There are absolutely no words to describe this. Shams Charania of ESPN is reporting that the Lakers are acquiring five-time all-star Luka Doncic from the Mavericks in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick. The Jazz are involved in this trade as well, and they will receive Jalen Hood-Schifino and a pair of second-round picks.
Where do we begin? Doncic will be 26 years old later this month and was under contract with the Mavs until the 2026-27 season. Anthony Davis, 32, is under contract until the 2027-28 season.
This was completely out of nowhere, as Charania is also reporting that the Mavericks approached the Lakers and offered them Doncic.
There has never been a trade of this magnitude in NBA history. Doncic, despite his defensive shortcomings, has already made the all-NBA First Team five times, and just dragged a rather mundane Mavericks’ roster to the Finals last year. He’s one of the three-to-five best players in the world, and will now be the face of the NBA’s most iconic franchise for the next 10+ years, and successor to LeBron James.
As for the Mavs, it’s a real head-scratcher that they would ship out their franchise-cornerstone player, but they feel that Anthony Davis paired with Kyrie Irving is a better fit defensively, especially in the short term. Mavs’ President of basketball operations Nico Harrison is going to receive a ton of criticism for this if Dallas doesn’t win a title in the near future with Davis.
It also needs to be reiterated that Doncic is currently out with a calf injury and is likely another week or so from returning, while Davis is also currently out at least a week with an abdominal strain.
The Lakers host the Mavericks on February 25th. Buckle up.