NBA insider hints Anthony Davis indirectly played key role in Darvin Ham's firing: Report
Anthony Davis was indirectly involved in the Lakers firing Darvin Ham, as per insider Sam Amick's latest report. Davis' growing frustration with Ham's coaching apparently had LA fearing that he could demand a trade if the franchise didn't move on from Ham next year. Amick cited the player's history of asking for trades during his stint with New Orleans as one of the factors behind the Lakers' thought process.
"One of the many, many considerations was that it was pretty evident that AD was not on board with Darvin (Ham) and they (Lakers) know, like everybody else, that AD has a history of having asked for trades in the past," Amick said on The Rich Eisen Show.
"Last thing they wanted was for AD to be frustrated with the situation and maybe have those type of thoughts cross his mind."
Davis, 31, is in the prime of his career and the team's future after signing a three-year $186 million extension last offseason. With LeBron James likely around for a couple of years at best, LA's priority is to build around AD, who has presumably taken over the torch as the franchise leader from James after one of his best seasons in a Lakers jersey.
Davis played a career-high 76 games, averaging 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.3 blocks, shooting 55.6%. He was arguably the best two-way player in the 2023-24 season and a top-five caliber star.
Anthony Davis and Darvin Ham took shots at each other amid playoff series loss to Denver
Anthony Davis and Darvin Ham's equation seemed brittle for most of the season as LA endured an up-and-down run. Davis' lack of involvement in the fourth quarter, public callouts on the team's defensive coverages and video footage showing his then-alleged frustration with Ham's coaching were the early signs of him not being on board with Ham.
These murky signs were confirmed when the two fired shots at each other after the Lakers' Game 2 loss where they blew a 20-point lead.
“We have stretches when we don’t know what we’re doing," Anthony Davis said, targeting LA's coaches about their schemes and executions.
While Darvin Ham could have downplayed those comments as many coaches would, the second-year HC defended himself and his staff, saying they "pride themselves in being organized and that he "agreed to disagree" with his star player's comments.
That seemed to be the final straw between the two, making Ham's firing imminent after the Lakers lost the series three games later.