Lakers acquire Doncic from Mavs in exchange for Davis: report

 In a blockbuster move, the Los Angeles Lakers have reportedly acquired Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Anthony Davis.

ESPN reported on Saturday night (Sunday, Manila time) that the deal will also see Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris go to the Lakers, while Dallas will also receive Max Christie and Los Angeles’ 2029 first round pick.

Có thể là hình ảnh về 1 người, đang chơi bóng rổ, áo bóng rổ và văn bản

The trade also involves the Utah Jazz, who will get Lakers guard Jalen Hood-Schifino as well as 2025 second round picks from the LA Clippers and Mavericks.

In a statement to ESPN, Dallas general manager Nico Harrison said the move gives them a chance to “win now and in the future” with Davis as the anchor of their defense.

“I believe that defense wins championships,” said Harrison. “I believe that getting an All-Defensive center and an All-NBA player with a defensive mindset gives us a better chance.”

In Doncic, the Lakers will get a player to build around in the post-LeBron James era. Drafted by the Mavericks with the third pick of the 2018 Rookie Draft, the Slovenian is already a five-time All-Star and a five-time All-NBA First Team Selection. He led the Mavs to the NBA Finals in 2024, losing to the Boston Celtics.

Doncic is averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game for the Mavericks. However, he has been sidelined since Christmas with a calf injury.

Davis, meanwhile, is a 10-time All-Star who helped the Lakers win the 2020 NBA championship. He came to the Lakers in a blockbuster trade with the New Orleans Pelicans in July 2019. He is averaging 25.7 points, 11.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game this season.

Reports of the trade surfaced shortly after the Lakers — with Davis sidelined by an abdominal muscle strain — beat the Knicks 128-112 in New York.

“According to people inside the Lakers’ locker room not authorized to speak publicly, the trade was a complete shock,” the Los Angeles Times reported.

“This deal materialized in the shadows,” Shams Charania, the ESPN reporter who broke the news, said in discussing the trade on the network.

“LeBron James had no idea this was coming. Anthony Davis had no idea this was coming. I’m told Luka Doncic is still stunned about this trade.”

Doncic led the league in scoring last season with 33.9 points per game and was a finalist for the Most Valuable Player Award.

However, several injuries in recent years have seen his fitness called into question.

ESPN cited unnamed sources in saying the Mavericks were concerned about Doncic’s trouble staying in shape. He has played in just 22 games this season.

He would have been eligible to receive a super-max contract extension worth more than $300 million after this season.

James noted after the Lakers’ victory over the Knicks that Davis’s absence made for a big defensive void.

“Without AD it’s got to be a collective group, not one of us can do it by ourselves,” James said. “We damn sure can’t take up all what AD does — he covers for all of us.”