NBA Draft

Lakers Reportedly Trade Anthony Davis for Mavericks’ Luka Doncic

Los Angeles traded their star center for Luka Doncic in one of the biggest blockbuster deals in history.

Derek Parker

Dec 25, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) warms up before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Minnesota Timberwolves at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Dec 25, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) warms up before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Minnesota Timberwolves at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
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Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Los Angeles Lakers are trading star center Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for superstar Luka Doncic. The deal will also include the Utah Jazz in a three-team trade that involves draft picks.

NBA fans around the world likely did a double-take at the initial news, checking to see if Charania was truly the reporter and making sure their eyes didn’t deceive them before finally coming to the realization that Doncic now dons the purple and gold. 

Charania even followed up shortly after revealing the full details: “Yes, this is real.”

Per ESPN's Tim McMahon: "The Mavs had major concerns about moving forward with Luka Doncic due to his constant conditioning issues and the looming commitment of another supermax contract extension this summer."

The Mavericks are also sending Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris, and LA will add Max Christie and a 2029 first round pick — one of the the few in its arsenal.

The move will obviously send shockwaves throughout the league, as it was primarily focused on Kings’ guard De’Aaron Fox’s availability.

The Lakers now add one of the premier young players in the entire association — one who was thought of to be rooted in Dallas for the foreseeable future. The Mavericks pair star Kyrie Irving with Davis, a two-way star in his own right.

The Jazz inserted themselves into the trade too, coming away with two second-round picks via the Clippers and Mavericks, as well as a young prospect in Jalen Hood-Schifino.

Aside from multiple picks being on the move, there are certain to be NBA Draft ramifications caused by this move. While Davis is talented, there's no guarantee Dallas will want to move forward with this core given its ceiling, and could instead look to undergo a full rebuild with Doncic now out of the picture.

Per Charania: The Mavericks approached the Lakers recently and offered Luka Doncic, sources tell ESPN. Lakers brass met and believed the 25-year-old Doncic has the ability to be the face of their franchise for the next decade while giving Anthony Davis a win-now move in Dallas."

NBA insider Marc Stein weighed in similarly, saying: "The Mavericks and Luka Doncic, until tonight, were heading toward a five-year contract extension in July worth a record $345 million. Dallas GM Nico Harrison made the call to abruptly change the direction of the franchise with one of the most stunning trades in league history."

Regardless, the Lakers now own two of the best players currently in LeBron James and Doncic, who will command a maximum deal for decades.

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Derek Parker
DEREK PARKER

Derek Parker covers the National Basketball Association, and has brought On SI five seasons of coverage across several different teams. He graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma in 2020, and has experience working in print, video and radio.

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