Anthony Davis Says a Weight Was Lifted off Lakers After Trade Deadline Pass

Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis suggested Saturday that he is relieved the NBA trade deadline has passed.

According to Marc J. Spears of ESPN's The Undefeated, Davis said getting beyond the deadline "lifted weight off the shoulders," before adding, "This is our team, let's go."

Despite owning a disappointing 26-31 record this season, the Lakers did not make any moves prior to Thursday's deadline.

After the Lakers declined to make any trades, general manager Rob Pelinka said he was in "alignment" with Davis and LeBron James.

ESPN's Dave McMenamin subsequently reported, however, that a source close to Davis and James said it was "totally false" that the superstar duo gave their blessing to not make a move.

McMenamin also noted that the Lakers held trade talks with the Houston Rockets and New York Knicks, but their unwillingness to include a first-round pick in the deals prevented anything from getting done.

Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported that a swap of Russell Westbrook for John Wall was discussed by the Lakers and Rockets, only for talks to break down when Pelinka wouldn't part with a first-rounder.

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported on another proposed Lakers trade involving the Knicks and Toronto Raptors. The deal reportedly would have landed L.A. Cam Reddish and Alec Burks from the Knicks, but it was never consummated.

With the Lakers failing to improve their roster via trade, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that they are likely to be heavily involved in the buyout market. Wojnarowski added that the Lakers will be one of several teams in pursuit of guard Goran Dragic after he gets bought out by the San Antonio Spurs.

The combination of Davis and James led the Lakers to a championship two seasons ago, but both have missed stretches due to injury this season, and the supporting cast has largely performed below expectations besides Malik Monk and Carmelo Anthony.

Westbrook has perhaps been the Lakers' biggest issue, as he is averaging 4.0 turnovers per game, playing poor defense and shooting just 43.6 percent from the field, 30.1 percent from beyond the arc and 67.0 percent from the free-throw line.

Westbrook isn't going anywhere this season unless the Lakers buy him out, which means the only way to manage his struggles is to decrease his minutes and potentially find a point guard upgrade on the buyout market.

Davis and James make the Lakers a dangerous team to deal with come playoff time, but unless the Lakers can break out of the current funk that has seen them lose three in a row and seven of their past nine games, the postseason is far from a guarantee.