Anthony Davis has been traded multiple times, but the original big one people usually mean is his 2019 move from the New Orleans Pelicans to the Los Angeles Lakers, where the Pelicans received a massive haul of players and picks in return.

Quick Scoop: Who was Anthony Davis traded for?

When people ask “who was Anthony Davis traded for,” they’re almost always talking about the blockbuster deal that sent him from the Pelicans to the Lakers, which essentially jump‑started the Lakers’ 2020 title run.

In that original trade, the Pelicans received a package built around young players and draft picks, while the Lakers got the established superstar they needed next to LeBron James.

The classic Pelicans–Lakers trade (what most forums mean)

The full Pelicans return has become famous on NBA forums as one of the bigger “trade trees” of the era, because pieces kept getting flipped over the years. In broad strokes, the Pelicans’ side of the deal (and what it ultimately turned into through later moves) can be summarized as:

  • A group of young players and prospects (the “kids” from the Lakers’ young core).
  • Multiple first‑round picks and pick swaps that the Pelicans could either use or flip in later trades.
  • The flexibility to retool around Zion Williamson using that asset base over several seasons.

Fans on Reddit and other forums still talk about that trade in “tree” form: how each pick and player eventually turned into different moves, culminating in discussions like the one you’re seeing about the “full details” finally being clear years later.

More recent twists: Mavs, Lakers, Wizards

Because Anthony Davis has moved again in recent years, sometimes people asking “who was Anthony Davis traded for” are actually referring to the newer blockbuster deals, not the original Pelicans–Lakers one.

Here’s the quick storyline:

  1. He was traded from the Lakers to the Dallas Mavericks in a huge deal that sent Luka Dončić to Los Angeles and brought Davis to Dallas as the centerpiece on the Mavs’ side.
  1. Later, the Mavericks flipped Davis again to the Washington Wizards in an eight‑player trade that also involved a stack of draft picks, sending Davis plus several guards out and bringing back veterans like Khris Middleton and more assets.

So depending on which moment you mean:

  • Pelicans → Lakers: New Orleans got a big package of young players and picks that turned into a whole trade tree over several years.
  • Lakers → Mavericks: Dallas received Davis (plus minor pieces) while the Lakers landed Luka Dončić in a league‑shaking swap.
  • Mavericks → Wizards: Washington received Davis, while Dallas got Khris Middleton, young guards/wings, and a pile of draft picks to reshape their roster.

Simple takeaway

If you’re talking classic NBA history talk, Anthony Davis was “traded for” a big bundle of young players and draft capital when he went from the Pelicans to the Lakers. If you’re following current trending news and forum chatter right now, people are also arguing about the more recent chains of trades that sent him from the Lakers to the Mavericks, and then from the Mavericks to the Wizards, each time for another massive package of players and picks.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.