Kevin Durant Calls Out NBA Loyalty After Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis Trade

The NBA world was completely shocked on Saturday night as the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks worked in the shadows. Los Angeles traded for star point guard Luka Doncic, sending star big man Anthony Davis to the Mavericks in exchange.
This was a deal that nobody saw coming and when the news was released, many believed it was fake. But in fact, it was very real and the talks had been going on for a few days.
Players all over sports reacted to this trade, making it one of the wildest in NBA history. But Phoenix Suns star forward Kevin Durant took things a little farther, calling out the loyalty issue within the NBA.
“Players are held to a different standard of loyalty and commitment to a program but the organizations don’t get held to that same standard from the outside.”
“Insane. It’s crazy, crazy.”
Kevin Durant on mega Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade.
“Players are held to a different standard of loyalty and commitment to a program but the organizations don’t get held to that same standard from the outside.”
On teams following suit before Feb…. pic.twitter.com/DekP4eRN6N
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) February 2, 2025
Many will push aside the loyalty comments from Durant due to his history. Some still discredit him for joining the Golden State Warriors years ago, leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder in the dust.
Or even his stint with the Brooklyn Nets, where Durant never finished what he started. But nevertheless, the star forward seems to feel a certain way about how this trade went down.
Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images
It was reported that neither the Lakers nor Mavericks told the star players of a trade coming down. Los Angeles kept both Davis and star LeBron James in the dark, a move that is usually frowned upon in sports.
Read more: Lakers Reportedly Didn’t Tell LeBron James About Anthony Davis Trade
But the impact of this deal is yet to be seen. With the trade deadline just a few days away, Durant believes that other teams could make reactionary moves to this deal.
“For sure. You start seeing stuff like that, as an organization, you might get a little more courage to do some stuff. You see another team trade away somebody like that. This got to be the biggest trade I’ve seen since I’ve been in the league or since I’ve been watching the sport. This is insane. So yeah, every other team might get confidence and say fuck it, I’ll trade a few of my top players if this ain’t working.”
We may never see a trade like this take place again and it will likely forever alter the trajectory of basketball. The pure implications of this trade will be revealed over time but the course of the NBA is now changed.
More NBA news:
Lakers’ LeBron James Slams Rumors Around Anthony Davis, Luka Doncic Trade
Patrick Mahomes Reacts to Blockbuster Anthony Davis, Luka Doncic Trade
Suns’ Devin Booker Has Perfect Three Word Response to Blockbuster Luka Doncic Trade
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