Anthony Davis makes his feelings clear about $6 million loss he incurred to facilitate blockbuster trade

Anthony Davis' trade to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Luka Doncic was supposed to see the 10-time All-Star get paid a $6 million trade kicker. However, Davis waived the bonus after being dealt so that the Mavericks and general manager Nico Harrison would have much more to work with when trying to assemble a championship roster.

On Tuesday, around the same time Doncic and LA Lakers GM Rob Pelinka appeared onstage for his introductory press conference, Davis spoke with ESPN's Tim Bontemps about the jaw-dropping deal.

During the interview, Davis was asked why he gave up the $6 million bonus he was owed, explaining that the loss of Doncic is "monumental" for the franchise, and he's trying to help any way he can.

"Trying to help the team," Davis said. "Obviously you always want to get better and losing a monumental piece like Luka ... it's a lot, right? So I'm just trying to do my part and help Nico (Harrison) and the organization on how we can continuously get better."

While Dallas made not only the biggest move of the deadline but also arguably the biggest move in NBA history, it sounds like the team isn't done yet.

Dallas Mavericks trade for Caleb Martin after acquiring Anthony Davis in blockbuster trade

While the Dallas Mavericks' trade for Anthony Davis was shocking, GM Nico Harrison wasn't done. On Tuesday, the team finalized a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, sending Quentin Grimes and the 76ers' own 2025 second-round pick in exchange for guard Caleb Martin.

Shams Charania broke the news that Dallas added a ball-handling guard to their roster after the Luka Doncic trade. Thanks to Davis waiving his $6 million trade kicker, the Mavericks will have some added cap room heading into the deadline to make another move if they want.

According to The Athletic's Christian Clark, the current belief is that Dallas isn't quite done making deals yet. With less than 48 hours to go until the deadline, Clark reported that the "sense" is that Harrison and the Mavericks front office are still looking to bolster their roster in hopes of a championship run.

Despite that, the latest NBA Finals betting odds from FanDuel show Dallas sitting in 11th place with +4100 odds to win it all. Meanwhile, the LA Lakers have climbed to sixth place, with +2000 odds to go all the way, putting them behind the Denver Nuggets, Cleveland Cavaliers, OKC Thunder, and Boston Celtics.

With the deadline approaching, only time will tell whether Harrison and the Mavericks are done wheeling and dealing.