis is with the Washington Wizard right now, though that could still change if a trade comes together. After keeping relatively quiet for a while, he now seems more willing to let people know that not everything was handled the right way during his time in Los Angeles.
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Lakers Keep Adding Pieces Around Luka After Kessler Trade
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Grimes arrives with the profile of a versatile wing who can help on both ends, Sexton adds another scoring guard to the bench mix, and Mamukelashvili gives the Lakers another frontcourt option with shooting touch. Taken together, the moves suggest a front office trying to build out a more complete supporting cast piece by piece, even as the bigger question around how all of these parts fit with the teams new core still hangs over the roster. [Read more 🡒]