Anthony Davis’ name is back in the rumor mill, but Brian Windhorst isn’t buying the idea that a Lakers reunion is sitting there waiting to happen.
An Anthony Davis-Lakers reunion?? 😳@ScottKaplan sparked the trending story with @WindhorstESPN https://t.co/MXIsXmKDib pic.twitter.com/e4xsI0H3RK
— ESPN Los Angeles (@ESPNLosAngeles) November 7, 2026
The chatter has picked up with Davis now in Washington after being traded there from Dallas in February at the NBA Trade Deadline, and the idea floating around is simple enough: could he end up back in Los Angeles alongside Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves? Windhorst addressed that buzz during an appearance with Scot Kaplan on ESPN Radio Los Angeles, and he made it clear that the situation is more complicated than the gossip suggests.
“You know, Anthony Davis is one of the biggest question marks in the league this year. There’s like three guys that we’re watching…sort of star-level players about wil they get traded.
One is Anthony Davis, one is Kyrie Irving. Domatas Sabonis is on there.
They’re all in the same boat. All of them have options in their contracts for next season.
Windhorst then laid out why Davis’ future is tied to what happens in Washington first. According to him, the Wizards want a real look before making any long-term call.
“The Wizards basically said that we want to see Anthony Davis play 20 to 30 games, see how he fits in our group, and then we’re going to revisit whether we want to give him a contract extension. Obviously if they give him a contract extension, what he agrees to not get traded.
If he doesn’t get a contract extension, then I think you’re going to see his name out there on the trade market. But here’s the thing: the Lakers don’t have much high value…they don’t have much to trade.
They traded all their picks for the most part…if they’re thinking about trading for a star it’s very unlikely.”
For now, Davis is producing at a strong clip in Washington, averaging 23.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks in eight games. His next game could come against the Oklahoma City Thunder, though he is listed as questionable.
In Other News...
Luka Doncic Is Forcing A New Lakers Question Fast
Luka Doncic keeps making the Lakers scoring conversation feel less like a nice problem and more like a nightly reality. In the 124-118 win over Portland, he poured in 53 points with five rebounds and five assists, carrying Los Angeles through a game that demanded nearly everything from him. It was the kind of performance that also had head coach JJ Redick praising him afterward, which has become a familiar refrain as Doncics workload and production keep climbing together.
The bigger question now is what this run means for the way the Lakers are built around him. Doncic has now put together four straight 40-point games, a stretch that places him in rare company in franchise history and underscores just how quickly he has become central to everything Los Angeles does on offense. For a team trying to balance winning now with finding a sustainable formula, his latest outburst only sharpens the debate about how far this version of the Lakers can go if he keeps carrying this kind of load. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers Loss To Lakers Put Portlands Biggest Role Questions Back In Focus
The first NBA Cup game of the season offered Portland a familiar kind of frustration, the sort that can make a promising night feel suddenly unfinished. The Trail Blazers had control early against the Lakers, building a double-digit cushion in the first half, and they got strong work from Deni Avdija, who came close to a triple-double, while Damian Lillard carried the scoring load for much of the night.
But the loss also pushed the Blazers biggest role questions right back into view, especially around the backcourt where Scoot Hendersons uneven night stood out. With Luka Doncic driving the Lakers comeback, Portland was left sorting through the same issues that have followed this group for stretches, and the result was another reminder that the team still has to find a cleaner balance when the game tightens and the pressure rises. [Read more 🡒]
Jimmy Butler Had The Perfect Sideline Reaction In Warriors-Magic
The Warriors-Magic game at Chase Center had enough going on to keep the crowd locked in, from the on-court dustup between Georges Niang and Wendell Carter Jr. to Stephen Curry hitting another three on the way to a notable statistical milestone. Orlando had the edge late, with Nikola Vucevic, Franz Wagner and Tristan da Silva helping the Magic stay in front while Curry and Brandin Podziemski carried Golden States offense.
Even the sideline had its own reaction to the moment, with Jimmy Butler in the building as the Warriors tried to chase down the lead. For a team still trying to sort out its rhythm and health, every swing in a tight game matters, and Butlers presence added another layer to a night that already felt chippy, tense and very much in the middle of the season grind. [Read more 🡒]