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Luka Doncic with LeBron James.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks have pulled off one of the biggest surprise trades in NBA history. Nobody knew that the Mavericks would even consider a Luka Doncic trade but they are sending him to Los Angeles, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The deal also sends Anthony Davis to Dallas, which is a massive superstar swap. This completely changes the entire NBA and two franchises. The Lakers have been patient in making a huge trade and that patience appears to have paid off.
However, this now leaves LeBron James‘ future in question. Doncic and James have similar games. Plus, the addition of the 25-year-old Doncic makes it seem like the Lakers may be more focused on the future of the team.
James is a big fan of Doncic but he was also very close with Davis. The two won a championship together and have become good friends. According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, James was with his family when he heard the news.
“LeBron James learned of the Davis-Doncic trade after the Knicks game when it broke while he was out to dinner with his family, sources close to James told ESPN,” McMenamin wrote on X. “James was surprised by the news, is processing it and had no idea it was in the works, sources said.”
It sounds like James doesn’t know how to feel quite yet but it shouldn’t take long to find out his true feelings on the move.
Concerns With Doncic?
Doncic is less than a year removed from leading the Mavericks to the NBA Finals. He’s finished top-10 in MVP votes for five straight seasons and is only 25. So why would Dallas want to trade the face of their franchise in a deal that landed them a 31-year-old Davis?
According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, the Mavericks were starting to sour on the superstar guard.
“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,” MacMahon wrote on X.
Even with conditioning issues, Doncic has been one of the best players in the NBA so there may be more to the story that has yet to come.
What This Means for Lakers?
While Doncic is a young superstar that the Lakers can build around for years to come, the team might take a hit in the short term. Davis has been playing at a very high level this season and is one of the best defensive players in the NBA.
Doncic is an elite offensive player but struggles on defense. The Lakers are getting some size back in the form of Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris but neither are great replacements for Davis.
Perhaps a Walker Kessler trade with the Utah Jazz could still be possible but is unlikely with the Lakers having few assets. Regardless, Los Angeles now has the face of the franchise for when James retires and while Davis will be missed, the Lakers now have a far brighter future. It remains to be seen if the Lakers can still be contenders this season.
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