There was a time when the partnership between Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers was an excellent one. The Lakers acquired him in a highly anticipated trade during the summer of 2019, and he immediately teamed up with LeBron James to deliver the franchise an NBA championship in the 2019-20 season.

At the time, it looked like the Lakers would be in contention for at least one more championship over the next several years. But that’s not exactly what happened. Over the next four seasons, they missed the playoffs once and were knocked out of the first round of the playoffs twice while Davis missed many games due to an assortment of injuries.

Davis, of course, was sent away in February’s historic trade that brought L.A. Luka Dončić. There were some rumblings afterward that perhaps James and the team had a bit of discontent with him, and now, a ClutchPoints report by Brett Siegel has confirmed what some had suspected all along.

With every injury Davis sustained, there was more and more dissatisfaction for the superstar big man within the organization.

“He only played in 36 games the season after winning a championship due to calf and Achilles strains, and then Davis only played in 40 games during the 2021-22 season because of a left MCL sprain and a right ankle sprain,” Siegel wrote. “The very next season (2022-23), Davis missed 26 games with a right foot injury.

“Throughout these three years, in which Davis was constantly in and out of the lineup as a result of many injuries, internal concerns about the way Davis took care of his body began to loom large, multiple league sources told ClutchPoints. There were points before the 2024-25 season when Davis’ side and his representation would not see eye to eye with how the Lakers wanted to handle his injury recovery and prevention.

“In the offseason, Davis wouldn’t always communicate with the Lakers, sources said, and his fitness levels entering training camps were said to be ‘well below average.'”

According to one Lakers source, Davis’ work ethic grew worse over time.

“There were moments in the preseason where we wondered if he had even worked out at all in the summer,” one team source who was granted anonymity to speak freely said of Davis entering the 2024-25 season. “He would come back, go through warmups, and then either sit out to be with the training staff or basically half-[expletive] what the team was doing.

“When he first got here, that wasn’t the case. He was always wanting to go above and beyond, and he was one of the first in the gym, last out of it. Over the years, that changed, and he almost became content in a way. It was clear he was out of shape and didn’t seem to care what the higher-ups were telling him. Something definitely changed.”

One action from Davis sealed his fate in L.A.

As the mere idea of the Lakers being able to land Doncic started to materialize, there was one action from Davis that was reportedly the “final straw” for the franchise.

“Davis and his camp held a meeting with the Lakers before the 2024 offseason was in full swing, sources said, to stress the importance of him having more help, specifically at the center position. It was clear that Davis’ demands were to play fewer minutes at center and for the team to leverage assets in order to bring in another experienced center who could directly impact their championship pursuit.

“From the point of view of Davis’ camp, the idea of making such a move was to preserve his overall body health, as wear and tear had resulted in several of his soft tissue injuries through the years. This wasn’t seen as a necessity from the Lakers’ point of view, as their focus was on preserving future assets and maintaining cap flexibility for 2025, with LeBron owning a player option.

“Los Angeles did not completely shut the door on pursuing more frontcourt help, as they attempted to do so multiple times before the 2025 trade deadline, but this was not viewed as a core need of the franchise. Instead, more focus was on Austin Reaves emerging as the third key talent alongside James and Davis.

“This decision to continue having Davis play heavy minutes with virtually no frontcourt help did not sit well with his camp, creating more friction and tension leading into the 2024-25 season, sources said.

“… As the conversations between [Nico] Harrison and [Rob] Pelinka continued to progress and the dream of acquiring Doncic started to look like a real possibility for the Lakers, Pelinka, [Jeanie] Buss, and other key members of Los Angeles’ front office began devising the logistics of the trade.

“… While this was happening in mid-January, Davis continued to make it known that the team needed another center, a narrative that had worn thin on the front office.

“If the Lakers needed any other reason to want to move Davis other than acquiring Doncic, they got it when his frustrations led the 10-time All-Star to make it clear to management that they needed to be willing to do what it takes to not only keep him healthy but also put the team in the best position to win a title during the 2024-25 season.”

“Multiple higher-ups in the Lakers organization took exception to Davis’ words, which basically claimed they did not put the team in a position to succeed like they did during the team’s championship run in 2020, sources said. With conversations Pelinka held with Harrison already advancing and this relationship with Davis reaching a point of no return, the Lakers pulled the trigger on the historic trade.

“What Davis said in this interview was essentially the ‘last straw,’ as one team source said, that put the nail in the coffin for his time in Los Angeles.”

There had been a report by Sam Amick shortly after the Davis-Doncic deal that the Lakers were frustrated about Davis publicly saying that he wanted them to trade for a true center so he could play the power forward position more often, just as he did during the championship season.

Perhaps someday, Davis will get his No. 3 Lakers jersey retired by the organization. But for now, he is facing a murky future with a Mavs team that is 3-10 and is dealing with his latest injury — a calf strain. Meanwhile, the Lakers are 9-4 even without James, who seems to be nearing a return from a bout with sciatica.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers were unhappy with Anthony Davis before Luka Doncic trade