With NBA trade deadline looming, Anthony Davis — not LeBron James — is putting pressure on Lakers

We know Anthony Davis wants the Los Angeles Lakers to acquire another big man.

That, in and of itself, isn’t surprising, considering he prefers playing the four over the five.

But something else is surprising: This time it’s him speaking up and putting pressure on the Lakers’ front office to make a trade.

Over the last few years, LeBron James has been the voice of the organization, both overtly and covertly. He has long been thought of as one of the main reasons why the Lakers traded pieces from their 2020 championship team to acquire Russell Westbrook in 2021. And when that didn’t work out, he made it clear he wasn’t happy ahead of the 2023 trade deadline, even calling it a “duh question” when asked if Kyrie Irving could help transform the team. The Lakers went on to trade Westbrook and acquire six new players en route to reaching the Western Conference Finals that season.

Now, with the Lakers in fifth place and possibly only a few tweaks away from being real contenders, Davis took it upon himself to give Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka a not-so-subtle kick in the rear end, using a television interview to make his point.

“I think we need another big,” Davis told ESPN. “I feel like I’ve always been at my best when I’ve been the four.”

In many ways, it was the most concrete evidence yet of the passing of the torch from James to Davis.

James, who turned 40 in December, has made it clear to the media over the past few seasons that the Lakers are now Davis’ team. It’s clear that Davis has accepted that role on the court. He opened the season playing MVP-caliber basketball and is currently averaging 25.9 points on 52.4 percent shooting, 11.9 rebounds,3.5 assists and 2.2 blocks a game.

But being the Lakers’ so-called spokesperson is new territory for him.

When the Lakers returned to the court following a two-game pause in their season because of the wildfires around Los Angeles, Davis spoke to the media following their game against San Antonio on January 13. James didn’t talk that evening.

And now, ahead of the trade deadline, it’s Davis who’s being most vocal about the team’s needs.

Davis recently said he has embraced being “the guy” on the Lakers.

“I just know in order for us to do something we’ve talked about in previous years and this year, that in order for us to reach the promised land, I have to play how I’m playing now,” Davis told FOX Sports. “It’s never been a conversation with me and [LeBron] where it’s like, ‘Hey, this is your team and I’m giving you the keys or whatever.’ It’s just been something that we’ve just played off of each other. And it just happened.”