Anthony Davis. Image via: Ron Jenkins/Getty Images
Anthony Davis got up to roughly 268 pounds in his last year with the Lakers, and the extra weight explains the request Davis made for another big man. ” The ask came two weeks before the 2025 trade deadline. Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick went to the Mavericks for Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris. In the fall of 2025, Davis reported to Mavericks camp at 268 pounds, and fans got nervous. In December, Davis put up 32 points and 13 rebounds against Jokic and the Nuggets. The Wizards have Alex Sarr, Deandre Ayton, and Tristan Vukcevic, all able to play center, so the Wizards forward gets the starting power forward job he asked for in 2025.
The NBA champion told the Wizards’ Numbers on the Board podcast that the added pounds left him feeling “heavy. Anthony Davis told ESPN’s Shams Charania that the Lakers needed a center to become real title contenders. “I think we need another big,” Davis said. I feel heavy,” Davis said. Playing alongside another big man, Davis said, is “a different, you know, ball game for me.”
The big man also wanted to go back to playing the four, the spot where the game fits best. The Lakers answered with a trade nobody saw coming. ESPN’s Charania posted the deal, which also pulled in Utah. Jalen Hood-Schifino went to the Jazz to balance the money. Plenty of fans still call it the most shocking trade in NBA history. The weight problem traveled to Dallas. Further, an early calf strain limited him. Once the weight came off, the usual two-way game returned. Davis has since been traded again, this time to Washington.