Carmelo Anthony Claims LeBron James Knew Anthony Davis Was 'Unhappy' Before Lakers Trade

The former Lakers forward has a hot take about the relationship between his former teammates.

Oct 12, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA;Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) talks to forwards LeBron James (6) and Carmelo Anthony (7) during the game against the Golden State Warriors at Staples Center. The Warriors won 111-99. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Former one-time Los Angeles Lakers bench combo forward Carmelo Anthony recently offered up a piping hot take about the relationship between his former fellow Hall of Fame L.A. teammates, LeBron James and Anthony Davis, ahead of team general manager Rob Pelinka's decision to trade Davis to the Dallas Mavericks for All-NBA superstar guard Luka Doncic. It was a shocking, league-altering deal, one that effectively made the 17-time champions legitimate title contenders.

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While speaking with former longtime NBA forward Rudy Gay on Anthony's podcast "7 PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony & Kid Mero," he speculated that James was at least somewhat aware Davis was dissatisfied with his Lakers tenure this season.

Davis had talked openly about wanting Pelinka to trade for some center help and allow him to shift to the power forward slot, his preferred position on the floor.

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"He knew AD was unhappy. He knew AD was unhappy—that’s what he knew,” Anthony said. “I don’t know this as a guarantee, I’m just assuming.”

“Now it’s like, ‘No, we want to play a different way, we want to play faster, we want to put you at the five,’” Anthony said of the root of Davis' frustrations. “So he’s like, ‘Cool, I’ll try.’ But then he was like, ‘No. Let me get back to the four, it’s a little bit easier.’ He can play the five, but his natural position is at the four.”

“I just don’t think he knew,” Anthony said of James. “Bron couldn’t have known. Rich Paul couldn’t know. Nobody else could know.”

Just one game in to his Dallas tenure, Davis is already hurt.

Anthony Davis appeared to suffer an injury and is headed back to the locker room — Prayers up. 🙏

pic.twitter.com/jPo7Ue6tu1

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) February 8, 2025

Still, in the 30:56 he did play on Saturday in his Dallas debut, Davis was plenty dominant in a 115-105 defeat of the chippy young Houston Rockets. The 6-foot-10 NBA and NCAA champ scored 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the field (2-of-2 from 3-point land) and 4-of-6 shooting from the foul line, grabbed 16 boards, dished out seven dimes and blocked three shots.

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