Not a drill: Mavs’ Luka Doncic traded to Lakers for Anthony Davis
Feb 1, 2025, 11:15 PM | Updated: Feb 2, 2025, 10:13 am
Luka Doncic is being traded by the reigning Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, a person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press on Saturday.
Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris are headed to the Lakers, while Davis and Max Christie are going to Dallas, said the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither team can announce the deal while it awaits league approval.
The Utah Jazz are also involved in the deal, said the source. ESPN, which first reported the trade, said Jalen Hood-Schifino and two draft picks will be headed to the Jazz. The Dallas Morning News also reported those details on the trade.
It is an absolute blockbuster, with Doncic set to join LeBron James in Los Angeles, and Davis now headed to Dallas to partner with Kyrie Irving.
“I believe that defense wins championships,” Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison told ESPN. “I believe that getting an All-Defensive center and an All-NBA player with a defensive mindset gives us a better chance. We’re built to win now and in the future.”
The deal, at least for now, would pair Doncic with LeBron James as the new 1-2 punch in Los Angeles, while Davis would be forming a new star duo with Kyrie Irving in Dallas.
— The Associated Press
Why would the Mavericks trade Luka Doncic to the Lakers for Anthony Davis?
Well, glad you asked.
Let’s start with the Mavericks, who surely will take the brunt of the criticism with this shocker. Fit-wise, Dallas has a perimeter star and gains more balance — both in offense/defense and bigs/perimeter players.
However, ejecting a franchise face for the next decade in favor of an often-injured, often-criticized big man at best gets the current No. 8 seed out of play-in territory. Even if it means a prolonged playoff run, does it make them title favorties? You could stretch to make the case that head coach Jason Kidd might have some creative ways to make this one of the best defensive teams in the NBA.
Davis is averaging 25.7 points, 11.9 boards and 2.3 blocks per game. At 31 years old, he’s not surpassed 60 games played in four of his last six seasons due to injury issues.
The other thing: Dallas (26-23) was quietly in a position to make an important call: Make Doncic the highest paid player by total contract in history at $345 million or not.
Even though he is just 25 years old, having led Dallas to an NBA Finals last year, Doncic has faced conditioning issues in the past — though he’s not had what you’d call significant injuries. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said that played a part in the decision-making.
The Mavs had major concerns about moving forward with Luka Doncic due to his constant conditioning issues and the looming commitment of another supermax contract extension this summer, sources told ESPN.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) February 2, 2025
That tidbit could all could be traced back to Doncic’s reputation before he even entered the NBA. The 2018 draft’s third overall pick was arguably the most talented player in his class, along with Arizona Wildcats product Deandre Ayton.
The Phoenix Suns selected the latter, while the Sacramento Kings at No. 2 picked Marvin Bagley Jr. out of Duke.
That was despite Doncic having plenty of experience in pro ball and national team competition, where he dominated much older players. Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro published a single NBA talent evaluator’s scouting report of the Slovenian star, which among other things included:
— Entitled
— Full of himself
— Not liked by teammates
Still, Doncic this season averaged 28.1 points, 8.3 boards and 7.8 assists per game. If Doncic stays healthy, this is the Mavs giving up on a player in line to finish as one of the top 10 players ever.
That Dallas did this trade for a single star and without getting massive draft capital back will loom large in the reviews of the deal.
For the Lakers (28-19), this makes sense despite the current No. 5 seed perhaps getting a little redundant with the NBA’s two best overall skillsets, Doncic and LeBron James, joining forces.
James, who has crossed off pretty much every checkbox you could want as an NBA star, has even spent court time with his son, Bronny James. Is retirement in the nearer future?
Whatever the case, the Lakers set themselves up to continue doing Lakers things, providing a successor for the line of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. They found a true generational talent, will try to build around him, and if all fails, at least remain very, very relevant.
— Kevin Zimmerman