PHILADELPHIA – Anthony Davis knows how to make a good first impression.
The new Mavericks superstar was first off the team bus as it pulled into Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday morning. He walked at the head of the line of Mavericks as they filed to the court for their morning shootaround before playing the Philadelphia 76ers a few hours later.
And then, as he was wrapping up a chat with reporters after the morning workout, he said the words Maverick fans have wanted to hear since general manager Nico Harrison made the stunning trade of Luka Dončić for Davis and Max Christie.
“Excitement,” Davis said. “Nico believes in what I can add to this team. We’re both extremely excited about what we can do and I think we have a great opportunity to win a championship.”
Not a lot of teams can say that with a straight face. The Mavericks can.
Davis spent a good chunk of his first interview as a Maverick talking about his connection to Harrison and coach Jason Kidd, as well as his enthusiasm about joining Kyrie Irving in a bid to go title hunting.
He also acknowledged that all of this was just as stunning to him as everybody else.
“I was shocked. I didn’t know,” Davis said of the trade. “I was home, about to watch a movie with my wife. And got the phone call. I had no idea. I’d just sent the team a text (of) congratulations on the big win (versus New York). And looking forward to Tuesday’s big game against the Clippers.
“An hour later, I was no longer with the team. So I was in shock, obviously. I had no idea it was happening. Now, I’m kind of over it and ready to play for Dallas.”
That could come on Thursday in Boston, or when the Mavericks return home from this longest trip of the season to play Houston at 2 p.m. Saturday at American Airlines Center.
Before then, Davis said he will go through workouts Tuesday and Wednesday to test out his foot, which was listed as the reason he was out for Tuesday’s game against Philly.
“I’m going to work out today, see how I feel,” he said. “Depending on that, get another one in Wednesday. And then depending on that, see how I feel. If not Thursday, then more than likely Saturday.”
And when he does make his Mavericks’ debut, it almost certainly will be as their starting power forward alongside Daniel Gafford at center and P.J. Washington at small forward to fill out a formidable front line.
When asked about returning to his more natural position after playing center for the Lakers for years, Davis said: “Obviously, Dereck (Lively II) is dealing with an injury, but Gaff is playing phenomenal. So I think that’s the plan, but we’ll see how it goes.
“Right now, I’m just excited to get back to playing basketball. Given the whole trade thing but also the injury, each time I’m on the floor, I feel better. But I haven’t played power forward in a long time, since I was first in LA. To be back at the four, I’m excited to see how it goes.”
Davis and Irving have a history together, along with Klay Thompson. All three were on the 2014 World Cup team that won the gold medal. And Davis said he and Irving have discussed previously about pairing up their talents in the NBA.
“Me and Kai talked about this I think in 2018 when I asked for a trade from New Orleans,” Davis said. “He was in Boston at the time and he ended up leaving for Brooklyn. We’ve been wanting to play alongside each other for a very long time. Now we got that opportunity to do so.”
But as long as Irving and Davis have been friends, the relationship with Harrison goes back even further for Davis.
When Harrison was a Nike executive, it was his job to help recruit elite athletes to the Nike brand. Davis certainly was a qualifier.
“Nico’s known me since I was in high school,” Davis said. “Obviously, one of the guys I got close to when I signed with Nike. And then to stay close throughout the years, we remained good friends. And now to come back kind of full circle and be together here in Dallas, it’s going to be fun.
“J-Kidd, I had him in LA (with the Lakers as an assistant coach on the 2020 championship team), so I’m pretty familiar with the offensive and defensive schemes they run. Obviously, little tweaks that he brought here. But for the most part, I’m very excited. I’m not trying to come here and disrupt anything. I’m just trying to add value to what they already have. But having him as the captain of the ship definitely makes my life a little easier.”
And if there was any doubt about Davis’ commitment to the Mavericks, it surely was erased when he waived the trade kicker that could have cost the franchise a hefty price.
Instead, that’s money that could be used to facilitate other moves, should they arise.
“Just trying to help the team,” Davis said. “You always want to get better and losing a monument-to-be like Luka, obviously, it’s a lot. So I’m just trying to do my part and help Nico and the organization on how to continuously get better.”
So did he have any inside information that another move is coming before Thursday’s trade deadline?
“You got to talk to Nico,” Davis said with a laugh.
X: @ESefko
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