By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
The Los Angeles Lakers are notorious for having some of the best players in NBA history to play for their legendary team. Add another one to that list.
In a late-night blockbuster deal, the Lakers acquired 25-year-old Luka Dončić from the Dallas Mavericks, which sent shockwaves across the NBA.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Mavericks approached the Lakers about making a deal for Dončić. They believed that he could be the franchise’s long-term core player.
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Dončić, along with Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris went to the Lakers. In exchange, the Mavericks added 31-year-old Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 Lakers first-round draft pick.
The Utah Jazz were also involved in this huge deal. The Jazz added Jalen Hood-Schifino, a 2025 Los Angeles Clippers second-round pick, and a 2025 Mavericks second-round pick.
ESPN is reporting the projected Mavericks starting five features Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Quentin Grimes, Davis, and Daniel Gafford. The Lakers’ new starting lineup is projected to be Dončić, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Jaxson Hayes.
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon is reporting that the Mavericks were concerned about Doncic’s conditioning issues. And his upcoming supermax extension this summer.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks is reporting that Davis waived his trade bonus. Now, the Mavericks will be just $628,000 under the luxury tax. They were $5.1 million over the luxury tax before making this huge deal.
Marks is also reporting that Dončić is in line to receive a five-year, $345 million deal this summer.
Dončić — who is sidelined with a calf injury — has spent his entire career with the Mavericks up until his career. He was initially drafted by the Atlanta Hawks and then traded to the Mavericks for Trae Young.
Now, he gets to play with the man, who he previously said was his idol, LeBron James. The 40-year-old James is on the downside of his career and may not play after this season or next season.
This season, Dončić has appeared in 22 games. He has averaged 28.1 points per game. He is also averaging 8.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists, 2.0 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game.
The 33-year-old Kleber had spent nearly a decade with the Mavericks. He is sidelined with a broken right foot.
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Kleber will be sidelined for the next several weeks. This season, he appeared in 34 games with four starts.
He is averaging 3.0 points per game. He is also averaging 2.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.3 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game.
The 35-year-old Morris is a veteran journeyman, who has bounced around the league. He has appeared in seven games this season.
He is averaging 1.7 points per game. Morris is averaging 1.1 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.1 steals, and 0.1 blocks.
The 21-year-old Hood-Schifino was a first-round draft pick by the Lakers in the 2013 NBA Draft. He missed Saturday’s game with a hamstring injury.
He has appeared in two games this season. He is averaging 2.0 points per game. He is also averaging 0.5 rebounds, 0.5 assists, and 0.5 blocks per game.
Davis did not play on Saturday for the Lakers in their win over the New York Knicks. He has an abdominal muscle strain.
The 31-year-old Davis has appeared in 42 games this season. He made 42 starts.
He is averaging 25.7 points per game. Davis is also averaging 11.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.3 steals, and 2.1 blocks per game.
The 21-year-old Christie was a second-round draft pick by the Lakers in 2022. He had 15 points in his final game with the Lakers against the Knicks.
He is averaging 8.3 points per game. He is also averaging 2.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game.
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