The idea of Anthony Davis back in a Lakers uniform is already making the rounds, but the path to get there looks awfully thin.
According to ESPN LA radio personality Scott Kaplan, he overheard NBA reporters say that Davis is "keen" on a reunion with the Lakers. That’s the rumor. The reality check came quickly from ESPN NBA reporter Brian Windhorst, who shut down the idea.
Windhorst also said that if the Wizards and Davis don’t agree to a contract extension, then a trade is likely.
For now, the Lakers are in no rush to chase the story anyway. They’re sitting atop the Western Conference and have become a true contender with Luka Doncic leading the way. That’s the payoff from the February 2025 blockbuster that stunned the league, when Los Angeles landed Doncic at age 25 after he had already become the face of the Dallas Mavericks and had just carried them to an NBA Finals appearance.
To make that deal happen, the Lakers had to send out Davis, who was the centerpiece of the return. His stint in Dallas didn’t last long. Injuries got in the way, and the Mavericks eventually moved him to the Washington Wizards.
In hindsight, the trade has been viewed as a disaster on Dallas’ side and a massive win for Los Angeles.
Even if Davis wanted back in, the Lakers don’t have much to work with. They have zero straight-up first-round draft picks available to trade, one 2032 first-round pick swap and three second-round draft picks. On the player side, their available contract assets are Jarred Vanderbilt, Jaden Hardy, Cameron Carr and Adou Thiero, and none of those four carry major value at this point.
So while the reunion talk is out there, it still reads more like a long shot than a real plan. Stranger things have happened in the NBA, but this one would take a lot of moving parts.
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