NBA trade rumors are a constant hum in the background of the league, but when a high-profile commentator like Colin Cowherd weighs in, the volume gets cranked up. Cowherd recently stirred the pot by strongly implying that Anthony Davis's well-documented injury history and fitness issues were the driving force behind the Los Angeles Lakers' decision to trade him for Luka Dončić in February 2025.
On his show "The Herd," Cowherd painted a picture of a partnership that had run its course. He pointed directly to the period after the Lakers' 2020 championship, suggesting Davis arrived at camp out of shape, which did not sit well with LeBron James. "LeBron wasn’t overjoyed with that," Cowherd stated, framing it as a pivotal moment where trust and shared commitment began to fray.
The trade itself sent shockwaves through the league, swapping a foundational piece of a title team for a generational young talent. While Davis was instrumental in delivering the 2020 championship, Cowherd's commentary suggests the Lakers' front office, and perhaps LeBron himself, felt the team's future trajectory required a more reliably available superstar. Davis's subsequent admission of dismay at not being notified beforehand only adds a layer of personal sting to the blockbuster business move.
Cowherd contrasted Davis's peak conditioning during a healthy 76-game stretch in 2023-24—where he earned All-NBA and First-Team All-Defense honors—with patterns of injury and reported weight fluctuations. "When he got traded to Dallas, what happened? Hurt again, shows up the following camp 15 pounds overweight. The why was always right out in front," Cowherd argued, framing fitness as the central, unresolved question of Davis's tenure in Los Angeles.
This narrative taps into a persistent critique of Davis's career: his immense talent is often shadowed by his inability to stay on the court consistently. For a franchise with championship-or-bust expectations like the Lakers, availability is arguably the most important ability. The move for Dončić represents a massive gamble, betting on youth, durability, and a new superstar pairing to carry the franchise into its next era, while the Davis chapter closes with questions about what could have been if health had never been an issue.