A huge deal in the NBA. The Dallas Mavericks have agreed to a trade of superstar Luka Doncic. The Slovenian is moving to the Los Angeles Lakers in a package with Maxi Kleber, and the Mavs are getting Anthony Davis, among others.
This is reported by Shams Charania of ESPN. According to this, Dallas is giving Doncic, Kleber and Markieff Morris, while the Lakers are sending Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a first-round pick to the Mavs. The Utah Jazz are also involved, having taken guard Jalen Hood-Schifino from the Lakers.
Other media outlets confirm the report. According to Marc Stein, the trade was not made at the request of Doncic himself, but the Mavericks did so of their own free will. They themselves are said to have approached the Lakers because they were no longer satisfied with Doncic. Reasons are said to have been his constant fitness problems and his upcoming contract negotiations. In the summer, Doncic could have demanded a five-year, $345 million contract in Dallas.
“I believe in defense winning championships,” GM Nico Harrison is quoted as saying by Tim McMahon (ESPN). With regard to Anthony Davis, the general manager continued: ‘We have a better chance at the title if we get one of the best defensive centers in the league who is also an All-NBA player.’
Doncic led the Mavs to the NBA Finals last year
Last year, Doncic led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011, but the Texans lost to the Boston Celtics 1-4. This season, however, things are not going well for Dallas, partly because Doncic has been out with a persistent calf injury since Christmas. That calf has caused the Slovenian problems several times. With a record of 26-23, Dallas is only ninth in the West.
The Lakers are in fifth place with 28-19, with Davis being a key player for the team from L.A., even though he is not consistent in offense. The big man came from New Orleans via trade in 2019 and helped the Lakers win a championship one year later in the coronavirus season. In the following years, however, they only made it to the Conference Finals once (2023).
Davis is already 31 years old, while Doncic will be 26 in a few weeks. The Slovenian will thus play with his great idol LeBron James and is likely to become the face of the Lakers for years to come when James finally hangs up his sneakers.
Doncic still has a contract until 2027, but he can get out of it as early as 2026. Davis, on the other hand, is tied for one more year; he also has a player option for $62.7 million for his last year of the contract.
