Luka Dončić is officially a Laker, while Anthony Davis is headed to the Mavericks in 1 of the most stunning trades in NBA history.
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Disbelief turned to shock, shock turned back to disbelief. After a basketball world spent the late night Saturday and wee Sunday morning hours asking itself this question — Is this a hoax? — reality checked in and said Luka Dončić is indeed a Laker and Anthony Davis is indeed a Maverick.
This massive and unexpected and, quite frankly, head-scratching trade between Los Angeles and Dallas instantly remakes a pair of teams and sends a pair of Kia MVP contenders to different addresses. This much is true. Whether it pushes the Mavericks and/or Lakers another step in the right direction, either now or for as long as those players are in those uniforms, is questionable.
The Mavericks surrendered Luka in his prime, which seems unfathomable. Apparently, they weren’t thrilled with something — his conditioning, defense, perhaps too high maintenance?
The Lakers handed over Davis, who fit with LeBron James and was part of the solution, not the problem, in L.A. Did they tire from his injury history, or simply go for the younger star when given the rare chance?
Welcome to Dallas, @AntDavis23!@chime // #MFFL pic.twitter.com/uKfGRv9R6U
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) February 2, 2025
We attempt to sort it out with these five takeaways from the blockbuster swap that also involved a first-round pick and fringe players:
1. Why this makes sense for both teams
Dallas adds one of the game’s very best two-way players, someone who impacts outcomes at both rims. Davis doesn’t need to score to deliver victories — his rebounding and rim protection are elite. Plus, Kyrie Irving will assume Luka’s ball-handling duties. The starting five for Dallas is among the best in basketball, especially inside the paint. The Mavs have beaten West leader OKC three times this year; now just added Davis.
The Lakers add another creator next to LeBron James, giving them a pair of players who make teammates better. Luka also improves their outside shooting and will be warmly received both inside and outside the locker room; an ovation awaits at Crypto.
2. Why this makes no sense for either teams
Why trade Luka without letting the other 28 teams know? Why not hold an auction and get the very best combination of picks and players? Also, Davis is six years older with an injury history. And the Mavs already had bigs; now they have a surplus, barring another trade.
The Lakers were poor defensively before the trade; now they lost their only credible defender. And defense is by far the weakest part of Luka’s game. Plus: L.A. is now starving for not one, but two big men. There must be another deal made before Thursday’s deadline.
3. Lakers keep their “star streak” going
When the franchise was based in Minneapolis, the Lakers had Elgin Baylor, then drafted Jerry West months before moving. From that point on, with the exception of very short stretches, the Lakers made a point of getting and keeping generational talents.
That’s over 60 years … and counting, because Luka is just 25. That’s unmatched in the NBA, perhaps all professional team sports.
When Baylor retired, the Lakers had already landed Wilt Chamberlain. When Wilt and Jerry retired, the Lakers swung a deal for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. When the 1979 draft arrived, owner Jerry Buss over-ruled West, then his GM, and drafted Magic Johnson because Buss sensed star potential for a team that attracted celebrities.
After Magic came Shaquille O’Neal, and West, sensing a star, swung a draft-day deal for a teenaged Kobe Bryant. After Kobe came LeBron, and his predecessor is already in-house now.
Luka seems “that guy” if only because of his age, All-NBA and MVP-caliber talent, ability to carry a team to the Finals and this is important — box office presence. That goes over well in a status town like LA — and with media partners who just spent billions and crave the Lakers for prime time slots.
4. It’s the biggest trade of this generation
To be fair, the seismic shock and enormity of this trade is mainly due to the times in which we live — social media, short attention spans, no concept of history.
Like, is this really bigger than Wilt getting traded from the San Francisco Warriors to the 76ers in his prime? What about Kareem, with an MVP and title already under his belt, getting moved from Milwaukee to L.A.? Or Julius Erving from the Nets to Sixers?
So we’ll just stick with this generation and compare it to:
• Wolves send Kevin Garnett to the Celtics. Combined with Ray Allen arriving from Seattle, Boston formed a big three with Paul Pierce and won a championship in 2008.
• Nuggets deal Carmelo Anthony to Knicks. Melo was a certified scorer just touching his prime, and he went to the league’s biggest market.
• Lakers trade Shaq to the Heat. Shaq was still a massive presence, though not for much longer, and he did help Miami win its first title.
All of the above are Hall of Fame-types who also sold tickets, much like Luka. But here’s the difference: Dončić was traded for Davis, an MVP candidate when healthy. It’s the first time two All-NBA players have been swapped for each other in the middle of the season, per the Elias Sports Bureau.
5. What about LeBron?
It appears LeBron James was just as shocked as everybody else when news of the blockbuster broke while he was at dinner.
He’s the 40-year-old elephant in the room, a player still delivering solid results almost nightly, yet who’s on the clock. Does this trade help or hurt his chances at one more championship? And does he want to spend the rest of his career — which might be just one more year — with the Lakers?
LeBron wasn’t even given a heads-up about the trade, according to reports, which is shocking in itself if only because he and Davis are represented by the same agency. Which means, if true, LeBron didn’t sign-off or disprove the trade. He had no input.
Also: The Lakers now have two ball-dominant stars. We’ve seen this happen before on other teams with mixed results. What about here?
This is much evident — the Lakers are putting their franchise in the hands of another player. As they should. That’s the long-term goal. As for the short-term, they’ll need a sit-down with LeBron because a team that’s even weaker defensively and lacking a quality rebounder won’t scare many of this season’s contenders.
It’s all in LeBron’s hands. Does he sit tight and see what happens next in L.A.? Or are there better situations for him at this stage in his career?
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.
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