S Poddar
The Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks finalized a monumental trade, moving Luka Doncic to Los Angeles, sending Anthony Davis to Dallas, with Utah Jazz as a part of this trade, in the three-way trade deal early Sunday morning as per the ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Charania reports the Lakers are giving up Davis, a and Max Christie in exchange for Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris. In this three-way trade, Jalen Hood-Schifino will go from the Lakers, along with a 2025 second-round pick from the Mavericks and another from the Clippers through the Lakers to the Jazz as the third part of the deal.
This shocked the basketball world. Even Charania posted on social media to assure his fans of its validity while still basking in the general skepticism that befell most Lakers’ fans. It later turned out that the Mavericks started trading for the youngster and proposed the sending of Doncic to Los Angeles. This is something Los Angeles front office sees as an extremely rare opportunity to introduce the long-term face of the franchise: a young superstar.
Doncic, widely considered one of the NBA’s elite talents, finished third in MVP voting last season and has been the foundation of the Mavericks’ success. Neither he nor Davis knew anything about the trade talks before the deal was done.
At 31, Davis is one of the biggest men in the league, still dominating games at this point in his career. This season, he’s averaged 25.7 points and 11.9 rebounds per game for the Lakers. For all that he’s doing on the court, the Lakers have decided to make the bold move, opting to build around a younger star in Doncic.
Davis was ruled out with an abdomen injury during this win over the Knicks on Saturday night, in which Christie put in 15 points. Doncic, meanwhile had been out of action since Christmas due to calf strain.
Mavericks General Manager Nico Harrison spoke with ESPN’s Tim MacMahon about the rationale behind the trade, saying, “I believe that defense wins championships. Bringing in an All-Defensive center and an All-NBA player with a strong defensive mindset puts us in a better position to compete now and in the future.”
Reports indicate that Dallas had been growing increasingly concerned about Doncic’s conditioning, especially as he became eligible for a five-year, $345 million supermax contract this summer. The timing of the move is particularly shocking given that the Mavericks made the NBA Finals last season, led by Doncic and Kyrie Irving, before losing to the Boston Celtics in five games.
Christie, who put up a stellar performance against the Knicks just prior to the trade, is now part of the new-look Mavericks. Meanwhile, the Lakers, who have been fifth in the Western Conference, have struggled to regain championship form since taking the 2019-20 title. Through Doncic, they may be able to make a deeper playoff run alongside LeBron James and other key contributors.
The trade shook the sports world to its core, with many questioning whether Charania’s report was hacked, as the sheer magnitude of the deal was hard to believe. Even LeBron James was caught off guard, finding out about the trade while dining, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. Knicks player Jalen Brunson reacted in disbelief, asking if it was “April Fools'”. Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton echoed that sentiment, questioning whether Charania’s report was real.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes also weighed in on social media, expressing his shock with a simple but telling reaction: “I’m sick rn….”
Basketball fans won’t have to wait long to see Doncic take on his former team, as the Lakers are set to host the Mavericks on February 25 in what will undoubtedly be one of the most highly anticipated games of the season.
