For years, Davis asked the Lakers’ front office to bring in another_center and allow him to slide over to power forward. The front office did not acquiesce to these requests, and Davis was eventually traded to the Dallas Mavericks in a blockbuster deal that brought Luka Dončić to Dallas.
After the Lakers’ most recent roster moves, an Instagram user publicly criticized the team’s general manager for only trying to be “competent” after Anthony Davis and LeBron James departed the Lakers. The post suggested that Davis had repeatedly pressed for a center, and that the GM had not acted on it, while implying a shift in the leverage and status of the franchise following the departure of its championship duo.
In response, former Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma offered a sharp remark that appeared to defend the GM, implying that acquiring a center would have been difficult given the salaries of two top players. Kuzma’s stance drew criticism from Anthony Davis, who responded briefly in the dialogue.
The Lakers’ 2020 championship core relied heavily on the partnership between LeBron James and Anthony Davis. While players such as Kyle Kuzma, Dwight Howard, and JaVale McGee contributed to the team’s success, the roster changes after that title run led to significant shifts. Davis, who had grown among the top earners on the team, signed a three-year, $186 million extension in August 2023, a contract that underscored his value but also constrained the Lakers’ ability to add another high-quality center.
As such, Kuzma’s comment—though perhaps an exaggerated take on salaries—touches on a real tension: balancing star salaries with the need for complementary pieces. Defending the general manager’s broader approach to roster-building can be controversial, given the mixed reception to his moves within league circles.
Ultimately, Anthony Davis’s stance highlights a core question about the Lakers’ approach to constructing a championship-caliber team. When paired with a capable big man, the franchise demonstrated a successful formula. Health and fit factors may have influenced Davis’s later decisions, but the broader question remains: how would the team have looked if front-office choices had aligned more closely with Davis’s preference for alternate center-heavy lineups?
