Anthony Davis has opted to forfeit a $6 million bonus as part of the significant trade that sent him to the Dallas Mavericks while Luka Doncic moved to the Los Angeles Lakers in an extraordinary exchange of elite talent.

This decision could be seen as an initial step for the 10-time All-Star to demonstrate his awareness of the gravity of this trade, which has left fans in Dallas feeling frustrated. Much of the discontent is being aimed at general manager Nico Harrison. Nevertheless, Davis runs the risk of being perceived by Mavericks supporters as the player who cost them the highly cherished Doncic, regardless of what Dallas achieves with one of the members of the NBA’s prestigious 75th anniversary team.

“Losing a monumental piece like Luka. It’s a lot, right?” Davis shared regarding his fellow five-time All-NBA first-team counterpart. “So I’m just trying to contribute in any way I can to help Nico and the organization improve continuously. That’s just the right approach.”

During a shootaround the day before the Mavericks faced the 76ers in Philadelphia, Davis acknowledged that he has been sidelined due to an abdominal injury that ended his time with the Lakers. He was unaware that his injury sustained the previous week against the Sixers would mark his last appearance in Los Angeles. Similarly, Doncic never envisioned that his final game with the Mavericks would occur on Christmas when he suffered a calf strain.

Davis expressed his thoughts to reporters while Doncic was simultaneously addressing a crowd at a news conference across the country. Both players shared their feelings of shock and astonishment over this landmark trade in NBA history.

“I was actually at home, about to watch a movie with my wife when I received the call,” Davis recounted. “I had no idea. I just texted the team to congratulate them on the win against the Knicks and was looking forward to the upcoming game against the Clippers. Then an hour later, I found out I was no longer part of the team.”

Doncic was not set to play against the Clippers on Tuesday, but he could be back in action soon following his calf injury. On the other hand, Davis aims to return to the court relatively soon. He mentioned that he might participate in the game against Boston on Thursday or potentially against Houston on Saturday during the Mavericks’ first home match since the trade.

There is some familiarity for Davis with his new team, as Dallas head coach Jason Kidd was an assistant coach during the year Davis and LeBron James led the Lakers to their 17th championship in the NBA bubble in 2020. Davis has also had a longstanding relationship with Harrison, going back to their high school days, and he eventually signed with Nike, where Harrison spent two decades before taking on the general manager role with the Mavericks in 2021.

“Nico believes in me and what I can contribute to this team,” Davis stated. “We both have high hopes for what we can achieve together, and I genuinely believe we have a fantastic opportunity to contend for a championship.”

A key partnership will be with Kyrie Irving, who came to Dallas in a trade from Brooklyn to team up with Doncic. Their collaboration yielded significant results, leading the Mavericks to their first NBA Finals in 13 years last season, although they fell to Boston in five games.

Now, with Davis on board, the Mavericks have a new star duo. Davis noted that he and Irving had discussed the possibility of teaming up six years ago when Davis was transitioning out of New Orleans to join the Lakers, while Irving was signing with the Nets.

While both players share the shock of the trade that united them, Irving humorously urged reporters to “go easy” on Davis during his first press availability.

“I had no idea that this trade was going to happen,” Davis remarked. “But now, I’m focused and ready to contribute to Dallas.” He is also coming to terms with the significance of stepping into the role previously filled by Doncic.