Report: Clippers didn’t love Anthony Davis when he was on the market, felt he wasn’t a ‘leader’ or ‘tough’

Back when Anthony Davis was trying to get himself out of the New Orleans Pelicans franchise, it was no secret that Los Angeles was one of his preferred destinations.

While it seemed clear that the Los Angeles Lakers were near the top of his wish list, it’s possible that he would have also been happy to join the Los Angeles Clippers. As it turns out, however, the Clippers weren’t very interested in going after Davis because the organization did not see him as a leader.

That fact was discussed by Colin Cowherd on a recent episode of his podcast.

“I had a good source inside the Clippers that told me when A.D. was on the market, they didn’t think he was (a) a leader or (b) tough,” he said. “They thought he was gifted. And they didn’t think he would play through injuries. They didn’t think he worked out enough. … The idea was everybody loved A.D., and the Clippers have a very deep roster, very shrewd front office. They didn’t love him. And their takeaway was he has to be led. He can’t lead.”

It’s certainly an interesting note. Davis’ recent years arguably make the Clippers’ assessment look wise, but it is important to remember everything that Davis has accomplished in his short time with the Lakers.

There is no doubt that the last two seasons have been tough for the star big man. That’s especially true from a health perspective. He’s missed tons of time due to injury.

However, Davis was one of the best players in the NBA when the Lakers won the 2020 championship. He dominated in many games, and the Lakers cruised to the title.

So, while the Clippers may have had concerns about Davis, he and the Lakers have still accomplished much more as a team than the Clippers have managed to in the same time period.