LeBron James Addresses ‘Shock’ Luka Doncic Must Have Felt By Mavs Trading Him

While James hasn't been traded himself before, he could empathize with Doncic's situation.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic and forward LeBron James talk in between play. / Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

The blockbuster trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers and Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks shocked the NBA world to the core, so you can only imagine how Doncic himself felt.

His new Lakers teammate LeBron James has never been traded himself, but he can definitely empathize with Doncic in this situation. Doncic, who definitely expected to be a Maverick for a long time, had to drop everything and join the Lakers without having any real warning. Dallas was all he'd known.

James expressed his thoughts on the trade situation when appearing on the Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday.

"I can't put myself in his shoes because I've never been traded before, but I can have a sense and be a human being to know you commit to a franchise for seven years and you feel like 'This is the place where I'm gonna be. This is my comfort.' ... And, then out of nowhere, bam, you just get traded," James said. "I don't give a damn where you're going, it doesn't matter who you're pairing with, that's a shock to your system."

“Luka Doncic committed to a franchise for seven years and that was his comfort..

Out of nowhere you get traded and that’s a shock to your system..

I had to let him know that we’ll figure it out because we need him to be who he is” ~ @KingJames #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/kPEIag0MID

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 26, 2025

James went on to emphasize how well Doncic has fit into the team and how he's continued to make the Lakers better and improve himself. The Lakers have gone 11-7 since Doncic joined the team in early February, which has pushed them up to the fifth seed in the Western Conference.

Despite the shock level of the trade, James thinks Doncic has adapted to the Lakers well. Doncic is averaging 27.2 points, 8.6 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game through 18 contests.

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