Was the Duo of the King and AD a Success?
In July 2019, the New Orleans Pelicans traded Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and three first-round draft picks. One of those draft picks ended up being De’Andre Hunter, who was eventually drafted by the Hawks, was traded to the Pelicans before being traded again to Atlanta, who drafted him. Lebron James and Anthony Davis were always close, and the pairing was always rumored to happen. Both guys were always seen together hanging out and joking around, even at the NBA All-Star Game. Many people thought the Lakers were tampering their way towards the Anthony Davis trade.
One thing was undeniable: The pairing at the beginning was successful, capturing an NBA Championship in their first full season together. A championship that would be questioned for its legitimacy because of the stoppage of the 2019-2020 NBA Season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Anthony Davis had multiple 30-point games and even put up a 40-point and 20-rebound game in one of his first few games as a Laker. One of Anthony Davis' most memorable shots or moments as a Laker was hitting the game winner. In the bubble against the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals to give the Lakers a 2-0 series lead.
After a very successful first season, the two captured a championship. The following seasons became some of the worst of Anthony Davis' career. He signed in December 2020 a $190 million contract for five years. He played only 30 games in his second season due to right calf and heel issues. In the playoffs, the defending champs were eliminated in six games because Davis suffered a groin injury in Game Four against the Phoenix Suns. In his third season, the Lakers missed the playoffs because of his injury problems. During that time, Lebron would go on to suffer a nasty groin injury as well as other nagging injuries that would start his slow decline.
In 2023, things were starting to look up for the pair. Davis and James finally made it back in the Western Conference Finals again. However, they got swept by the same Nuggets team they beat three years prior. After that, Davis signed a three-year extension with the Lakers, and in Lebron and Davis's last playoff run together, they got defeated in five games in the First Round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs by the Nuggets. It was the end of Davis’ injury-prone career until he was traded away from the Lakers to the Dallas Mavericks.
Right before getting traded, he suffered an injury again to finish his run as a Laker. Overall, the Lebron and Davis pairing successfully completed the bare minimum in capturing a championship. People expected multiple titles or even NBA Finals appearances. The pairing was a failure, considering both are now on the top 75 all-time players list. It is also because it is the L.A. Lakers, and they achieved short of nothing for most of the pairings, running year after year.
